C H E F ’ S TI P S & TR I C KS
Slow and Steady BY KEANE STRAUB PHOTOS BY DONG KIM
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here’s no arguing that filling the home with the scents of slow cooking adds to the overall eating experience once you do tuck in. Along with deepening flavours, slow cooking can also help stretch ingredients
Chef Tu Le of Edmonton’s Jack’s Burger Shack (and its pop-up Charcoal Dragon) calls his style of cooking “a mash-up of Vietnamese cooking with Canadian ingredients and influence.” He owes this to being an immigrant, he adds, and credits his mother for much of what he’s learned. While the menu at Jack’s leans into Western influences – the ‘All Shook Up’ burger is a subtle nod to Elvis, complete with peanut butter – Chef Tu hasn’t forgotten where he comes from. When we asked for a slow-cooked recipe he was quick to reply with a recipe for Sot Vang, a Vietnamese-style beef stew. “My mom would make traditional Hanoi pho every weekend but once in a while my dad would spend the day and make Sot Vang,” he explains. A relatively simple dish, it’s all about good seasoning and slow cooking. “Season the meat and brown it well - this adds a deep flavour to the stew. And really, you can’t overcook this dish, it’s like an Italian Sunday gravy in that you can start it in the morning and leave it on until dinner.”
Sot Vang Serves 4-6
750g stew beef, cubed (can be substituted with short rib, chuck flats, or oxtail) To taste salt and pepper 2 Tbs (30 mL) canola oil 1 large onion, thinly sliced 2 cloves of garlic, minced 1 Tbs ginger, minced 2 Tbs (30 mL) tomato paste 2 cups (500 mL) water 5 cups (1¼ L) beef stock 1 cup (250 mL) dry red wine 10 Culinaire November 2023
further, and free up time better spent with loved ones, or doing something just for yourself – just remember to set a timer to check on things when needed! This month we turn up the heat and pump the brakes to explore flavourful
2 Tbs (30 mL) fish sauce 2 Tbs (30 mL) light soy sauce 1 Tbs (15 mL) honey 2 cinnamon sticks 4 star anise 3 potatoes, peeled and cubed 4 carrots, cut into rough chunks Fresh cilantro, for garnish 1 white onion, thinly sliced for garnish Baguette or cooked rice noodles 1. Season beef liberally on both sides with salt and pepper and set aside at room temperature for 30 minutes. 2. Heat oil in large pot or Dutch oven on medium high heat. Add beef and brown on all sides, remove beef from pot. 3. Add onions, garlic, and ginger to pot and cook until fragrant. 4. Push onion, garlic, and ginger mixture to one side of the pot, add tomato paste
stews, braised meats, and comforting soups with recipes shared by four Alberta chefs. These all come together with ease, delight the senses, and free you up to take care of those things we tend to put on the back burner.
to the other side and cook until paste darkens in colour. 5. Add browned beef, water, stock, wine, fish sauce, soy sauce, honey, cinnamon and star anise to pot, and bring to a boil. 6. Lower heat to low and allow to simmer for 2–2½ hours. 7. Add potatoes and carrots and simmer for another 1 hour. Adjust season with salt and pepper to taste. 8. Garnish with cilantro and onion and serve atop rice noodles or with baguettes for dipping.
