Niu Lai’s Dream Stew

Ingredients

• 800 g beef stew meat, in cubes
• 2 onions, roughly chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 red bell peppers, in strips
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 400 g canned diced tomatoes
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 2 tbsp rice vinegar
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 1 red chili, sliced
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 balls mozzarella
• 4 slices chorizo
• 2 tsp wholegrain mustard
• 2 tbsp sunflower oil
• salt and pepper to taste
• 400 g rice, cooked

Method

1. Heat the oil in a large stew pot. Brown the beef on all sides.
2. Add onions, garlic, and bell peppers, sauté for 5 minutes.
3. Add tomato paste and fry briefly. Then add diced tomatoes, soy sauce, rice vinegar, sugar, chili, and bay leaves.
4. Season with salt and pepper. Let simmer with the lid ajar for 2 hours, until the meat is tender.
5. Meanwhile, cook the rice according to package instructions.
6. Spoon the stew into an oval dish. Create a dream scene: place a mozzarella slice as the ‘calf’ on the stew, a chorizo slice as the ‘snake’ next to it, and a dot of mustard as the ‘leopard’.
7. Serve with rice.

Serving notes

• Serve in an oval dish for the dreamscape effect.
• Make the mozzarella calf more recognizable by carving an ear with a knife.
• Lay the chorizo snake curled next to the calf.