Beef Spicy Stew Recipe (

: Mix the beef, lemon grass, chilies, sugar, ginger, cinnamon, curry powder, Nuoc Mam sauce, salt and black pepper and leave to stand for 1 hour. Heat 4 tablespoons oil in the wok over a high heat. Add the beef and marinade and stir quickly to sear. This should not take much more than 2 minutes. Remove the meat to a bowl and set aside. Add a little more oil, and when hot, add the onion and garlic and stir fry until fragrant. Add the tomato puree and stir for 2 minutes. Add the beef, star anise, a little salt and the water. Bring the mixture to the boil, reduce the heat to low, cover the wok and simmer until the beef is tender about 1 1/2 hours. Add the carrots and simmer for 10 minutes. Add the potatoes and simmer for a further 10 minutes. Finally, add the daikon and cook for another 10 minutes.