Home-style Mexican Rice with Slow-cooked Beef Shin Stew

Method25 steps

1. 1

   Step 1: Cut the raw beef shin (3 kg) into about 5 cm cross-sections, or three or four pieces per shin. Keep refrigerated while preparing the vegetables; do not rinse the raw beef.

   Uses 3 kg raw beef shin (fore-shank)

2. 2

   Step 2: Rinse the 5 rice-cooker cups of dry jasmine rice and drain well in a sieve.

   Uses 5 cups dry jasmine rice, measured with the rice-cooker cup · Clean water, as needed to rinse the rice, vegetables and bay leaves

3. 3

   Step 3: Wash and peel the carrots, then cut into chunks about 3 cm across.

   Uses 4–5 medium carrots · Clean water, as needed to rinse the rice, vegetables and bay leaves

4. 4

   Step 4: Wash the leek (1 stalk) and fresh tomatoes (2 large). Cut the leek into about 3 cm lengths and the tomatoes into large cubes.

   Uses 1 stalk English leek · 2 large fresh tomatoes · Clean water, as needed to rinse the rice, vegetables and bay leaves

5. 5

   Step 5: Peel the onion and garlic. Chop the onion finely and measure 2–3 tbsp finely chopped garlic.

   Uses 1 medium yellow onion · 2–3 tbsp chopped garlic

6. 6

   Step 6: Rinse the 6–8 bay leaves and set aside. Finish this preparation before blanching the beef.

   Uses 6–8 bay leaves · Clean water, as needed to rinse the rice, vegetables and bay leaves

7. 7

   Step 7: After the vegetables are prepared, bring the separate blanching water to a full boil. Add the beef and blanch for about 15 minutes. Drain and discard the blanching water, remove any loose clots with a clean utensil, and proceed immediately to the broth-cooking step in the same cooking session.

   Blanch the beef · 15 minUses Cut raw beef shin · Water, enough to blanch the beef; discard after blanching

   
8. 8

   Step 8: Immediately after blanching, put the drained beef into a large pot with the separate 4 litres water. Bring to a boil and cook at medium heat for 30 minutes, skimming scum. Check that the beef reaches at least 63°C and allow at least 3 minutes before lifting it into a clean bowl. Measure out 5½ rice-cooker cups of the cooking broth, using the same cup as for the dry rice; reserve the remaining broth for the stew, with about 2.5 litres as the author’s guide rather than a guaranteed yield. Cool the rice broth promptly in shallow containers and refrigerate while the stew cooks.

   Make the beef cooking broth · 30 minUses Only drained blanched beef, excluding discarded blanching water · 4 litres water, for making the beef cooking broth

9. 9

   Step 9: Heat the 8 tbsp olive oil in the wok over low heat. Add 1½ cans tomato paste from the two-can allowance, keeping the unused half can separate. Fry, stirring constantly, until oil separates from the paste without scorching.

   Uses 8 tbsp olive oil, for the shared tomato base · 2 cans tomato paste; use 1½ cans for the shared base

   
10. 10

    Step 10: Add the prepared chopped onion and garlic to the fried tomato paste and stir-fry until aromatic.

    Uses Fried tomato paste and olive oil · Chopped onion and measured garlic

    
11. 11

    Step 11: Scoop one bowl of this prepared tomato mixture aside for the rice. Leave the remaining mixture in the wok for the stew, keeping the two portions separate.

    Uses Complete fried tomato, oil, onion and garlic base

    
12. 12

    Step 12: Add the two cans diced peeled tomatoes and prepared fresh tomatoes to the portion left in the wok. Stir-fry over low heat for 2–3 minutes.

    Fry the fresh and canned tomatoes · 2 minUses Only tomato base remaining in the wok, excluding the reserved rice bowl · 2 cans diced peeled tomatoes · Only prepared fresh-tomato cubes, excluding prepared leek

    
13. 13

    Step 13: Add the prepared leek and bay leaves. Stir-fry over medium heat for about 5 minutes, preventing the mixture from sticking or burning.

    Fry the leek and bay leaves · 5 minUses Stew tomato mixture · Only prepared leek pieces, excluding the already used fresh tomatoes · Rinsed bay leaves

    
14. 14

    Step 14: Mix the separate 2½ tsp stew salt into this tomato mixture.

    Uses Tomato, leek and bay-leaf stew base · 2½ tsp salt, for the stew

    
15. 15

    Step 15: Add the cooked beef and turn until coated in the stew base. Add the broth reserved for the stew, about 2.5 litres if available, holding a little back for top-ups as needed. Add the optional 300 ml red port wine now if using it. Bring the mixture to a full boil.

    Uses Seasoned stew base · Only cooked beef lifted from its broth, excluding both broth portions · Broth reserved for the stew after the separate 5½ rice-cup draw; about 2.5 litres as a guide · 300 ml red port wine, optional, added at the start of the stew

    
16. 16

    Step 16: Transfer to a large thick-bottomed pot if necessary, add the prepared carrots and stir.

    Uses Beef and tomato broth · Prepared carrot chunks

    
17. 17

    Step 17: Cover with the lid slightly ajar and maintain a gentle medium-low simmer. Stir occasionally to prevent burning. Begin with 1½ hours, then check the beef; the author’s full stew-simmer guide is 2½–3 hours. Prepare the rice while the stew simmers, using its reserved broth and tomato-base portions.

    First beef-tenderness check · 90 minUses Complete hot beef and carrot stew

    
18. 18

    Step 18: At the 1½-hour check, test the beef with a skewer. Continue the same gentle simmer for roughly another 1–1½ hours as needed, checking periodically until tender but not disintegrating. Require at least 63°C and 3 minutes before serving; tenderness will usually need much longer than that minimum.

    Continue to tender beef · 60 minUses Stew after the first 1½-hour check

19. 19

    Step 19: Throughout the simmer, keep enough liquid in the pot to prevent scorching. Use any remaining stew-broth portion first; if it is exhausted and the pot is drying, add a little hot water as needed. If the finished stew is too thin, simmer more briskly while watching until the gravy is thick, using the author’s reduction-to-about-one-third guide without reducing the pot dry.

    Uses Tendering stew and its retained gravy · Only any unused reserved stew broth, excluding rice broth and cooked beef · Hot water, only if needed to keep the stew from drying after the available broth is used

20. 20

    Step 20: When the beef is fully cooked and tender without falling apart, and the gravy is thick, keep the stew hot until the rice is ready. Remove the bay leaves and whole tough leek pieces if desired before serving.

    Uses Completed tender beef stew

21. 21

    Step 21: While the stew simmers, put the well-drained rice into a wok over medium heat and dry-fry for 10–15 minutes until very dry and opaque, reducing the heat if it risks charring. Transfer to the rice-cooker pot and let it cool.

    Dry-fry the rice · 10 minUses Only rinsed well-drained dry rice, excluding discarded rinse water

    
22. 22

    Step 22: Return the reserved one bowl of tomato base to the wok over low heat. Stir in the dry-fried rice until evenly coated, add the separate 2½ tsp rice salt and fry for another 3 minutes.

    Fry the tomato-coated rice · 3 minUses Only the reserved one-bowl tomato base for rice, excluding the stew portion · Dry-fried rice · 2½ tsp salt, for the rice

    
23. 23

    Step 23: Transfer the coated rice to its cooker pot and let it cool. Once both rice and the reserved 5½ rice-cooker cups of broth are cool, combine them and start the rice cooker’s normal rice cycle. The broth measure uses the same cup as the original 5 cups dry rice. Cook until the rice is tender and the liquid is absorbed; cool the broth promptly and keep it refrigerated until this step, rather than holding it out through the long stew.

    Uses Tomato-coated rice · Only the reserved 5½ rice-cooker cups beef broth, cooled promptly and kept refrigerated

24. 24

    Step 24: Once the rice is fully cooked, fold in the ½ bowl raisins. Keep the finished rice hot until serving.

    Uses Cooked tomato rice · ½ bowl raisins

    
25. 25

    Step 25: Serve the hot raisin-tomato rice with the tender beef stew. Refrigerate leftovers promptly within 2 hours, or 1 hour above 32°C.

    Uses Finished raisin-tomato rice · Hot tender beef stew