Beef + Greens Stew

Gluten-free | Sugar-free | Dairy-free | Gut Health Compatible | No added fat 

Serves 4-6

Why it’s delicious 

This is one moreish way to get anyone to eat their greens. I first encountered a dish akin to this at a restaurant in Culver city in Los Angeles. We were dining with a dear friend where an incredibly appetising pork mince stew with Chinese broccoli was served to us in a clay pot as part of the evening's banquet. 

The flavour enchanted me with its reassuring qualities and familiarity for a girl who grew up on ground beef and onions. Such was my enjoyment I immediately began to breakdown the dish on how I could prepare a healthy version for us all to enjoy. 

Helpful hints and tips

There is nothing stopping you from using lamb, lean pork or chicken mince in this recipe. 

This is a great dish to prepare ahead or meal prep. You can make the mince stew well ahead of eating and when you are ready to partake, while you are heating the mince add the greens as they don't need very long to cook in the stew and then your greens are fresh and luscious. 

Ingredients

• 4 tbsp Bridget's Sticky Sauce
• 2 onions, peeled and finely chopped
• 3 tbsp finely chopped garlic
• 2 tbsp finely chopped ginger
• 1 tbsp Chinese five spice powder
• 1 kg (2.2 lb) lean beef mince (ground beef)
• 2 tsp Himalayan salt
• 120 ml (4 fl 0z)  Tea Egg liquid, optional (Recipe in MORE from Bridget’s Healthy Kitchen Page 21)
• 500 ml (1 pint) Kombu Water
• 2 large bunches of choy sum or Chinese broccoli, washed, and leaves chopped into large chunks

Method

1. Heat a large non-stick wok or heavy bottomed frying pan on medium to high heat. Add the sticky sauce, onions, garlic and ginger and stir fry for 2-3 minutes. Stir the ingredients constantly to prevent them from sticking and burning. 
2. Add the 5-spice powder and stir fry for a further 30 seconds or until the smell from the pan becomes fragrant. Heating spices is called blooming the spice and is an amazing way to get more flavour out of the spices and into your food. 
3. Break the mince into the pan and using a wooden spoon continue to break up the meat. Cook the meat for 8-10 minutes, stirring frequently. 
4. Add the tea egg liquid if using along with the kombu water and allow the stew to bubble gently for 5 minutes. Taste the stew for flavour and then add enough of the salt to improve the flavour. 
5. Add the greens and cook for a minute longer before serving. 
6. If meal prepping this dish, keep the raw greens separate, only adding them when you are reheating the mince for eating.