A mishmash of sorts: Chinese inspired stew in a Moroccan pot. I experimented with the Cantonese stew in my recently acquired Tangia pot. Really a sign of the times- the global village we live in that gives everyone the ability to draw from diverse cultures.
The Tangia pot is like an amphora jar, unlike the more popular Tagine pot where the oversized lid allows for a large space for steam to circulate steaming the top layer while braising the bottom layer. In a Tangia, on the other hand, all the layers meld into one.
An absolutely easy-peasy, no-hassles recipe with no pre-browning (just a trot to your local Asian market). I replace the Moroccan spices with a melange of soy-based sauces giving that unmistakable Hong-Kong depth of flavor. I throw in some of my own twists (kicap manis and sake which have served me so well on previous occasions).
It turns out that the sous-vide (under vacuum) version works equally well. I am a reluctant sous-vider but this one may have made a convert out of me. Enjoy either the tangia/oven or the vacuum pack/sous vide version!
Special tools:
Moroccan tangia pot.
Ingredients
- 1 lb boneless lamb, fat trimmed and cut into stew sized pieces
- Sauce: 1.5 tbsp Chou Hou Sauce + 1 tbsp Hoisin Sauce + 1 tbsp Oyster Sauce + 1 tbsp Malaysian Sweet Soy Sauce (kicap manis) + 2 tbsp sake
- Aromatics: 1 bay leaf + 2 star anise + 1 tbsp dried orange peel
- 1 large potato peeled and cut into bite sized pieces and steamed till fork tender and slightly cooled
- Garnish: sliced scallions + chopped cilantro
Method
Put all ingredients, except the garnish, in the tangia pot. Seal top with aluminum foil. Bake at 350 F for 2 hours.
Garnish and serve with greens (tender pea greens in picture). Alternatively, serve with steamed rice.
Notes, hints, tips:
- It is very likely you wont have a tangia pot, then choose a baking pan with as narrow a mouth as possible. Place a droplid on the surface of the stew- this way the ingredients are encouraged to stew in their own juices, quite literally.
- To be doubly safe, I place the tangia pot in a hot water bath (bain marie). Though in Morocco the pots may indeed be placed in actual village baths. Ha.
- If you cannot get kicap manis (1 tbsp), mix 1 tbsp soy sauce with 1 tbsp brown sugar.
- Sous-vide version. Vacuum seal and cook at 155 F for 8 hours.
This looks great. If I were to make this in a slow cooker, should I just keep the same timing as with your sous vide version?
If you are not cooking under pressure, I would suggest 6 hrs in a slow cooker (with a setting close to 155 F). Let me know how it turns out.