Bouillon malgache - beef bouillon with lettuce or watercress

Bouillon malgache - beef bouillon with lettuce or watercress

Ingredients:
500 grams beef cubes-bite size
400 grams canned whole peeled tomatoes
4 cups chicken or vegetable stock
iceberg lettuce or watercress
1 medium onion finely chopped
2 tablespoons chopped coriander leaves
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 tablespoon crushed garlic
1 tablespoon crushed ginger
salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:
Season beef cubes with salt and pepper to taste. Place in refrigerator until required. Finely blend the canned whole peeled tomatoes in a food processor or blender until well blended but not liquefied. Put aside.
Clean lettuce and coarsely cut 5-6 leaves lengthwise into 3 cm / 1 inch strips. If you use watercress, clean and cut into bite size sprigs (avoid the tough stems). You may adjust quantity used later on.
In a deep saucepan, big enough to contain the bouillon and its ingredients, over medium to high heat cook the finely chopped onion, crushed ginger and garlic in 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil. Cook until the onion pieces are cooked and become transparent. Add the blended tomatoes and mix well. Cover and allow to simmer over medium heat for 20-30 minutes or until the tomatoes are well cooked and the sauce is well blended. Season with salt and pepper to taste. You may add some hot water to prevent sauce from becoming too thick. Stir at frequent intervals to prevent the sauce from burning.
Add the chicken or vegetable stock and stir into the mixture. Cover and simmer over medium to high heat for 15-20 minutes or until the tomato sauce and chicken / vegetable stock are well blended and taste good. If necessary, season with salt and pepper to taste.
If serving immediately, add the beef cubes and simmer under cover over medium to high heat for 10-15 minutes or until beef pieces are cooked. If not serving immediately, you can pause the cooking and re-start 10-15 minutes before serving.
Place the cut lettuce leaves / watercress sprigs in a serving bowl big enough to contain the bouillon. Pour over the bouillon and cooked beef cubes. Allow to rest for 5 minutes.
Serve on rice. Enjoy with an appetiser such as chatini pomme d’amour or achard.