Korean Beef Stew with Cabbage and Pickles

Submitted by: JustRightMenus

Categories: beef, cabbage, crock pot, soup

From the kitchen of:

 The Produce Box newsletter May 2013

Ingredients

3 pounds stew beef (in nice big chunks - you'll shred it later)
1 TB vegetable oil
salt and pepper

1/4 c. soy sauce
1/4 c. sugar
1/4 c. dry white wine
1 qt beef stock or low-sodium broth

2 medium red onions, quartered

6 large garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
2 large jalapenos - halved, seeded, and sliced 1/2" thick (optional)

1 TB cornstarch

4 c. coarsely chopped Napa cabbage
1/2 c. thinly sliced sour pickles

2 c. mung bean sprouts, blanced for 30 seconds in boiling water

For serving

Steamed short grain rice
toasted sesame oil
thinly sliced scallions 

Directions

Season the meat with salt and pepper. 
In a large skillet, thoroughly brown the meat in 1 TB vegetable oil over medium to high heat. 
Transfer the meat to a large slow cooker, turn to high, and cover. 

To the skillet, add soy sauce, sugar, wine, and stock. Bring to a boil.
Pour this mixture into the slow cooker. 
Add onions to slow cooker and cook for 2 hours.

Add garlic and jalapenos to the stew and cook for 1 hour longer, until meat is very tender. 

With a slotted spoon or tongs, remove the onions from the crock pot - discard.

Pick out the meat as well, and put it in a large bowl. 

Blanch the bean sprouts and keep them separate - they go over the stew once it's served in bowls.

Mix the TB of cornstarch with 1/2 c. of liquid from the slow cooker. Whisk together then add back to the stew. 
Shred the meat and return it to the cooker along with the cabbage and pickles. 

Spoon rice into bowls, ladle stew over it. 
Top with bean sprouts, a drizzle of sesame oil, and the sliced scallions. 
Serve.