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4.9 from 30 votes

Instant Pot Vietnamese beef stew

Make this aromatic Vietnamese beef stew once and it will become your new favourite Instant Pot recipe! Easy, hearty and a guaranteed hit with the whole family.

Prep Time
15 mins
Cook Time
15 mins
Total Time
1 hr 5 mins
Servings: 4 people
Calories: 617 kcal
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Vietnamese

Ingredients

  • 900 g | 2 lb stewing beef, cut into cubes
  • 1 tsp Chinese five spice powder
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp ground pepper
  • 2 lemongrass stalks, finely chopped or 1 tsp lemongrass paste
  • 3 large garlic cloves minced
  • 3 tbsp soy sauce
  • 1 tbsp soft dark brown sugar
  • 4 shallots finely chopped
  • 2 green chillies finely chopped
  • 4 carrots peeled and sliced into rounds
  • 450 g | 1lb butternut squash peeled and cubed
  • 1 400g | 14oz tin chopped tomatoes
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • 2 star anise
  • 2 kaffir lime leaves
  • 360 ml | 1 1/2 cups hot beef stock
  • 2-4 tbsp vegetable oil or as needed
  • 1 tbsp cornflour (cornstarch) diluted in a little cold water
  • Handful fresh basil leaves to garnish

Instructions

    Cup of Yum
  1. Combine the beef, five spice powder, salt, pepper, lemongrass, garlic, soy sauce and sugar in a bowl and mix well. Ideally, leave to marinate for an hour, if you are in a hurry you can use immediately.
  2. Heat the oil in a large casserole dish or directly in your pressure cooker using the ‘Sauté’ function. Brown the beef, in batches, until seared on all sides - a couple of minutes per batch. Transfer the meat to a plate.
  3. Add a splash more oil and sauté the shallots for 5 minutes, stirring frequently – from this point on you can use your pressure cooker.
  4. Add the green chillies, carrots, squash and cook for 2 minutes.
  5. Stir in the tomatoes and their juice, cinnamon stick, star anise, kaffir lime leaves and stock. 
  6. Return the meat to the pot and stir to combine. Cover the pressure cooker, set vent to sealing and cook for 30 minutes on high pressure.
  7. Let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes,  then release remaining pressure manually, taking care to keep your hand out of the way of the steam.
  8. Check the consistency of the stew - it’s likely the sauce will need to be reduced slightly. Stir in the cornflour slurry and use the ‘sauté’ function to reduce the sauce. 
  9. Remove the cinnamon stick, start anise and kaffir lime leaves before serving. Taste and add more salt if needed.
  10. Serve over rice or with some crusty bread garnished with basil leaves.

Notes

  • I used a 6L/Quart Instant Pot for this recipe.
  • Although ideally you should marinate the beef for up to an hour for maximum flavour, you can also mix it with the ingredients as specified and set it aside while you prepare the remaining ingredients then use immediately.

Nutrition Information

Calories 617kcal (31%) Carbohydrates 32g (11%) Protein 67g (134%) Fat 24g (37%) Saturated Fat 11g (55%) Cholesterol 175mg (58%) Sodium 1721mg (72%) Potassium 1392mg (40%) Fiber 6g (24%) Sugar 11g (22%) Vitamin A 22150IU (443%) Vitamin C 32.8mg (36%) Calcium 129mg (13%) Iron 7.9mg (44%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 4people

Amount Per Serving

Calories 617

% Daily Value*

Calories 617kcal 31%
Carbohydrates 32g 11%
Protein 67g 134%
Fat 24g 37%
Saturated Fat 11g 55%
Cholesterol 175mg 58%
Sodium 1721mg 72%
Potassium 1392mg 30%
Fiber 6g 24%
Sugar 11g 22%
Vitamin A 22150IU 443%
Vitamin C 32.8mg 36%
Calcium 129mg 13%
Iron 7.9mg 44%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.