Japanese Beef Stew

Found this Gourmet Magazine recipe on the web, and tried it, with slight variations. The dashi, ginger and soy sauce gave the stew a great aroma and nice color.
Brown in 2 Tbs veggie oil about 1 1/2 lb. boneless beef chuck that had been cut into 1 inch pieces. Add 1 cup dashi mixed with 1 cup water, 1/2 cup sake, 1 Tbs grated ginger, and 1 bunch of sliced scallions. Cover and simmer, skimming froth and turning beef occasionally, for 75 mins, and adding more water if neccessary. Add 2 Tbs suger and simmer 15 mins longer. Add chopped carrots and celery and cook for another 5 mins. Sprinkle with green onions.
We found this large packet of ramen-type noodles at the asian market, and we liked the texture. Made a nice beef noodle stew using the above recipe. It was a very simple recipe, and tasted great. The original recipe called for triming the carrots with a paring knife or using metal molds to cut carrots into plum blossoms the way that Japanese restaurants would do, but since I couldn't find that mold here, I used medium baby carrots instead.