About the Dish

This one-pot beef stew is easy to prep, cook, and let stew without much stress, with all the flavor. It is a warm, soothing meal for the upcoming winter that is perfectly paired with a bowl of white rice.

Servings: 3-4 people
Prep time: 30 min
Cooking time: about 2 hours
Total time: about 2 hours 30 minutes
Difficulty: Easy

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Ingredients

• 650g beef brisket/chuck cut (cut into 4 cm cubes)
• 5 large tomatoes
• 3 medium-sized waxy potatoes (cut into medium-sized chunks)
• 1 large carrot (cut into 3 cm chunks)
• 2 onions (small diced)
• 4 cloves of garlic (finely minced)
• 700ml of chicken stock
• 1 1/2 tbsp neutral oil
• Fresh coriander (optional topping)

Seasonings:

• 1 cinnamon stick
• 3 star anise
• 1 beef bouillon cube
• Black pepper to taste
• Salt to taste
• 1 tsp soy sauce
• 1 tsp sugar
• 2 tsp paprika powder

Steps

1. Prep the tomatoes. Wash and pat dry, cut up the tomatoes into quarters, and set aside.
2. In a large stew pot, add water to 2/3 of the pot and heat up to a simmer. Toss in the star anise along with the cinnamon stick. Cook for another minute, then add in the beef. Stir and continue cooking for 3 minutes before straining the meat out. Pat the beef dry, then place aside.
3. Pour out all the liquid, give the stew pot a good rinse, then place it back on the stove.
4. Add the oil to the pot and let it heat up to a sizzle. Add in the beef and let it sear for 2 minutes on each side to develop a deep golden color. Remove from the pot and set aside.
5. In the same pot, toss in the garlic, stir for about 10 seconds, then add in the onions. Continue cooking, while constantly stirring for another minute.
6. After the onions have started to turn a translucent shade, add in 1/2 of the tomatoes and cook for 2 minutes. At this point, add in the soy sauce, paprika, sugar, as well as the beef bouillon cube. Stir and let cook until the tomatoes have produced a thick sauce. Add in the beef.
7. Cook for another 2 minutes, then add in half of the stock. Let simmer for about 30 minutes on low heat, with a lid on. Check every 10 minutes to ensure that the meat is not sticking to the pan. Stir and add a ladle of stock when needed.
8. When the 30 minutes are up, stir the beef and tomato sauce well. Add in the rest of the stock, and continue cooking for another 30 minutes. Check every now and then to make sure the beef is not sticking to the pan, while adding a ladle of stock if needed.
9. Remove the lid and cook the sauce down for another 30 minutes, occasionally stirring.
10. Toss in the carrots and potatoes, along with the rest of the tomatoes, and continue cooking for another 20 minutes. Salt and pepper to taste.
11. Insert a fork to check if the beef is tender; it should remain intact and tender but with a bit of chew. Place the stew into a serving dish and top with fresh coriander.

Practical Tips

• This stewing method can be used for pork shoulder as well, and makes for a really tender stew.
• If you would prefer a thicker tomato sauce, add 1/2 tbsp of tomato concentrate to Step 5 after adding the quartered tomatoes.
• In Step 4, if the beef doesn’t fit the pot, you can sear it in two separate batches for the color to fully develop.
• You can add many more vegetables to this stew; chopped Chinese cabbage is a great addition.

Chelsea Aye

Tomato Beef Stew

A warm and soothing one-pot beef stew made with tomatoes, potatoes, carrots, and aromatic spices, paired with white rice.

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Servings: 3 people

Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients

  

• 650 g beef brisket/chuck cut cut into 4 cm cubes
• 5 large tomatoes
• 3 medium sized waxy potatoes cut into medium size chunks
• 1 large carrot cut in 3cm chunks
• 2 onions small diced
• 4 cloves garlic finely minced
• 700 ml chicken stock
• 1½ tbsp neutral oil
• Fresh coriander optional topping
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 3 star anise
• 1 beef bouillon cube
• Black pepper to taste
• Salt to taste
• 1 tsp soy sauce
• 1 tsp sugar
• 2 tsp paprika powder
• water added to 2/3 of the pot for parboiling

Method

 

1. Prep the tomatoes. Wash and pat dry of water, cut up the tomatoes into quarters and set aside.
2. In a large stew pot, add water to ⅔ of the pot and heat up to a simmer. Toss in the star anise along with the cinnamon stick. Cook for another minute, then add in the beef. Stir and continue cooking for 3 minutes before straining the meat out. Pat dry the beef then place aside.
3. Pour out all the liquid, give the stew pot a good rinse then place it back on the stove.
4. Add the oil to the pot and let it heat up to a sizzle. Add in the beef and let sear for 2 minutes on each side to develop a deep golden colour. Remove from the pot and set aside.
5. In the same pot, toss in the garlic, stir for about 10 seconds then add in the onions. Continue cooking, while constantly stirring for another minute.
6. After the onions have started to turn a translucent shade, add in 1/2 of the tomatoes and cook for 2 minutes. At this point, add in the soy sauce, paprika, sugar, as well as the beef bouillon cube. Stir and let cook until the tomatoes have produced a thick sauce. Add in the beef.
7. Cook for another 2 minutes then add in half of the stock. Let simmer for about 30 minutes on low heat, with a lid on. Check every 10 minutes to ensure that the meat is not sticking to the pan, stir and add a ladle of stock when needed.
8. When the 30 minutes are up, stir the beef and tomato sauce well. Add in the rest of the stock, continue cooking for another 30 minutes. Check every now and then to make sure the beef is not sticking to the pan, while adding a ladle of stock if needed.
9. Remove the lid and cook the sauce down for another 30 minutes, occasionally stirring.
10. Toss in the carrots and potatoes, along with the rest of the tomatoes and continue cooking for another 20 minutes. Salt and pepper to taste.
11. Insert a fork to check if the beef is tender, it should remain intact and tender but with a bit of chew. Place the stew into a serving dish and top with fresh coriander.

Notes

Practical Tips: 1) This stewing method can be used for pork shoulder as well, and makes for a really tender stew. 2) If you’d prefer a thicker tomato sauce, add ½ tbsp of tomato concentrate to Step 5 after adding the quartered tomatoes. 3) In Step 4 if the beef doesn’t fit the pot, you can sear it in two separate batches for the colour to fully develop. 4) You can add many more vegetables to this stew, chopped Chinese cabbage is a great addition.

Total time: about 2 hours 30 minutes.