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Beef Stew
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I think recipes such as this oven-baked beef stew or whole roast chicken make a noob cook look very clever, as they are easier to pull off than they looked. Stews are also perfect for entertaining and gatherings – you’ll impress your folks while feeding a lot at the same time. Beef stew is usually enjoyed by those staying in colder regions, but in tropical Singapore, I’m determined not to be deprived of this delicious dish.
Similar Recipe: Irish Beef Stew
Perhaps December is the best month to enjoy this stew with our wetter days and slightly cooler nights. Special thanks to my friend Joyce, who taught me this recipe (I adapted her recipe but it is still largely built around her original) and don’t mind that I share the recipe on my blog.
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A tip about the beef to use from my friend Joyce. You could buy ready-cut stew beef cubes, but you can save money if you buy a whole chunk of meat and cut it yourself. She recommended me to get the “chuck tender” cut found at the chiller section of Giant hypermart in Singapore and yes, it is economical and good. |
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If slicing your own meat, rinse and pat dry the meat with kitchen towel, then cut them to large cube chunks. |
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Season beef cubes with salt and pepper. Heat Dutch oven with olive oil, then add beef cubes one at a time (you will hear a gentle sizzle and see slight smoking) to form one layer on the pan. Do not overcrowd the meat. Let the cubes brown on one side, then flip over with kitchen tongs and brown on the other side. Take out browned meat and set aside. Add more oil to the casserole if needed and repeat until all the beef cubes are browned. |
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My browned beef cubes. For the lot of beef cubes I had, I browned them in 3 batches.Do not discard the brown bits or juices collected in the casserole. I learnt from watching cooking shows that browning meats is an important step when making stews and doing so add a lot of flavour to the stew. |
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Add a bit more olive oil to the casserole. Then add celery and onions and ‘sweat’ them on medium low heat (about 3 -5 minutes). You will see them turning brown from soaking the juices left in the casserole. |
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Pour a glass of red wine in and saute the celery and onions and wait a few seconds for the alcohol to evaporate (you smell the nice aroma of the wine). |
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Stir in 1 tbsp plain flour and cook for one minute more to thicken the mixture. |
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Add beef stock and when it comes to a simmer, add carrots, bay leaves, peppercorns, thyme, garlic, mushrooms and Worcester sauce. Bring the stew to a simmer. |
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While waiting for the stew to simmer, peel potatoes and quarter them. |
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By the time you are done with the potatoes, the pot will likely be bubbling away and the mushrooms would have shrunken somewhat, making space for more ingredients in the casserole. |
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Add potatoes and the previously browned beef cubes to the casserole. |
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When the stew is bubbling, turn off the stove. Cover the casserole with lid and transfer to an oven. Bake the casserole at 180°C (356°F) for 1 hour and 20 minutes. |
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Take the casserole out and check the consistency of the stew. I find mine a little too watery so I add 1 more tbsp plain flour to thicken the stew. Stir through to dissolve the flour. Adjust to your liking. If it’s too dry, you can add more beef broth or hot water. |
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Add thawed frozen vegetables and mix into the stew. |
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Cover with lid and bake for another 15 minutes, or until the beef is tender. Season with salt and freshly cracked black pepper, if needed. |
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Serve beef stew with rice or bread. |
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Thank you for sharing the amazing receipe. Tried it for X’mas dinner and loved it :) I used the stove to cook the beef and beef turned out tender too!
I’ll try the same recipe with chicken in future!
Looks absolutely yummy! you are certainly not a noob cook! I usually make this with lamb and use the left overs the next day to make Shepard pie^^
I’m an idiot when it comes to cooking, but with these photos and step by step instructions – i’m very tempted to try out the recipe and i shall! :)
Thank you for your wonderful blog!
i want to ask wether i can change the red wine w/ ay other kind of liquid, or maybe can i skip that wine?? i only have chinese cooking wine, can i use that?
about he mushroom, can i use diff mushroom??
tq n will be waitin for ur reply..
Hi siska, I personally think that Chinese cooking wine is not very suitable for this dish. I think you can skip the red wine if you don’t have it :)
oooww.. tq very much.. i was goin to try it today but since i got confused w/ the wine, i cancelled it.. might goin to make it tomorrow.. tq so much for ur help..:)
I tried this on Thursday. It was yummy!! Thanks for sharing. God bless.
Can plain flour be substituted with corn flour??
One suggestion: red bell peppers + tomatoes!:) I used that in my beef stew and it adds a nice sweet/slightly peppery kick to the stew
Hi,
Can I substitute red wine with sake and mirin, minus the herbs? Thks.
I have not tried it before but I don’t see why not. It sounds like a nice Japanese beef stew. You can use dashi instead of beef stock too.
Delicious!
Hey.. I wanted to try this but my house have limited ingredients, can i have corn starch instead of plain flour after saute the celery and onions?
It is ok if I add water only instead of broth?
if you use cornstarch, I suggest adding it at the end (make a solution to thicken to taste). water might not be flavourful enough, you can cheat with soup cubes to make “instant broth”.