My mum’s beef stew is unforgettable, so I had to put down her beef stew recipe lest my memory becomes fuzzy.
She does a mean one, and we used to have them once in a long while when we were younger. So whenever she makes this, I’d be sure to make a dash for it!
She’s a busy working mum, so this hearty beef stew always gives me the sense of warmth and love that she put into cooking :)
And, finally, I had the chance to find out her “secret”, and may I present to you….
Mama’s One-pot Beef Stew Recipe (Serves 3 adults + 1 child)
Ingredients:
300 g beef cubes
1 medium sized radish, cut into desired size
3 medium potatoes, cut into desired size
3 stalks celery, cut into desired size
1 box brown Swiss mushrooms, sliced into half
1/2 packet of frozen mixed vegetables (we used Wattie’s), defrost
1 0nion bulb, peeled and chopped
1 garlic bulb, peeled
1 tbsp butter
Ingredients for gravy:
3 tbsp dark sauce
1 tbsp light sauce
1 tbsp oyster sauce or abalone sauce (I used Abalone Sauce as I didn’t have oyster sauce)
3 tbsp cornstarch or plain flour (I used plain flour as I didn’t have Cornstarch. Tip: 1 tbsp cornstarch/plain flour to 2 tbsp hot water)
Hot water
Method:
- Heat pan and pan-fry beef cubes lightly in butter till they turn slightly brown. Remove and set aside. Do not remove the juices left on the pan, and place garlic onto pan to fry lightly till fragrant then set aside.
Boiling the potatoes and radish prior – beef stew, I’m coming! - Boil potatoes and radish in boiling water till semi-soft. Step 1 can be done concurrently to save time.
- Place potatoes and radish at the base of the pot of a slow cooker, and layer the rest of the ingredients.
- To make the gravy: In a small bowl, add dark sauce, light sauce and oyster sauce/abalone sauce and mix with a spoon. (Tip: It would be saltish since the mixture is concentrated. Adding water when everything is in the pot would dilute the taste, so not to worry especially if you have young children sharing the dish :) )
- Drizzle gravy over ingredients, and add hot water to cover the top of the ingredients. and turn on the hob at medium flame. Allow to boil, before reducing to low flame and boil for 3-4 hours. Intermittently stir lightly and check to ensure that the dish does not dry up or burn.
- Before serving, add cornstarch/plain flour mixture into pot and stir. Allow to cook for another 5 – 10 minutes to allow gravy to thicken. If you prefer thicker gravy, add more cornstarch/plain flour mixture.
Tips:
- This one-pot beef stew recipe is really versatile – simply add your fave ingredients in!
- This dish can be cooked with a slow cooker too – skip step 2 and set to Auto and let the slow cooker work its magic for 4-6hrs.
- Do be really careful when scooping the food out for the kids – it’s really really hot!
And…. it’s ready to serve! Enjoy it hot with white rice and TA-DAH! 1 dish is all you need! It’s a time-saving meal plus there’s lesser washing to do too! WIN-WIN!
Well, how did the hubs and little V take to the new recipe?
The man ate in silence (he’s an annoying food critic!) and I was worried that he might have lots to say about the food. Thankfully, he was all praises for it, even commending that it was the best dish I’ve ever made so far (WHAT?!?!).
But, I’m happy that the little girl enjoyed it too! She’s been a little selective over meats and vegs of late, but so glad she ate everything and was all smiles! PHEW! *happy dance*
As a wife and a mother, it’s all that matters when these precious people appreciate your cooking, right? :)
Special “Thank you!” to my own mama for sharing this unforgettable dish that my mum used to make. Hopefully, my loved ones feel the same from me too.
If you love one-pot, easy dishes like I do, check out this healthy homemade Pumpkin Rice recipe which uses the rice cooker!
What was your favourite childhood dish? Have you been cooking them too? Do share with us too!
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Hi, it looks really yummy! Thank you for the step by step receipe! As a beginner, pls don’t mind can I ask, when you mention at step 2 – layer the rest of the ingredients, does it matter which ingredient goes in first or jus mix everything in? does the beef goes in together with all the ingredients? Will the beef be too tough? Thank you. :)
Hello G.C.! Thank you for your kind words :) It was my first attempt and my fingers and toes were crossed the whole time!
For the layering part as shared (Step 3), place the “harder ingredients” at the bottom, so that would be the potatoes and radish. The remaining ingredients would be the beef, mushrooms, celery etc, and those can be stacked up accordingly. As for the garlic, I placed them randomly in between everything so that they are not left at a random spot together (that’s just my only logic). After simmering them for 4 hours, the beef was surprisingly soft, tender and flavourful, not tough at all!
Do give it a shot, and share how it went :) Happy cooking!
Hi, thanms for sharing your mum’s recipe. In the recipe, it says 1 clove garlic. But in the picture, it seems there is more than 1 clove. Was it a typo for 1 head garlic?
Hi Syn, thanks for highlighting! My bad – I’ve edited that bit. Hope you enjoy the stew as much as we did! :)
Hi! I jus cooked this following your recipe! Son loves it! Thank u!! I omitted celery though cos we generally don’t like the taste. I’m jus so Glad the fish turned out well! :D
I meant DISH
Hello Joanne! Awww thank you so much for sharing! I’m so happy to know that your boy loves this Beef Stew Recipe! :) So glad to pick up this one-pot recipe from my mum too, cos it’s really versatile and easy to prepare hehe
WOW, thank you for sharing! Love to know that you boy enjoyed this iron-rich dish too! Hehe I hope it becomes one of your family’s staples for quick and easy one-pot dishes. I’ve also tried it using this beef stew recipe using the slow cooker, and it works great too! :P Enjoy!
Thanks for the recipe! It was good! Do you have other easy one pot dish to share.
Hi Debbie! Thanks so much for your kind compliments! I’m really happy to know that you enjoyed this Beef Stew Recipe :D
Yes, we have also tried this Rice Cooker Pumpkin Rice recipe, which my almost-5-year-old girl still LOVES! RECIPE LINK: https://thehootingpost.com/2017/01/04/rice-cooker-pumpkin-rice-recipe/. It’s versatile and easy to prepare too, so you can “customise” it to suit your family’s preference.
If you have a slow cooker, you can also try out this slow-braised pork recipe. RECIPE LINK: https://thehootingpost.com/2016/05/30/slow-braised-pork-with-black-fungus-slow-cooker-recipe/. BTW, the beef stew can be cooked with a slow cooker too, if you want a fuss-free way without having to watch the fire =P
Hope this helps and do let me know how it goes! :)
Hi, thank you for sharing! Quick Question ya- Step 3 says to place the boiled potato and radish at the bottom of the slow cooker. But Tips #2 said we can skip the boiling if we are using a slow cooker. Is there a typo perhaps?
Thank you.
Hello Yiing! Thank you for your question – it’s a good one to clarify :D
The steps listed are based on cooking the Beef Stew in a pot over the hob/stove. So for Tip #2 with regards to using a slow cooker, you can skip boiling the potatoes and radish before putting into the slow cooker. The slow cooker will simmer and soften the ingredients over time, and boiling the potatoes and radish prior would make it a little too soft.
Hope that helps :) Do let me know how it goes when you try this recipe! Have a fab day ahead!