Easy Beef Stew Recipe Singapore

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.

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.

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.

Beef In Guinness Stew (2 Pax)

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.

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.

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.

Smoked Beef Stew (bourguignon)

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).

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.

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.

Hearty Beef Stew

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.

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.

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.Cooking stew may seem like its very time consuming, but its one of the most fuss free recipe that yield amazing results. You can choose to slow cook over stove, pressure cooker, in the oven, or simply ina slow-cooker/crock pot.

Spicy Beef Noodle Soup

Choosing the right cut of beef for stewing is very important. You will wanna use very tough and lean cut asthey containlots of collagenthatbreak down and give you tender fork texture after braising. My favorite type of cut for stews would be beef cheek, that insane amount of collagen in the cheek after braising, that smooth tender texture of cheek totally melts in themouth!

In this recipe I used topside wagyu cook on low over stove, you can use other cuts but make sure its suitable for slow-cooking. I recommend using red wine for more complex flavor, but beer/stouts will do too. Another handful tip to make very flavorful beef stew which I got from a friend of mine

Season the meat on both side with salt and pepper. Get ready your casserole stewing pot and start searing the meat with 2 sprigs of thyme. This step is very important as it

Gluten Free Beef Stew With Dumplings Recipe

After searing, set your meat aside, add in the vegetables and garlic in the same pot and sauteed till fragrant. Add in smoked paprika/paprika and beef back in to the pot then de-glaze the pot with the can of beer.

After de glazing, add in can diced tomatoes, rest of the thyme sprigs, bay leaf, chicken stock and the tbs of marmite. The total amount of liquid should be just about fully submerging the meat but not totally. Set your heat to medium and let it boil for a few minutes.

After boiling, lower your heat, taste and adjust (may need more salt) to the lowest possible with lid half to 3/4 closed, let it braised for 5 hours (Do not fully close the lid, leaving the lid open allows the stock to evaporate that yields concentrated flavorful stew). If you are using oven, bake in the oven at pre heated 180 degrees Celsius for an hour and half. Slow-cooker/ Crock pot settings on low for 8-10 hours. Pressure cooker for 20-40 minutes.

Beef Stew Recipe In Slow Cooker Or Instant Pot

Use a fork or chopsticks to test if your meat is tender and ready to serve. Garnish with parsley or fresh thyme. If you like thestew consistency to be thicker, you can add in a knob of butter as thickening agent, or you can use a tbs of corn starch with water.

Note: Traditionally the beef cuts are coated with plain flour before searing so that it act as a thickening agent while braising. I don't like my stew to be too thick so I adjusted my consistency only at the end. So feel free to try out different suggested methods to your taste.

I hope this recipe does give you more insights into cooking a perfect classic beef stew. Feel free to use and try out different suitable slow-cook cut of meat (Highly recommend beef cheek with red wine to impress your guest, braise an extra hour for this recipe). Good luck and enjoy!!!

Classic Beef Stew — Singapore Food & Travel Guide Blog