As we are Chinese, her recipe has a little Chinese twist to it but that is, I feel what makes it, the ultimate comfort food on a cold and rainy night.
This picture doesn't do the stew any justice at all by the way...besides by the time I whipped my cam out to take a picture, my daughter had already eaten half the bowl. Lol.
Here is our family's beef stew recipe:
Before you start, go to your local market and buy about 1kg of beef from the butcher. We usually buy the leg portion of the cow. If you really don't know which part of the cow to buy, tell your butcher you want to make stew and he should be able to recommend the best parts for that to you.
Step 1:
Slice the beef into cubes about 5cm x 5cm in size and season with
Some basil, 1 small teaspoon of black pepper, about 2 teaspoons of salt and some oyster sauce. A little light soya sauce can also be added if you want.
Step 2:
Fry about 5 big onions (roughly chopped),
6 cloves of garlic (finely chopped) together in some oil until fragrant before adding the seasoned beef cubes,
3 carrots (sliced into rough cubes) and
about 4-5 potatoes (sliced into cubes) in to fry some more.
Fry all for about 5 mins. Make sure all sides of the beef have been pan fried before you move on to step 3.
Step 3:
Add half a cup of red wine,
1 star anise, 1 small cinnamon stick, 1 bay leaf and the *bottom end portion of a chinese celery stalk to simmer for a few minutes before
Adding about 2 cups of hot water into the pot/ wok.
Continue to simmer for 1-2 hours on low heat.
Step 4:
After about an hour or two,
Add a tablespoon of corn starch mixture into the simmering stew.
Leave to simmer for another few minutes before turning fire off.
Before serving, sprinkle chopped chinese celery leaves on top.
*The chinese celery stalk end is not a must but we find that it enhances the taste of the stew a lot more.
Hope you like our version of beef stew as much as we do.
