East Meets West Beef Stew is a one pot braised beef dish that’s naturally gluten free, easy to prepare and deeply satisfying.
Last month’s Greek Meatballs in Tangy Tomato Sauce was so popular that I was eager to bring you another easy beef dish.
This dish was inspired by one of my favorite cooks, Mark Bittman, in his book How to Cook Everything, The Basics.
Instead of the usual western style tomato flavors, Mark’s original recipe, called Pork Stew with Chinese Flavors, uses ginger, garlic and fresh,hot chili peppers for a slightly spicy Eastern style dish.
Because my husband likes beef stew, I changed the meat to beef and added in my favorite trio of onion, baby carrots and chopped celery.
Stew meat + staple vegetables + Asian spices = the perfect East Meets West Beef Stew.
Once you see how easy it is to make this delicious stew, you’ll want to experiment with your own combination of vegetables and spices.
The best news: You don’t have to sear the meat! This saves time and extra calories from oil.
Gather together all of your ingredients.
Throw them all together in a big soup pot and simmer on low heat for about 2 hours. If you are watching your carbs, reduce the amount of vegetables or just leave out the carrots.
While the stew cooks, boil some rice or rice noodles. Trader Joe’s Brown Rice Spaghetti noodles cook in 10 minutes and taste great!
Just add a few drops of mild oil to the cooked noodles to keep them from sticking.
If you don’t have gluten sensitivities, feel free to use any type of regular noodle.
Remove the meat and veggies when you can easily pierce the meat with a fork. Then turn up the heat and reduce the broth to make a thin gravy.
Just before serving, add in one or more garnishes:
*chopped fresh parsley or cilantro
*thinly sliced scallions
*fresh or frozen green peas.
These fresh pops of bright green
add texture
color
and crunch to your new favorite beef stew.
What’s in YOUR pot these days?Â
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PrintEast Meets West Beef Stew
- Prep Time: 30 mins
- Cook Time: 2 hours
- Total Time: 2 hours 30 mins
- Yield: 4+ servings 1x
- Category: Main Dish
- Cuisine: Asian Fusion
East Meets West Beef Stew is a one pot braised beef dish that’s naturally gluten free, easy to prepare and deeply satisfying.
Ingredients
- 2 pounds boneless beef stew meat (I used angus beef sirloin steak tips)
- Kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste
- 3 cups beef broth (substitute chicken or vegetable broth or water)
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce or gluten free soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon dark sesame oil
- 8 oz whole baby carrots
- 8 oz coarsely chopped celery
- 1 large yellow onion, thinly sliced
- 1 tablespoon fresh chopped ginger or 1 teaspoon dried ground ginger
- 1 1/2 teaspoons chili paste ( such as Sambal Oelek in the Asian food aisle of the grocery)
- 1 tablespoon fresh chopped garlic
- Garnish (optional, just before serving)
- 1 cup frozen petite peas
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves
- 1/4 cup chopped scallions
Instructions
- Dry the beef very well on all sides. Season meat with 1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper.
- Inside a large stock pot with a tight fitting lid, place the following: beef, broth, soy sauce, sesame oil, carrots, celery, onion, ginger, chili paste and garlic. Stir gently to combine.
- Bring stew to a boil, then reduce to medium low so that mixture bubbles gently.
- Cover and cook for a total of 1 1/2 -2 hours, stirring about every thirty minutes, until the meat is fork tender and almost falling apart.
- Use a slotted spoon to transfer the tender meat and vegetables to a large bowl.
- Make the gravy: turn up the heat and continue cooking the stew liquid for a few minutes until it has thickened and reduced to about 1 cup. The liquid should be the consistency of a thin gravy.
- Lower the heat on the gravy and return the meat and vegetables to the pot to reheat. Mix very gently to coat with gravy. If not serving right away, let cool, cover and refrigerate.
- Stew tastes even better the next day as the flavors permeate the meat and vegetables.
- Just before serving, add in 1 cup petite peas, cover pot and cook over low heat until stew and peas are heated though.
- Taste and adjust seasonings.
- Serve with fresh chopped cilantro or parsley, scallions and your favorite gluten free grain such as rice or gluten free noodles.
Notes
Adapted from Mark Bittman’s cookbook
How to Cook Everything – The Basics,
Pork Stew with Chinese Flavors
Looks like a wonderful recipe; can’t wait to try it!
Hope you like it! 🙂
Looks delicious! A nice weekend dish to try!
It IS delicious! Let me know what you think! 🙂