Star Q
ii. Serah Tugas!
Stews have been a long-time favorite of mine ever since I can remember. It certainly beats the ordinary soup that we Malays are so often used to; the ones with the cumin, coriander, cinnamon and other spice mix. We are so used to the type of soup where we dunk the beef into, either cold stock or one where the aromatics have been sauteed.
Of course, being someone who cannot take beef (I forget that I have gout sometimes!), this is only an occasional meal. I like the idea of browning the meat first, creating color for the soup (broth) and also flavor; simple flavors! There are probably hundreds of ways of making beef stews, and my way is probably one of them!
- 1/2 kg beef bones
- 1 stalk celery
- 1 carrot
- 1 large onion
- 1 leek
- 4 liters water
- 1 kg beef, cut into 2-inch cubes
- 1 lemon grass, bruised
- 3 cloves garlic, bruised
- 1 large knob ginger, bruised
- 2 carrots, cut into 4 cm lengths
- 3 onions, quartered
- 1/2 tsp combination of parsley, thyme and rosemary
- 4 tbs vegetable oil
Make the stock by boiling the beef and the celery, carrot, leek (all of which have been cut into 4 cm lengths), onion (quartered) and water. Boil until any meat attached to the bones are tender and the stock has reduced to 3/4. Strain.
In a pot, heat the oil and brown the pieces of meat. Once browned, set aside. In the same oil, saute the lemon grass and ginger followed by the carrots and onions until aromatic. Then ladle in some of the stock and scrape the brown stuff in the pot to incorporate. Return the browned beef to the pot together with the rest of the stock. Bring to the boil, and gently simmer for about one hour, covered. Before turning off the heat, add in the herbs and cover once again.
The stew goes well with crusty bread or home-made garlic bread (which I made later for the kids after they demanded for it)
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