Super love this Stew! This is another creation that was inspired by a Cafe – Populus Cafe.
This is definitely not any Mediocre Beef Stew!
The 1st time we had this stew, we were surprised by how flavorful and how my fork slipped through the ultra tender beef with literally no resistance. Accompanied with the melt-in-your-mouth gelatinised and riched flavored beef, this dish made us go back to the cafe many times in a month, irregardless of how long the queue and how far the distance we had to travel to savour it.
However, to ensure that every of my friends get to enjoy this pieces of heavenly delish, I decided to recreate at home and share it with everyone. The result is ultra satisfying. The taste is spot on and the texture of the beef is definitely what I aimed to achieve.
This recipe uses beef cheek – it a part of the beef that known to be tough and lean. However, with hours of braising in a intensely flavored liquid, this part can be the most tender part of the the beef you ever taste.
Feel free to replace with any other part of the beef like brisket, chuck, ribeye, etc.
Making this dish is very simple. It is basically a prep and throw and ignore kind of dish. I have also include 2 cooking methods in this reicpe – Oven-braised and Pressure Cooker. This recipe can also be use for slow cooker, which I have not tried. Please feel free to experiment on it.
These are the basic ingredients you need:
For Pressure Cooker
Add all the ingredients into the pressure cooker
Make sure the flour are well combined and dissolved into the braising liquid.
I used a electric pressure cooker. Set it at the beef brisket setting (High) and allow it to pressure cooked for 1.5 hours. The beef cheek is already cooked and tender at 1 hour. However, I extended another 30 mins for the ultra tender texture.
For those stove top pressure cooker, just follow the instruction for your pressure cooker for stewing beef.
For Oven-Braising (Preheat the oven at 160 degree celsius)
Oven-braising recipe has 1 more extra step as compare to the pressure cooker.
Add all the ingredients into a oven-proof casserole/pot/dutch-oven/etc.
Try to use a pot that is just big enough to hold the ingredients and liquid so that the liquid can cover the beef.
Measure the liquid in a seperate measuring cup and add in the flour. Mix in the flour into the liquid before pouring into the pot of beef
After adding the liquid into the pot of beef, bring it to boil over stove top over medium high heat
When boiled, cover with lid (slightly ajar for the escaping of steam from evaporation) or aluminium foil (poke a hole on the foil cover) and transfer to the preheated oven.
Oven-braised for 3 hours or until the beef become super tender. Timing might varies according to individual oven. Do check half-way through the braising to see if you need to add more liquid.
The braising liquid should remains at slightly more than half of the original level. Add more water, if neccessary, to your desired consistency. The braising liquid should not be too thick.
The Potatoes
These are the ingredients you need for the smashed potato. Wasabi is optional
Boil the potato in a pot of salted water until it is soften.
Briefly smashed it with a potato masher or fork.
I prefer the potato to be chucky for this dish. Reason being, the beef is very soft, gelatinised and rich. If the potatoes are too mushy, there will not be a different texture for this dish and also it this dish might be too overly-rich.
Just add all the seasoning and mix until well combined. if the potato is too cool to melt the butter, just return the potato to the pot and mix the seasoning under low heat. Set aside for assembling the dish
Assembling the Dish
Scooop a generous portion of smashed potato onto the plate. Then top with the beef, follow by a serving of blanched spinach
Then scoop a generous amount of braising gravy over the dish
Serve hot!
Where to Buy Beef Cheek or Gd Quality Beef?
My family, friends and myself are beef lover and we never stop hunting for any good yet affordable beef.
One of the most convenient places you can get good quality yet affordable beef is at Cold Storage. We bought their Wagyu Steak at 49.90 per kg during the promo period (usual price about $89.90 per kg – not premium cut like ribeye but it’s good enough for cooking steak) . We are not sure when is the promotion period so everytime we just try our luck in Cold Storage if we happen to pass by
Another place that we get our beef is www.wagyu.sg. This is our ultra happy find that we happened to chance upon when surfing the net for beef supplier.
Our Favourite is the Jack Creek’s 450day Xbreed F2 Wagyu. According to the supplier, this range of beef, though not from Japan, is equivalent to Japan A4 Wagyu, nuttier and beefier in taste.
Look at the marbling of the beef short rib.
This is definitely not any sponsored or advertorial post. I really love this beef from wagyu.sg and I know I must share this happy find with you.
I had spoken to the boss of Wagyu.sg and he had agree to extend some perks to eckitchensg’s readers. Upon quoting “eckitchensg” when ordering the beef, you will be entitled to a FREE plate of 250g Yakiniku Beef Chuck, or equivalent, for orders above $200 and free delivery.
For public to be entitled to the same perks only when they place an order above $300.
You can find the wide selection of Beef from Jack Creek’s Wagyu to Top Grade Japanese Wagyu @ www.wagyu.sg.
For Orders, please SMS 96937760 or email to woonkeat@wkg-ent.com and quote “eckitchensg”
Thanks Wagyu.sg for the special promotion.
- 250g - 350g Beef Cheek or Chuck or Ribeye/ etc
- 1 large Onions (Chopped; about 160g)
- 1 tablespoon Chopped Garlic
- 2 Bay Leaves
- 10 Cherry Tomatoes
- 500ml Water
- 1 Beef Stock Cube
- 2 Tablespoons Soy Sauce (add additional 1 more tablespoon for pressure cooker recipe)
- 3 Tablespoons Plain flour
- 450g Peeled Starchy Potatoes (eg. Russet potatoes)
- ½ tablespoon salt
- Water to cover the potatoes
- 350g Boiled Potatoes
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- 2 tablespoon Cream
- ¼ teaspoon Horseradish paste (optional)
- 25g Butter
- 100g Spinach Leaves/ Kale
- Add all the ingredients into the pressure cooker
- Ensure the flour is properly dissolved.
- Pressure cooked for 1.5 hours according to the pressure cooker instruction for cooking beef stew
- Add all the ingredients into a oven-proof casserole/pot/dutch-oven/etc.
- Use a pot that is just big enough to hold the ingredients and liquid so that the liquid can cover the beef.
- Measure the liquid in a seperate measuring cup and add in the flour.
- Mix in the flour into the liquid and pour over the pot of beef
- Bring the pot to boil over the stove over medium high heat
- When boiled, cover with lid (slightly ajar for the escaping of steam from evaporation) or aluminium foil (poke a hole on the foil cover) and transfer to the preheated oven.
- Braised for 3 hours or until the beef become super tender
- Checked halfway through cooking to see if you need to add more water; the water should remained at slightly more than half of the original level.
- Add the peeled potatoes into a pot of salted water
- Allow it to boil until soft
- Remove and drained the potatoes
- Place it on a tray and briefly smashed the potatoes (you want the potatoes to be chunky)
- Return the smashed potato into the pot over medium low heat if the potato is too cool to melt the butter.
- Add all the seasoning and mix until well combine
- Add in the spinach into a pot of boiling water for 10 seconds.
- Remove and drained
- Scooop a generous portion of smashed potato onto the serving plate.
- Top with the beef, follow by a serving of blanched spinach
- Scoop a generous amount of braising gravy over the dish
- Serve hot