Modified from this recipe:
http://www.africanbites.com/beef-stewafrican-style/
Equipment:
Blender, Stove, Large Pot, Small pot with a top(or rice steamer) required. 2 Large pots will make life easier.
1.5-2 lbs Stew Beef, more marbleized the better.
1/2 cup canola oil
4 roma tomatoes
1 can(~15oz) tomatoe sauce
1 large yellow onion, roughly diced
6 garlic cloves
1/4 cup chopped parsley
1 tbsp smoked paprika
1 tbsp white pepper
1 tbsp celery salt
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp summer savory (optional)
1/2 tsp curry powder
1/2 tsp ground tumeric
salt and pepper to taste
1/4-1 habanero pepper (optional, 1/4 is lightly spicey, 1 full is moderately spicey)
1 cup of your favorite white rice. I usually use jasmine.
1 tbsp coconut oil (optional for rice)
Beef Stew:
- Start a large pot 1/2 full of water boiling with salt and pepper(maybe 1 tbsp of each) and ~1/3 of the yellow onion.
- Once water has started to boil add the stew beef, cook for 20-30 minutes, stirring every couple of minutes for the first 10 minutes to make sure the beef doesn't stick together or burn on the bottom.
- While the beef cooks, combine the remaining onion, tomatoes, tomato sauce, garlic, parsely, thyme, and optional summer savory and habanero.
- Blend to a puree
- Set aside.
- Once the beef is done boiling start another large pot over medium-high heat with the oil in it.
- Remove beef from the first pot, make sure to keep the broth, we'll keep using this for the stew and rice.
- Pat beef dry with paper a towel
- Add the mostly dry beef to the oil and cook for an additional 5-10 minutes. Just enough to brown the outside.
- Be careful whenever you add ingredients to hot oil, it will sputter and possibly pop hot oil out of the pan. I always try to be ready to cover it with a towel or pot top.
- Remove beef from the oil and set aside, keeping remaining oil in the pot.
- Add the contents of the blender to the pot with oil.
- Add the curry powder, ground tumeric, smoked paprika, white pepper.
- Add 2 cups of the beef broth that we set aside from.
- Bring sauce to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook for 30-40 minutes.
- You can adjust the consistency to your taste by simmering longer or adding more broth if it gets too thick.
- After 30-40 minutes add the cooked beef and cook for 10-15 minute longer.
Bonus Vegetables!
- While the Stew sauce is simmering you can boil some vegetables in the the excess beef broth. The broth will add a very nice extra flavor to them. Carrots or Bok Choy both go great with the stew.
Stove Top Rice (you could make this in a rice steamer just as well):
- Add 2 cups of the broth from above to a small pot with a top.
- Add coconut oil to the broth and bring to a boil.
- While broth comes to a boil, add 1 cup rice to a small bowl.
- Cover rice with cold water and mix with your finger tips until the water becomes milky white, this removes excess starch from the rice.
- Strain the water from the bowl.
- Once water is boiling turn temperature down between low and medium.
- Add rice.
- Give it a quick stir to loosen up the grains, they will want to stick as soon as they hit the hot water.
- Cover and cook until all liquid is absorbed, about 10-15 minutes. Keep a close eye on this, you want to stop as soon as no liquid comes to the top of the rice if you tip the pot.
- Remove from heat and give it another quick stir to loosen the rice from the pot. (or empty to a storage container)
- Store remaining beef broth for up to a week to cook more rice with.
