I’ve been yearning for a beef stew that I decided to wing it when Hubby bought some nice lean beef. Using the ‘magic’ slow cooker, I found this a simple, delicious, fragrant, nutritious and comforting dish that even the fussy little eater will eat with rice 
Note: The picture above was my first attempt minus the capsicum / bell pepper.
INGREDIENTS
Lean beef – cut into small cubes (lightly dusted with flour)
1 carrot – ditto
1 medium sized potato (sweet potato works too!) – ditto
1 yellow / green / red capsicum or bell peppers – remove seeds and cut into squares. Yellow and red ones are sweeter.
1 stalk of celery – ditto (I didn’t eat the celery as I read in a herbal cookbook that celery is ‘cooling’ and isn’t advisable for pregnant women)
1/2 large onion – quartered (I prefer the brown-skinned Spanish onion but can only find the purple-skinned ones.)
1/2 tsp of cornflour mixed with 1/2 a Chinese rice bowl of water
Basil
Salt
METHOD:
1. On medium heat, lightly saute the onion chunks until they are transparent and then toss in the beef chunks. Fry the beef until slightly brown to seal in the juices.
2. Add the carrots, celery, potato and capsicum. Sprinkle some salt and fry them for about 1-2 minutes. Transfer the beef and vegetables into the slow cooker.
3. Add the cornflour and water mix. I add a bit of water to make a gravy but the total amount of water is about 1/3 of the mix.
4. Sprinkle basil over it (about 1/2 tsp) and use a large spoon to mix everything thoroughly.
You can see that the fresh vegetables and beef are partially cooked.
5. Cover the slow cooker and let it work its magic for about 2 hours. You can take a nap
6. When the mix is bubbling hot, I add a bit of salt to taste and turned the control to ‘keep warm’.
It’s delicious served with white rice and the toddler did not object either because the beef chunks were so tender and the stew was flavourful. A great way to add meat and vegetables into this fish-lover’s diet!
I had the leftovers with rice for lunch the next day and it’s still yummy. Definitely one of our favourite recipes
