The Vibrant Caribbean Pot Cookbook
Soup Season Cookbook
Get My Latest Cookbooks
On Sale Now

One Kitchen, Many Cultures

Beef stew with beans
Meat & Poultry

One-Pot Stewed Beef with Red Beans for a Quick, Easy Dinner.

Yea not so much quick, but hear me out. Cook a large batch and freeze (and thaw), for days you want a quick dinner with steamed rice or maybe you have time to make hot Sada Roti. This combination of tender beef and red kidney beans is a rich and delicious coconut gravy, with hints of herbs and ginger. Simply Delicious!

3 lbs stewing beef (large cube)
1 medium tomato (diced)
1 medium onion (diced)
7 cloves garlic (smashed)
1 teaspoon black pepper
3/4 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 scotch bonnet (cut in 1/2)
1 teaspoon grated ginger
1 1/2 tablespoon Caribbean Green Seasoning
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 3/4 tablespoon golden brown sugar
2 cups water
1 1/2 cups coconut milk
1 large can Red Kidney Beans (rinsed)
2 tablespoon chopped parsley

Notes! May I recommend that you follow along with the video below as much more about the recipe is discussed there. Especially the ‘browning’ step, which is essentially the base of this recipe. If doing this recipe gluten free, please go through the full list of ingredients to ensure that they meet with your specific gluten free dietary needs. Especially the Worcestershire sauce.

Wash the pieces of beef (any cheap cut will work) with the juice of a lime or lemon or 1/4 cup white vinegar and cool water (not mentioned in the ingredient list) and drain. Then season with the salt, black pepper, onion, ginger, tomato, Scotch Bonnet (optional), Caribbean Green Seasoning and Worcestershire sauce. Should you have time, allow it to marinate in the fridge for at least 2 hours.

Use the video as a guide for this step. Place a deep pan (heavy one will work best) on a med/high flame and add the oil and brown sugar. The sugar will melt, go frothy, then a deep amber. At this point is when you’ll add the seasoned beef to the pot (carefully) and stir to coat with the caramelized sugar (no the dish will not be sweet). Should the sugar go BLACK, you need to STOP immediately. Allow the pot to cool completely, wash it and start over with a dry pot. If not, you’ll be left with BITTER tasting beef.

Place the lid on the pot (slightly ajar), turn the heat down to med/low and cook for 15 minutes. It will sprout natural juices. Remember to stir a couple times.

Now remove the lid, crank up the heat and burn off that liquid to the point where you see the oil we started with at the bottom of the pot.

Once all of the liquid is gone, add the coconut milk and stir well. Then pour the water into the same bowl you marinated the beef in, swish it around to pick up remaining marinade.. pour that water into the pot now. Stir well.

Once it comes to a boil, reduce it to between a rolling boil and a simmer (med/low flame) and allow it to cook for 30 minutes.

At this point we’ll add the kidney beans (any large bean will work) and bring back to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, lid slightly ajar and cook for another 30-35 minutes. Basically until the beef is tender. I explained why we added the beans at this point in the video.

During the cooking process, keep an eye on the liquid level and add more water should you need to. Once the beef is tender, adjust the salt to your liking. Determine if the gravy is at the consistency you like (cook longer to thicken or smash some of the beans, should you want it thicker). Keep in mind that the residual heat in the pot will further cook and thicken the gravy.

Once you’re happy with the results, add the parsley as you turn off the heat.

Are you interested in the chicken version of this dish?

Meat & Poultry

A delectable stewed beef recipe, the Caribbean way.

stew beef recipeIf you’ve been reading this blog for a while you may have come to the conclusion that the majority of dishes we prepare includes the process of “stewing”. Unlike what’s considered a stew in places like Canada and the US, our stews are based on the principle of caramelizing the meats to give it that so-unique brown colour and that marvelous flavour. But that very far from the truth, as our food culture is highly influenced by the many different races that make up the vibrant melting pot the Caribbean is. Today we’ll take a look at one of my dad’s most beloved dishes, stew beef!

Similar in every aspect of the other stewed dishes I’ve posted, except this one will take a bit longer to cook (to ensure that the meat is fall-off-the-bone tender) and we’re using beef, rather than chicken or pork.

You’ll need…

1.5 lbs beef – cubed into 1 inch pieces
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon ketchup
2 cloves of garlic – thinly sliced or crushed
1 teaspoon fresh or bottled ginger – crushed. (use 1/2 if it’s ginger powder)
2 tablespoon vegetable oil (one that can withstand high heat)
1 medium onion – chopped
1 medium tomato – chopped
2 tablespoon cilantro (or 2 tbs Trinidad green meat seasoning)
1 tablespoon brown sugar
2 1/4 cups water
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 hot pepper (only if you like your food spicy)
1 green onion or chive – chopped
2 sprigs of fresh thyme (1 teaspoon dried)
1 lime or lemon or 3 tablespoons of vinegar
1 small shallot

* I’ve seen my dad put mushrooms (white button variety) near the end of cooking and I must admit that though not traditional, it’s does compliment the dish. But I must  admit that I do love mushrooms, so I’ll enjoy it in just about any dish.

Start by cutting the beef into 1 inch cubes, then using the lime (lemon or vinegar) wash (with water –  not the one mentioned in the recipe)  the pieces of meat and drain. With the cubed pieces of beef in  a bowl, start to season. Add all the ingredients mentioned above, except the  oil, water and sugar. We’ll be using those later on in the dish. Allow the seasoned meat to marinate for at least 30 minuets before cooking. For best results, leave to marinate about 2 hrs in the fridge.

how to stew beef recipe

As we’ve practiced in other stewed dishes, it’s time to get the sugar ready. In a heavy pot on high heat pour in the oil and allow to get hot, then place the sugar and move it around so it starts to melt, change color and bubble. Remember to use a long handle spoon to prevent getting burn and have the seasoned meat within reach. This step requires good timing. When you see the sugar fully melted and turns to a rich brown colour (see pic below), start putting in the pieces of meat. Remember to stir everything around, so it’s fully coated.

browning stew beef recipe

recipe stew beef recipe

trinidad stew beef recipe

Leave on high heat for about 3 minutes, then turn down the heat to a simmer and cover the pot. Allow to cook for a further 10 minutes, stirring occasionally to ensure all the pieces of beef gets evenly browned. You’ll notice that dish will release natural juices. Now remove the lid and turn the heat back to high med-high. We want to burn-off all the liquid and give the meat the lasting rich brown colour.

caribbean stew beef recipe

In the same bowl we seasoned the beef, add the water and swoosh it around a bit so every bit of remaining seasoning is mixed in with the water. When all the liquid (see pic above)  is burnt away from the pot, add the water from the bowl.

seasoning stew beef recipe

herbs for stew beef recipe

tobago stew beef recipe

Bring to a boil, then turn down the heat to a gentle simmer. With the pot covered, allow to cook for about 1 hour or until the beef is really tender. If after the 1 hour of cooking there’s still a lot of water left in the pot, do turn up the heat and allow to burn off. You’re looking for a nice thick gravy.

trini stew beef recipe

stew beef recipe with yam

This dish makes for a great topping for rice or ground provisions. In the pic above I have it resting on a nice bed of steamy boiled yams. But you can also pair it well with any side you usually serve meats with – salads, mashed potatoes … it’s also amazing on macaroni and cheese.

Other stewed dishes:

Chicken

Pork

Curry Stew Chicken.

Please take a moment to share your experience with this recipe or if you have another version of it. Do leave me a comment below.