Beef Stew with Peas
A hearty stew with beef and a variety of vegetables, slowly cooked in a rich tomato sauce.
About Beef Stew with Peas
Beef stew with peas is a classic Turkish dish. The harmony between the carrots, potatoes, peas and diced meat creates a truly delicious meal. It is the ultimate comfort food when accompanied with rice pilaff and crusty bread.
SERVES 2
PREP TIME: 15 MINS
COOK TIME: 1 HOUR 10 MINS
When I was a child, we used to help my mum in the kitchen by peeling vegetables and peas were no exception. In those days, because everything was seasonal, it meant that we could only eat this stew around July. Nowadays it is possible to make this beef stew with peas during the cold wintery months, thanks to frozen peas.
You might come across different variations of this meal on the internet. For example some people like to use just peas, beef and tomato paste. But as I grew up in a big family, by adding extra vegetables my mum could stretch a small amount of meat and feed the whole family – seven of us to be precise. So this simple beef stew with peas is not only tasty and pretty looking but can be very economical. What’s not to like?
It takes a little bit of time to make this dish, so patience is key but luckily it is easy to make. I can hear you saying “Then tell us what the ingredients are and how to make it.”. Ok, ok! So without a further ado, let’s jump to the recipe.
Ingredients
- 200 g stew beef, cut into 1 cm small cubes
- 4 tbsp rapeseed oil
- 1 medium size onion, finely diced
- 1 tbsp tomato paste (double concentrated tomato purée – see note)
- 1 tsp hot pepper paste (see note)
- 2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
- 1 big size carrot, diced into 1 cm small cubes
- 1 big size potato, diced into 2 cm cubes
- 1/4 tsp sugar
- 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes (see note)
- 700 ml (3 cups) water (300 ml to be used separately)
- 200 g (1 cup + 1/3 cup) frozen garden peas
- Salt & pepper
Step by Step Instructions
Step 1
Heat 2 tbsp oil in a casserole dish on medium heat. Meanwhile, pat the meat dry. Once the oil is sizzling hot, add the diced stew beef, and sear until it has browned. Searing the meat will lock in the moisture and build flavour which will then spread around the whole pot.
Step 2
Stir in the chopped onions to the meat and sauté until they are soft and translucent. Then, add the diced garlic and cook for a minute or so.
Step 3
Add tomato paste and hot pepper paste to the seared beef. Mix them well and sauté until they are deep maroon colour and concentrated.
Step 4
Pour in 400 ml of water, bring to a boil and close the lid. Simmer gently for 30 minutes on a low temperature.
Step 5
Meanwhile, in a separate pan, heat the rest of the oil. Shallow fry the diced potatoes and carrots for 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside.
Step 6
Transfer the potatoes and carrots to the casserole. Sprinkle over some sugar and red pepper flakes. Then pour over 300 ml hot water, cover with a lid and continue to simmer for another 20 minutes.
Step 7
Add frozen garden peas directly to the stew and cook for 5 more minutes.
Step 8
When all the vegetables and meat are cooked, season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Give it a good stir and remove from the heat. Serve it with a crusty bread and rice pilaff.
Goes Well With
- Rice pilaff
Notes
Tomato paste: It is available online as well as in Turkish and Middle Eastern shops. Tomato paste is basically cooked down and concentrated tomatoes. It is used mainly in the southeast of Turkey. Having roots in Urfa and Gaziantep, admittedly I do use it quite a lot in my cooking. You can substitute with double concentrated tomato purée which is widely available in supermarkets.
Hot pepper paste: It is available in Waitrose, online as well as in Turkish and Middle Eastern shops. Hot pepper paste is a thick deep red paste made by blending together cooked red peppers, chillies, olive oil and salt. Then to desiccate all the juices, they are dried in the sun. This deepens the colour and intensifies the flavour. A small amount is enough to give a spicy, rich texture to dishes. It is used mainly in the southeast of Turkey. There is no substitute but you can omit it.
Red pepper flakes: These flakes have a moderate heat. You can find them in Turkish or Middle Eastern shops. Ground cayenne powder can be used as a substitute. Use half as much ground cayenne to achieve the same level of heat. You can find more information about this here.
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