How To Thicken Beef Stew? We have 3 techniques provided for you on how to thicken this stew dish.
First technique:
- Make a slurry, which is a combination of flour and water
- Whisk the flour and water until they are smooth
- Add the mixture in the during the final phases of cooking the beef stew
This is one of the simpler methods to thicken stew with only two ingredients and without compromising any process or flavor. If you’re working with slow cooker stews, add the slurry with still 30 minutes left in cook time to enable the raw flour to cook and thicken the soup.
Second technique:
- Toss the beef into flour or corn starch before searing it
- Add vegetables of your choice to the thickened beef stew 45 minutes before cooking is over.
The bits you leave behind will thicken the stew and offer a deeper flavor. Use any flour, from the regular ones to nutritious ones like chickpea or cassava flour. Be careful with the amount of flour you add lest you end up with a heavy flour taste.
When it comes to adding vegetables, it not only helps thicken stew but helps add your choice of flavors as well.
Third technique:
- Peel a potato and chop it up
- Place the slices in a blender with a half cup of water and whir it up until it has transformed into a smooth liquid
- When your stew has been cooked enough and the meat to your standards is already soft, add the potato mix to the stew and stir through over medium heat
Continue until the potato has been deemed cooked and the stew has thickened enough.
How To Tenderize Beef Stew Meat?
This is your chance to skip the lean and more costly cuts of meat when making beef stew. It’s even better to use less expensive and tougher cuts of meat. Making beef stew is long and slow and this transforms lean meat, like sirloin, to be chewy and tough to the palate. Tough and lower priced chuck meat, break down and become very tender. It rewards you with very soft bites. Another bonus is you spend much much less.
What To Serve With Beef Stew?
Shakshuka. It is a pan full meal of eggs which are poached in spicy tomato sauce. It is an Israeli dish of tomatoes cooked down with garlic, onions, peppers, and spices until a thick sauce is formed. Eggs are then nested on top and left to cook. Served with your beef stew and with some pita, challah, or crusty bread to soak them all up.
Hummus. It is a delicious dip made out of chickpeas, garlic, tahini, and lemon. You can make it either thick or chunky. Serve it with your beef stew and dip in pita bread or a bagel.
Fresh pie. It comprises creamy sauce, flaky fish, and fluffy mashed potatoes which have been crisped and made golden on top. Fresh pie is a classic British favorite.
Chicken piccata. A dish wherein the chicken meat is either sliced or pounded thin. It’s served with butter, lemon or wine sauce. It’s topped with fresh parsley and salty capers. It’s originally from Italy but it’s mostly served today in North America together with beef stew.
How Many Calories In Beef Stew?
There are 250 to 300 calories in a regular beef stew. But if you want a healthier version, read on.
In your beef stew, you can cut the quantity of meat and correspondingly increase the amount of vegetables. It results in fewer calories, less fat and more fiber than traditional beef stew cooking.
Start by adding vegetables. This means more nutrition without additional fat. Toss in broccoli or peas into cheese and macaroni. Then stir diced carrots or canned pumpkin into sloppy Joe’s. Then add in tomatoes, cabbage or any other vegetable that you prefer to put filling into the potpie.
Instead of the salt, reach for herbs. Even if dried or fresh, herbs add exciting flavor without sodium content being compromised.
Replace some of the cream with low fat milk. Together with mashed potatoes, the milk will still give you creaminess without the heaviness of cream. Then, a pat of butter, not a stick, adds to the richness of flavor.
If you need to put in cheese as an ingredient, reduced fat cheese can be a replacement for cheeses with higher calorie content. But be sure to choose a low fat cheese that melts well because some of them don’t.
