homestyle beef stew

I love stews and I think they are one of the most wholesome dish a working mom can prepare for her family. All the while, I have been making tomato based beef stews but everytime I open up a can of tomato puree, I can just see the amount of preservatives and salt added in it. Enough is enough, I bugged my aunt for her pure beef stew recipe and I was thickskinned enough to invite myself to her place for dinner, so that I can taste the real thing. It was delicious, you taste nothing but the sweetness from the veggies and meat, how pure can you get??

This is how I made mine yesterday, it was really good.

Pure Beef Stew

500g beef - shin, cubed
4 sticks of carrots - random cut
3 fist sized potatoes - random cut
1 big white onion - remove skin only
2 tbsp flour + 2 tbsp for coating the meat
1 litre water
1 tsp salt
1 tsp dried basil leaves
a dash of pepper


1. Fry (without oil) 2 tbsp of flour until light brown, be careful not to burn it - you will use this as thickening agent
2. Coat the beef cube with some flour and brown it in a hot pan (with oil of cause).
3. Add the veggies and enough water to cover and leave it to boil.
4. Remove any scums that surfaced.
5. Add salt and pepper to taste, throw in basil leaves.
6. Let it simmer until the meat and veggies soften.
7. Thicken the sauce with the flour fried earlier, a little a time until you get the right consistency.

Voila, there you have your pure beef stew for dinner.

P/S - See my cute little enamal pot?? One of the antiques in my house. Lol