As the festive tunes fill the air, it's time for us to reunite with our loved ones. And what we're most excited for isn't just the gifts, but also the opportunity to enjoy delicious and new dishes together, like a bowl of spicy and warm Beef & Red Bean Stew on Christmas day.
Preparing the Australian chuck beef, red bean, carrot:
Soak red beans 1 day before. Add water to cover red beans and wait for 5 - 10 minutes until the lentils pop up. Then, remove the water and rinse the beans. Soak red beans about 6 - 7 hours more to soften the beans.
Peel carrots, potatoes and cut them into bite-sized pieces.
Wash the red beans and add more water into cooker to boil. Pour all the water out after 5 minutes. Continue adding 5 to 6 cups of water to the pot and bring to boil. Remember to skim off the foam while cooking and keep the heat to medium to allow the beans to come to a boil.
Continue to prepare the beef while waiting for the beans and carrots to get soft (approximately an hour).
Use absorbent paper to dry the beef.
Put the potatoes in the pot on medium heat when the beans are soft and the potatoes are half cooked. Turn off the heat.
Preparing the vegetables:
Peel onion and slice into 0.5cm pieces.
Crush the garlic and mince it.
Peel potatoes and cut into bite-sized pieces.
Cooking the dish:
Season the beef with salt and pepper. Fry until both sides are golden brown.
After frying, pour about 3/4 cup of water into the pot to keep the beef moist and tender.
Stew the beef for about 75 minutes until the meat is completely tender.
Cut the vegetables in half, and simmer with the meat.
After nearly 20 minutes, add all of the tomato paste and the cinnamon powder, then mix until dissolved. Season with salt and pepper.
Wait about 5 minutes, then turn off the stove and put in a bowl.
Garnish with some coriander leaves.