Beef with Chinese Water Chestnuts Stew

Chinese braises, stews or casseroles, also known as red cooking, meaning braising in light and dark soy sauce, is a very popular way of cooking. Especially during the colder seasons of the year, braises, stews or casseroles is a perfect comfort food for all. Water chestnuts are often a favourite ingredient used together with either, chicken, beef or pork. My gluten free stew recipe is a simple dish that include beef, Chinese water chestnuts and shiitake mushrooms braised in sauce made of dark soy sauce, oyster sauce, Worchester sauce, medium dry sherry, ground white pepper and salt, spiced with star anise and cloves, then seasoned with garlic and onion. This recipe is dairy free, nut free and egg free.

Chinese water chestnuts (botanical name: Eleocharis dulcis), are edible rhizomes that are a member of the sedge family of Cyperaceae. They are native to China and are cultivated widely in flooded paddy fields in southern China. These tubers or corms are white, juicy and have a crunchy, nutty flavour that is tasty and an exceptionally well-liked ingredient in Chinese and Southeast Asian cuisines. There are many ways of eating these Chinese water chestnuts, they can be eaten raw, sweetened, boiled, grilled, pickled, canned and added to many dishes like soups, stews, in salads, as stuffings and in stir-fries to give the dish a crispy texture. In Chinese cuisines, these water chestnuts are often ground into flour utilised for cooking water chestnut cake, a regular dim sum dish served at Chinese Yum Cha restaurants. Eventhough they are called water chestnuts, they are not nuts and are an aquatic root vegetable cultivated in marshes.

The tubers or corms of Chinese water chestnuts are rich in carbohydrates, it is also a good source of dietary fiber, vitamin B1 (thiamine), vitamin B2 (riboflavin), vitamin B6, potassium, copper, manganese and phosphorus. Health benefits of water chestnuts include anti-bacterial, antiviral, anticancer and antioxidant properties due to its polyphenolic and flavonoid antioxidants; effective treatment for diarrhoea, jaundice, urine infection, and relief from cough. Water chestnuts also support healthy skin, hair, muscle and central nervous system.

Beef with Chinese Water Chestnuts Stew

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Calories: 1011.59kcal

Author: Daphne Goh

Ingredients

• 5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 5 garlic cloves peeled and finely minced
• 1 medium brown onion halved and then thinly sliced
• 1.2 kg 2.6Ib gravy beef or chuck steak, trimmed and cut into roughly 3cm to 4cm cubes
• 1 can 567g/20oz/1.25Ib whole water chestnuts, drained
• 15 dried shiitake mushrooms soak in hot water for 20 mins. Stalks removed and halved
• 2 small star anise
• 5 cloves
• 1 cup water
• Steamed rice to serve

For the Sauce:

• 6 tablespoons of gluten free kecap manis Dark/Thick Soy Sauce (refer relevant recipe)
• 1 tablespoon of gluten free oyster sauce
• 1 tablespoon of gluten free Worchester sauce
• ½ tablespoon gluten free corn maize flour mixed with 3 tablespoons water
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoons ground white pepper
• ¼ cup pale or medium dry sherry

For the Garnish:

• 3 sprigs of coriander including stems roughly cut into 1 to 2 cm lengthwise

Instructions

Method 1: Using a Pressure Cooker

• Mix and combine all the ingredients for the sauce together in a bowl.
• Heat up a pressure cooker with 5 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil and stir-fry the garlic on low heat until lightly golden.
• Add in all the beef pieces, stir-fry for 5 minutes on high to medium heat. Then add in all the water chestnuts, shiitake mushrooms, and the sauce prepared earlier plus the water and stir-fry for another 10 minutes.
• Cover the pressure cooker and lock lid. Once pressure is attained, reduced heat to low. Cook for 20 minutes. Turn off heat. Let the pressure cooker rest for another 10 minutes, carefully release pressure. Unlock lid.
• Garnish with coriander and serve with steamed rice.

Method 2: Using a Pot on Stove Top

• Mix and combine all the ingredients for the sauce together in a bowl.
• Heat up the pot with 5 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil and stir-fry the garlic on low heat until lightly golden.
• Then add in all the beef pieces, stir-fry for 5 minutes on high to medium heat.
• Add the sauce prepared earlier and stir-fry for another 5 minutes. Add water and cover with lid and bring to the boil and simmer the beef for 1 hour on low heat.
• Lastly, add the water chestnuts and shiitake mushrooms, stir-fry and mix well with the beef and sauce, bring to the boil and cover with lid again. Simmer on low heat for another 30 minutes or until beef is soft.
• Garnish with coriander and serve with steamed rice.

Notes

Allergens:- Sesame, soy and oyster extract.

Nutrition Facts

Beef with Chinese Water Chestnuts Stew

Serving Size

 

5 g

Amount per Serving

Calories

1011.59

% Daily Value*

Fat

 

72.85

g

112

%

Saturated Fat

 

24.52

g

153

%

Trans Fat

 

3.17

g

Cholesterol

 

204

mg

68

%

Sodium

 

1655.7

mg

72

%

Carbohydrates

 

31.7

g

11

%

Fiber

 

7.98

g

33

%

Sugar

 

3.52

g

4

%

Protein

 

62.42

g

125

%

Vitamin A

 

1.35

IU

0

%

Vitamin C

 

7.38

mg

9

%

Calcium

 

13.79

mg

1

%

Iron

 

52.76

mg

293

%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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