$10 Meal - Dish 2 (Wholesome Beef Stew!)

Following on from yesterday's Chicken Macaroni Fishball Soup, I thought it would be a fun challenge to do a stew and keeping it within the $10 budget! Here we go!

Wholesome Beef Stew!

Our household likes stew - there is something yummy about the gravy and the soft potatoes and carrots. For Dumpling, we sometimes use minced beef and make them into beef balls so that it is easier for her to chew. Paired that with freshly baked bread - crusty on the outside and soft on the inside, I am already craving for another round of this! :)


The items:

1) Beef Knuckle from Giant Supermarket (On promotion - $7.03)
(The knuckle can be used whole as a large roast, or can be cut up for stew meat or kebabs.)
Read more: What Cut of Beef Is the Peeled Knuckle? | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/info_8464647_cut-beef-peeled-knuckle.html#ixzz245VBjspy

  2) 1 packet of carrots ($0.95)

3) 1 packet of potatoes ($1.55. We used 2 so it's approximately. $0.60 for 2 pieces)

4) 2 pieces of big Onions (Approx. $0.50)

5) 1 small can of button mushrooms ($0.80)

6) Optional: We used to add in herbs like clove (just 1), 2 cinnamon sticks and bay leaves (1 - 2 pieces) but Dumpling has not acquired the taste of using spices so I left them out. If your child likes celery, you can add that in too. :)

Total Amount: $9.88
Amount left: $0.12

Preparation:

1) Cut the beef into cubes and marinate with a dash of pepper, cornflour, light soya sauce (some prefer oyster sauce / worchester sauce so you can add that in too) and leave in fridge

2) Dice the potatos, carrots and big onions

3) Half the button mushrooms


To cook:

1) To cut down on cooking time, I steamed the carrots and carrots prior to adding them to the stew for approximately 20 mins

2) Fry the big onions till it is slightly caramelised

3) Add the carrots and potatos to the onions and lightly fry for a while

4) Add beef cubes

5) Add button mushrooms

6) Add water, cover and leave it to simmer (we usually need about 60 - 90mins)
(We prefer our beef stew to still be a tad chewy hence the simmering time is just about right for us. If you prefer yours to be extremely soft, you will need longer cooking time or you can use a thermal pot too) :o)

7) Add oyster sauce / light soya sauce to taste

Serve hot with rice / mash potato / french loaves!

Disclaimer: I did not include cost of rice / bread here as these are usually staples we have in our household. You can also add on more potatoes and eat this on its own without the rice / bread :)