[Recipe] Pressure Cooker (Instant Pot) Cantonese braised beef stew

About Cantonese Beef Stew:

What makes Cantonese beef stew stand out is that there are hints of cloves and star anise in the thick sauce made with Chou Hou paste. The store-bought Chou Hou paste is made from soybeans, garlic, ginger and other spices give the sauce the dark caramelized colour and flavour that is saltier and concentrated than hoisin sauce. I can’t place my finger on another substitute for the sauce.

My version:

As for the ingredients that accompany the beef, that can vary. This recipe was adapted from my mom since her version is simple, yet it comes out delicious with tender meat and a sauce that’s packed with flavour and not too salty. I added a combination of turnip, potatoes and carrots for a heartier meal.

When you look at the steps my recipe, I didn’t throw everything into the Instant Pot and have it magically come out perfect. There are several steps but it is worth it for flavour. I often blanch a lot of meats I buy for stocks and did the same for the beef flank to get rid of any impurities. I also parboiled the carrots before adding it to the Instant Pot. Feel free to skip the blanching and parboiling to save time. Sauteing the garlic and ginger is a must, as well as browning the potatoes.

Instant Pot Beef Stew ingredients

I am going to admit, I don’t love browning my meat and many other ingredients in my Instant Pot because I find the surface too small, and the Instant Pot is harder to clean than my Le Creuset Dutch oven. If you are only using the Instant Pot, use the saute mode and do all the sauteing and browning there.

In this recipe, I cooked most of the ingredients in my Le Creuset dutch oven pot, and used my stove top pans, and then used my Instant Pot pressure cooker to shorten the overall cooking time and to help tenderize the meat. The recipe can be done on the stove top on low for 2 plus hours, or in a slow cooker. Turnips cook quickly so that is why they were added closer to the end of the cooking process.

I love Cantonese beef stew, so warming and perfect eaten with a bowl of hot rice and a spoonful of sambal oelek.

Cantonese Beef Stew

I am confident that you will love this!

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Pressure Cooker (Instant Pot) Cantonese braised beef stew

Course Main Course

Cuisine Chinese

Prep Time 1 hour

Cook Time 1 hour 10 minutes

Total Time 2 hours 10 minutes

Servings 4

Author Mary Tang

Ingredients

• 1 orange peel About 2 x 2 inches big. Soak in 1 cup of water
• 1 turnip- large dice
• 3 carrots- large dice
• 5 small russet potatoes
• 2 pounds of beef flank skin on-large cubes
• 1/8 cup of sliced ginger
• 5 cloves of garlic-minced
• 17 cups of water separated by 8 cups, 8 cups, and 1 cup
• 1/4 cup of vegetable oil add more as needed
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1/2 cup of rice wine
• 3 star anises
• 4 cloves
• 1 handful of green onions for garnish

Sauce

• 1/3 cup of soy sauce
• 1 cup of Chou Hou paste
• 2 tsp of sugar
• 2.5 cups of water divided by 1.5 cups and 1 cup

Slurry

• 2 tbsp of cornstarch
• 1 cup of water

Instructions

Prep work.

1. Soak the orange peel in water for at least 15 mins. Using a spoon, scrape all the white parts under the skin. This is important to not make the peel bitter.

2. Cut the turnip, potatoes, carrots, and beef flank. Slice the ginger and mince the garlic.

3. Fill a pot with 8 cups of water and wait for it to boil. Parboil the carrots for about 5 minutes. Drain and set aside.

4. Fill a pot with 8 cups of water and wait for it to boil. Blanche the meat for about 1 minute. Drain and set aside.

5. Season the beef with salt and pepper.
6. In the pan, add oil and then in batches, add the potatoes. Brown each side of the potatoes (about 1 minute a side). Remove and set aside.

   If using the Instant Pot, use the saute mode. 

7. In the same pan, turn the heat to medium-high, add oil. Add the meat in batches and brown all sides. Add garlic and ginger to the meat and saute for a few minutes. Add the rice wine and let it cook down.

   If using the Instant Pot, use the saute mode. 
   

Instant Pot Time:

1. Add the meat, garlic and ginger to the Instant Pot.

2. In a separate bowl, mix all ingredients in the sauce. Taste and adjust to your liking. Add the sauce to the pressure cooker with 1.5 cups of water.

3. Add the star anise, orange peel, and cloves. Mix. 

4. Make sure the Instant Pot knob is on 'sealing'. Using the manual mode, set the time for 45 minutes on high pressure.

5. Once the timer is up at 45 minutes, turn the pressure cooker off immediately, switch the knob to venting for a quick release.

6. Add the carrots, potatoes, and turnip to the pressure cooker. Add 1 cup of water. Close the lid and make sure the knob is back on "sealing". Press the "stew" mode, and manually set the time to 20 minutes.

7. Once the timer is up at 20 minutes, turn the pressure cooker off, switch the knob to 'venting' for a quick release.

8. In a bowl, add cornstarch and cold water to make a slurry. Press saute on the Instant Pot and add the slurry to the stew to thicken the sauce. Mix the stew.

9. Taste and add salt and pepper if desired. Serve and garnish with green onions.

Recipe Notes

Chou Hou Paste can be easily found at most Asian grocery stores in Canada 

 

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