Cherry & Dennis Recipes
Beef Barley Vegetable Stew
牛肉珍珠大麥蔬菜燉鍋
Recipe overview
Beef Barley Vegetable Stew is a practical Western family dish for a Hong Kong home kitchen, using supermarket ingredients and twelve reliable steps for four servings.
01
Ingredients
Main ingredients
- 700 g stewing beef (cut into 4 cm pieces)
- 150 g pearl barley (rinsed and drained)
- 2 piece carrots (cut into 3 cm pieces)
- 1 piece onion (diced)
- 2 stalks celery stalks (sliced)
- 400 g potatoes (cut into 4 cm chunks)
- 2 cloves garlic (minced)
Seasoning and sauce
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 1500 ml beef stock (low-sodium)
- 1 tsp thyme (dried)
- 2 piece bay leaves
- 1 tbsp cooking oil
- 1 tsp salt
- 0.5 tsp black pepper (ground)
02
Tools
- knife
- cutting board
- vegetable peeler
- strainer
- stockpot
- wooden spoon
- measuring cup
- measuring spoons
- ladle
- serving bowl
03
Steps
Step 1
Rinse the barley
Rinse pearl barley in a strainer until the water runs clear, then drain well.
Step 2
Cut the beef
Cut the beef into 4 cm pieces and pat dry.
Step 3
Prepare the vegetables
Cut carrot, onion, celery, and potatoes as specified and mince the garlic.
Step 4
Brown the beef in batches
Heat oil in a stockpot and brown the beef in two batches over medium-high heat, about 5 minutes per batch.
Step 5
Soften the vegetables
Add onion, carrot, and celery to the pot and cook for 6 minutes until the onion softens.
Step 6
Cook the tomato paste
Add garlic and tomato paste and stir for 1 minute until slightly darkened.
Step 7
Add stock and herbs
Return the beef and add stock, thyme, and bay leaves, scraping the bottom of the pot.
Step 8
Simmer the beef
Bring to a boil, skim any foam, cover, and simmer over low heat for 45 minutes.
Step 9
Add barley and potatoes
Add pearl barley and potatoes, stir, cover, and simmer for another 35 minutes.
Step 10
Check tenderness
Test beef and barley; the beef should pull apart with a fork and the barley should be tender with slight chew.
Step 11
Reduce and season
Simmer uncovered for 8 minutes to thicken, remove bay leaves, and season with salt and black pepper.
Step 12
Ladle and serve
Ladle beef, barley, potatoes, vegetables, and thick broth into bowls and serve hot.
Common mistakes
- Unrinsed barley makes the broth excessively cloudy.
- Skipping browning reduces the stew flavour.
Tips
Barley keeps absorbing liquid; add a little water when reheating.
Chilling overnight makes excess fat easy to remove.
