Phiwo Madlala's Hearty Stewed Beef Recipe

View fullsize

Photo by Kathy Pitout Photography

“So, the dish I am sharing is one of those that my mom would make for us for our weekly dinners. I’d be so happy to know that you had cooked my ujeqe (steamed bread), beef stew and imfino (pumpkin leaves).”

— Phiwo Madlala

PHIWO’S HEARTY STEWED BEEF, JEQE IN A MUG AND FRESHLY HAND-PICKED IMFINO SIDE

Serves 4-6 people

Ingredients

Jeqe in a mug

• 4 (8cm) Enamel Coffee Mug

• 1.2 kg white bread flour, Champagne Valley stonemill

• 25g yellow pepper

• 25g red peppers

• 1 tablespoon oryx salt

• 5 tablespoon sugar

• 1 sachet instant yeast

• 500ml lukewarm water

• 20ml cooking Sunfoil Platinum oil

• 1l water for cooking

Beef stew

• 920 grams  beef cubes

• 40ml cooking sunfoil Platinum oil

• 3 cloves of garlic

• 1 whole onion

• 1 whole  yellow pepper

• 1 whole red pepper

• 3 tablespoons curry powder(Rajah mild and spicy)

• 4 tablespoons Robertson’s spices (chicken or barbeque)

• 15ml tomato puree

• 2 carrots

• 1 cup of red dry wine

• 30 ml homemade chicken stock

• 2 sweet corn on the cob cut to 5cm round then half.

Imfino

For boiling

• 1kg imfino or baby spinach

• 1 whole potato

• 500ml cold water

For cooking

• 4 tablespoons cooking Sunfoil Platinum oil

• 1 clove fresh garlic

• 1 large onion

• 2 tablespoons chicken spice

• Season with oryx salt for taste

Method

JEQE IN A MUG

1. In a 30cm bowl sieve flour, add both yellow and red pepper, salt, sugar and yeast. Mix well with hand. Add water and oil them mix together with hand in a circular motion, knead the dough until hands are clean of any dough add more flour if necessary.

2. Cover the bowl with cling wrap and let it rise for an hour.

3. During this hour in 17cm pot add 1l water (about half way full), cover and bring to a boil.

4. Knead the dough one more time and leave to rise again.

5. Remove dough from bowl and place in flour dusted counter, with a dough cutter separate dough into 4 and make balls weighing 300g each. Rub little bit of oil into the mugs and place ball dough in each mug.

6. Place the mugs into the pot with boiling water and steam for 1 hour, make sure there is no air coming in and if necessary cover pot with kitchen cloth.

7. Listen with the pot closed if it is still boiling, add water to the pot if necessary.

8. After 1 hour switch off heat and remove mugs from water, leave on counter to cool and cover with paper towel when cold.

BEEF STEW

1. Over high heat place 17cm pot (any medium pot) on stove and brown beef cubes for 5 minutes. Remove beef from heat, place into a bowl and lower heat to medium.

2. Add oil and when hot add garlic, onion, both peppers and sauté until soft. Add curry powder, Robertson’s spice and tomato puree, carrots.

3. Mix for about 2minutes and add browned beef cubes.

4. Toss in red wine and stock. Simmer for 3 hours then add sweet corn cover for 20 minutes.

5. Add salt to taste.

IMFINO

1. In a small pot add imfino, potato and water. Bring to a boil over medium heat for 30 minutes.

2. Sift water from imfino and potatoes and place in a bowl.

3. In the same pot over medium heat, heat up oil, add garlic onion and chicken spice sauté for about 5 minutes and add imfino and potato mix back into the pot combine well and add salt if necessary. 

4. Simmer for 5 minutes. Serve alongside jeqe in a mug and beef stew.