Chinese beef stew with potatoes is a delicious and easy-to-make recipe involving beef with various Chinese spices and root vegetables like potatoes and carrots. The beef is cooked with warm spices such as cinnamon and star anise, which gives it a uniquely Asian flavor. Chinese Shaoxing wine, oyster sauce, and dark and light soy sauce are added to enhance the taste. 

I have previously uploaded a recipe for Cantonese beef stew, but today, I would like to modify it by adding some Sichuan-style flavor. I will use chili bean paste to transform the beef stew from a standard recipe to a Sichuan-style one. 

Below is my recipe to prepare my favorite beef stew with potatoes.

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1. What kind of beef is best for the stew? 

The most suitable beef cuts for making beef stew should contain some fat. This type of beef will result in a more tender and moist texture after stewing. Beef chuck or beef brisket are great examples of such cuts. Other commonly used cuts for Chinese beef stew are beef tendon or short ribs. However, if you prefer less fatty or healthier beef, you can use any cut of beef with less fat.

2. Spices and other ingredients used for stewing

This recipe uses mainly Asian seasonings such as bay leaves, cinnamon bark, cloves, and star anise. These ingredients are primarily used for Cantonese cooking. To make it spicier, add more dry red chilies and chili bean paste to turn it into a Sichuan-style beef stew.

Other ingredients required are some Chinese wine, light soy sauce and dark soy sauce, rock sugar, ground pepper, and salt.

Lastly, I include two large waxy potatoes and one large carrot. Waxy potatoes will not become mushy too quickly if overcooked. They are all cut into large chunks, about the same size as the beef slices. The potatoes will eventually absorb all the goodness of the stew.

Here are the preparations required before starting cooking:

1. Chop one large tablespoon of garlic, which will be sauteed with the chile bean paste.
2. Measure two tablespoons of rock sugar. The Chinese chef uses rock sugar to prepare most of the stewed meat, resulting in a glossy finish. If rock sugar is unavailable, you can substitute it with any other type of sugar.
3. Get ready the seasonings ingredients. I use light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, Chinese rice wine, oyster sauce, and chili bean paste to provide a Sichuan flavor. Substitute the chili bean paste with Chu Hou paste if you prefer a Cantonese-style flavor. Chu Hou paste can be difficult to find outside of Asia, so a substitute can be made by mixing hoisin sauce with a small amount of sugar.

3. Prepare the beef for stewing

Fill a stock pot with water and wait for it to come to a rolling boil. Then, add some ginger slices, spring onion, and Chinese wine. Place the chunks of beef in the water and wait for it to boil again. Remove the scum that floats on top to remove any impurities from the beef, which will make the gravy of the beef stew cleaner. The ginger, spring onion, and wine also help eliminate any unwanted smell.

Next, cut the beef into one and a half inches in size. Put the meat in a colander to drain away as much water as possible. Place the beef in a wok without oil over low to medium heat and stir-fry it until all the water during blanching has evaporated.

Once the beef has become dry, remove half of it from the wok and add some oil. Place it in a single layer and sear both sides until brown. The browning process adds an extra layer of flavor to the beef, which cannot be achieved by simply stewing it. Once done, remove the beef and continue with the second half of the beef that was removed earlier.

4. Stew the beef

1. Place the chunks of beef into a large pot or Dutch oven.
2. Add the dried spices.
3. Add about two tablespoons of rock sugar. Chinese cooks prefer to use rock sugar as it produces a more glossy appearance on the surface of the meat. You can use brown sugar or any ordinary sugar if you don’t have rock sugar.
4. Add water sufficient to submerge all the ingredients. If you stew the beef in an Instant Pot, please use less water as it does not require much water. 
5. Next, add all the seasoning ingredients mentioned in the recipe.
6. In a different pan, saute the chopped garlic with oil until it gives off a pleasant smell. Next, add the chili bean paste and continue sauteing until it becomes aromatic. Then, transfer the garlic and chili bean paste to the beef.
7. Mix all the ingredients. Cover the pot, turn to medium-high heat, and wait for it to boil. Then, turn down the heat to the lowest setting possible and let it simmer for 90 minutes.
8. After 90 minutes, check if the beef has turned tender or requires extra cooking time. If it has, add the potatoes and carrots to the tender chunks of beef and continue cooking for another 20 minutes until the vegetables are soft. Check again to see if both the beef and potatoes are soft.
9. Do a taste test to ensure the flavor and saltiness are right.

5. Thicken the sauce

1. Remove all the ingredients from the pot, but keep the stewing liquid in it. Then, reduce the quantity of the liquid by boiling it over medium heat if there is too much.
2. Since the liquid is thin, thicken it with cornstarch slurry. Pour this mixture into the stewing liquid to thicken it to your desired consistency.
3. Transfer the beef stew with potatoes to a serving bowl and drizzle with the gravy. Serve as a standalone dish or with plain rice.

This recipe can be made ahead of time and requires little preparation. It tastes even better the next day because by then, the flavor from the gravy is already fully absorbed by the beef and potatoes.

6. Related recipes to Chinese beef stew

If you enjoyed this Asian beef stew with potatoes, we have several other similar recipes that we think you’ll enjoy.

• Serving vegetables with beef is always a good idea. Why not make Bok Choy Stir-Fry, one of the most popular recipes on this food blog? It’s a delicious way to get some greens in your diet. 
• If you’re a Chinese noodle fan, try Taiwanese Beef Noodle Soup. The hearty beef stew pairs perfectly with any noodles.