- Hey, guys.
Welcome back to iFOODreal Kitchen.
As many of you know, I am from Ukraine,
and beef stew is a staple in Eastern European countries.
My grandmummy had the best beef stew.
She would take beef
and pan fry it in flour
and it will create the best beef stew I remember.
But days have changed
and today we can make delicious
and hearty beef stew in Instant Pot
without frying the meat in flour.
Yes, I do not saute the meat.
I will show you how to make beef strew
in six part or eight part Instant Pot.
We will go over making beef stew with frozen meat,
how that will work, it will.
And at then end I will show you how
I keep my Instant Pot shiny.
There is a trick.
So, let's do it.
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Start by chopping vegetables
and adding them to Instant Pot one by one.
I find it the easiest method
to keep the cutting board clear
and not dirtying another bowl.
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I like to use red, yellow or baby potatoes.
Potatoes can contains a lot of potassium
underneath it, that's why I don't peel potatoes
and if you're choosing baby potatoes,
you can cut larger ones in half
and leave the small ones alone.
They will cook.
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Beef is expensive
and any kind of roast will work.
Just look for the most affordable one
like chopped roast or eye of the round oven roast.
I don't even know the proper name
but it doesn't matter.
Just cut it into one-inch cubes.
If beef is organic or grass fed,
it's definitely a bonus
if you can find it or afford it.
You can also use wild game meat
like venison or moose.
I have tried venison many times
and it comes out delicious.
You can use frozen cubed meat.
Your pressure cooker
will just take a little bit longer to come to pressure
but in reality cooking time can be the same
but to be safe, add five to 10 minutes extra
to cooking time, so about 40 minutes will do it.
Add beef, chicken or veggie stock.
I like to use organic Bouillon cubes
because its ingredients are just better
and it never goes bad in the fridge
and I can dilute it with water any time
as much as I need.
Now it's time to add tomato paste and spices
like organo, thyme, salt, pepper, bay leaves
and pepper corns and I like to keep the beef stew simple.
No apple cider vinegar and no Worcestershire sauce.
And I have a major tip for you.
If you want your Instant Pot to come to pressure faster,
use boiled water.
No need to stir the ingredients.
I just like to flatten the tomato paste
so it doesn't touch the lid.
Turn the vent to sealing position
and cook on high pressure for 30 minutes.
You can release pressure right away
or let it come down naturally.
It doesn't really matter
but just like with the stove top version,
the longer stew sits, the more flavor it develops.
Add frozen peas,
no need to thaw, the hot stew will melt them right away
and now the secret flavor boosters.
Number one is fresh garlic
because fresh garlic just adds another layer
of flavor just like cooked garlic doesn't
and number two is fresh dill.
If you have never tried dill,
you've never lived says Ukrainian me
and yes, that whole huge bunch
of fresh dill goes in there.
And I do not recommend to use dried dill.
The flavor will not be the same.
If you like thick gravy beef stew,
switch electric pressure cooker to saute.
In a small bowl with one and a quarter cup of cold water,
it's important, cold water,
add four tablespoons corn starch
and then add to the pot and stir gently.
Cook for a few minutes until thickened
and keep in mind that corn starch settles fast,
so if you made the slurry
beforehand, stir it right before adding to the pot.
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And the magic cleaner
to keep your stainless steel Instant Pot shiny
is Bar Keepers Friend.
It does may better job than baking soda or vinegar.
I tried that.
I'm really looking forward to trying this stew
because despite being April,
it's still kind of like chilly outside.
Actually it looks like it's gonna rain,
so this taste test with a golden spoon
comes in super appropriate in April.
It's so thick and hearty
and that slurry at the end definitely makes it
more like stew.
It's hot, oh my God.
(chuckling)
It's so hot.
Now that I survived, that my mouth is burned
and I survived, oh my goodness, it's so delicious,
let's try on a side.
It's a lesson learned.
Don't go in the middle of the bowl,
just try on the side.
And blow.
I'm gonna try a little bit.
This is so good
and guys, you definitely don't have to saute the meat,
I don't care who says what
but food cooked in a pressure cooker
under pressure comes out more flavorful,
so that's why you buy Instant Pot
and you don't saute your beef
or beef stew.
This is super delicious and those two secret ingredients
that I add at the end, the fresh garlic
and a lot of dill, all of that dill,
are secret flavor boosters
because if you add them before cooking,
the flavor goes kind like meh during cooking
and here fresh and vibrant
and you get this the most delicious Ukrainian stew,
I swear like my grandma used to make.
So, that's it and I was like maybe half an hour
and totally hands-off cooking,
so Instant Pot is the best.
And Alex tells me I should point to subscribe here
and now he's going ah, I'm hopeless.
And thumbs up below
and see you next time.
Bye, healthy, happy cooking.
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