Old Fashioned Cantonese Beef
A Nostalgic “Exotic” Recipe
Old Fashioned Cantonese Beef is a recipe many will remember from their childhood. Made with tender beef stew meat, green bell peppers, and onions simmered in a soy sauce based gravy and finished off with tangy mandarin oranges.
I grew up eating a very similar recipe that my family called American Chop Suey. Truth be told, back then I hated it but as an adult, I look forward to my Mom making it.
If you are interested in that recipe, it is linked above. This Old Fashioned Cantonese Beef is another nostalgic “Asian Inspired” recipe that is reminiscent of olden times.
Mister Tipsy’s Mom used to make something very similar for his Dad’s hunting trips. She used pork stew meat though.
Now I am in no way claiming that this is a Authentic Cantonese recipe. I found this recipe in a very old cookbook and decided to upgrade it.
We have to remember that back in the day we did not have access to the same ingredients that we do now. Back then, this was a very exotic and special recipe that was different from what people usually ate.
Keep an open mind when making this. I know you will find it delicious.
A Tip For New Cooks With Stew Meat
When you are using beef stew meat for any recipe, you must remember one thing. When it is cooking and hot in the pot, even after you have cooked it for hours, it is going to seem tough and chewy when you taste it.
This meat needs to rest after being under heat for 15 to 20 minutes for it to relax and tenderize. So if you make this recipe or any other stew recipe with beef stew meat, do not be alarmed when it seems tough immediately after cooking.
This is why a lot of people make beef stew the day before. The meat is even more tender the next day.
More Beef Stew Recipes
Bead Molasses
I anticipate that this Bead Molasses may be an unfamiliar ingredients to newer cooks. This is a classic ingredient that is used to thicken gravies and lots of Asian sauces.
It has a dark, rich color and adds a slight smokiness to recipes. I usually use this Dynasty Brand that you can find in the Asian aisle or by the sauces of lots of stores.
They also have it on Amazon. You can use it in any recipe that has a gravy, just add a tablespoon or two for flavor.
Old Fashioned Cantonese Beef Recipe
Old Fashioned Cantonese Beef is a classic recipe that many will remember from their childhood. Made with beef stew meat, soy sauce, bead molasses, and veggies like green pepper, mushrooms, and onions. The added touch of Mandarin oranges at the end adds some exotic flair.
Ingredients
- 2 lbs. of Beef Stew Meat, cut into 1.5 inch pieces
- 1 medium sized Onion, chopped
- 1 cup of diced Celery
- 2 cups of sliced Mushrooms
- 1 medium to large Green Bell Pepper cut into strips
- 2 cans of Whole Water Chestnuts (8 ounces each)
- 1 can of Mandarin Oranges (16 ounces)
- Salt
- Pepper
- 1 teaspoon of Dried Ginger *or you can use some grated fresh ginger and simmer a chunk of peeled ginger in the broth
- 2 cups of Water *divided
- 3 to 4 tablespoons of Soy Sauce
- 2 tablespoons of Bead Molasses *see post for picture and more info
- 2 tablespoons of Cornstarch
- Crunchy Chow Mein Noodles or Rice *pictured in post
Instructions
- Remove the beef from the package and pat dry with paper towels. Season all over with salt and pepper. Use as much or as little as you prefer. Let the meat rest on the counter for 20 to 30 minutes.
- Heat the cooking oil in a deep sided skillet, get it hot but not smoking hot, add the beef and sear on all sides. You want to get a nice golden to dark brown sear on all the meat.
- Sprinkle the meat with the dried ginger or add the fresh ginger. I grated some peeled fresh ginger into the meat and then added the chunk of peeled ginger, then fished it out at the end of cooking.
- Add the onion and sauté for a few minutes until the onion softens.
- Add the soy sauce, bead molasses, and 1.5 cups of water to the skillet. Whisk to combine and bring to a boil.
- Reduce the heat to a VERY LOW simmer, cover the pan, and cook slowly for 1.5 to 2 hours. *you can put this all in a slow cooker at this point and cook on low 6 to 8 hours. If cooking on the stove, check to make sure it is slowly simmering and stir once in awhile. You should just see the liquid in the pan bubble up once in awhile.
- While the beef cooks, prep your veggies and set them aside. Drain the water chestnuts and the mandarin oranges.
- At the 1.5 hour mark, mix the cornstarch with the 1/2 cup of water. Whisk until smooth. Stir into the beef and stir or whisk constantly until it is combined and the gravy thickens. You may want it thicker so then add a little more of a corn starch slurry. Reduce heat.
- Add the sliced peppers, sliced mushrooms, and water chestnuts to the top of the beef. Cover and let them steam on top as the beef simmers underneath. After 15 minutes, stir the veggies in and cook fifteen more minutes, stirring occasionally.
- **If you are using a slow cooker, add the corn starch the same way and the veggies. It should thicken.
- Turn off the heat and let this rest, covered, ten minutes. Stir in the mandarin oranges.
- Serve over rice or crunchy chow mein. I topped with fresh chives.