Grass fed beef stew
- Tracy Yap S.L
- May 23, 2015
- 3 min read
This is another healthy ingredient that is quite foreign to us here in Malaysia, till recently. It is still rather tough to find grass fed beef in restaurants here but an increasing number of supermarket chains are selling grass fed beef in the meat department (thankfully!). That being said, however, the prices for grass fed beef is steeper than conventional beef. It could be slightly cheaper than some premium cuts of Australian or US grain-fed beef though (this due to the amount of fat in the meat, which is lesser in grass fed meat).
Why is grass fed beef better for you?
First of all, not all meat is created equal. An animal's diet can have a profound impact on the nutritional content of its products. The difference between grain fed and grass fed animal products is dramatic.
Grass fed beef has lower saturated fat content than grain fed beef. A grass fed sirloin steak has about one half to one third the amount of fat as a similar cut from its grain fed counterpart.
Grass fed beef has more heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids than grain fed beef. Omega-3 fats are good fats which are “heart friendly” and good for your brain as well!
Grass fed beef has more conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), a type of fat that's thought to reduce heart disease and cancer risks. CLA is most prominent in grass fed meat and milk, with CLA content raised as much as 5 times than CLA in conventional grain fed products. CLA has also been linked to weight loss and maintenance.
Grass fed beef has more antioxidant vitamins, such as vitamin E. It is four times higher in vitamin E than the meat from grain fed cattle and, interestingly, almost twice as high as the meat from the grain fed cattle which are given vitamin E supplements.
Source: American Grass Fed Beef (2015). http://www.americangrassfedbeef.com/grass-fed-natural-beef.asp
There are many other sources stating similar benefits of grass fed beef, so feel free to do your own research on this topic! I’m definitely a believer of grass fed beef after reading so many good things about it! When you think about it, eating meat as close to its nature-intended form can never be wrong. Our ancestors ate meat of animals which roam freely on the pasture, not coped up in a dingy cattle-farm being fed grain or processed corn and antibiotics.
So I went to a nearby HERO market and whop-dee-doo, they had a small sirloin cut of grass fed beef! I was giddy with joy. Honestly, small surprises like this make me happy because I feel like Malaysia is getting better. We are advancing forward. If supermarkets are housing things like this, it means that there must be a demand for it! However, the price was somewhat a kill-joy (it was close to RM20 for about 150gm). The ringgit needs to strengthen more, c’on!
I’ve always wanted to try making a beef stew. Okay, I didn’t buy enough beef for a stew but it’s sufficient for one to two persons. I just filled it up with more vegetables. J I used a slow cooker for this stew so it took about 6-8 hours, but it’s worth the wait. It also makes cooking so much easier. Just dump everything into the slow cooker, and let electricity and heat do the rest! You can leave it on overnight and have it ready for lunch the next day too.
Time: 6-8 hours on high
Pax: 2-3
Ingredients:-
150gm grass fed beef, diced
1 medium red onion, diced
1 carrot, sliced
2 cloves of garlic, sliced
1 medium eggplant, diced
3 medium red tomatoes, quartered
1 can of whole button mushrooms, sliced
Half a can of tomato paste (about 4 tablespoons)
500ml beef stock
A teaspoon of Italian herbs mix
Salt and pepper to taste
80ml red wine*
*I added in about 100ml of red wine for the flavor. Feel free to omit this if you don’t like red wine. If you’re cooking for kids, don’t worry as the alcohol would have been reduced to nothing over the duration of cooking process.
Midway through, do taste the stew to see if more salt and/or pepper is needed. If red wine is added in the beginning, the taste will change over time, so do keep tasting it to ensure it tastes great!
Towards the end of the stewing time, if your stew is still rather watery, just remove the lid from the pot and continue cooking it on high for about an hour. Otherwise, you could try adding in a bit of cornstarch slurry (cornstarch mixed in some water) to thicken the stew.
See, who says healthy cooking is troublesome and bland? This is simple and healthy eating, with wholesome ingredients. Bon appetit! :)
Deliciously,
Tracy
Comments