Slow cooker miso ginger beef stew

Before the cool weather gives way to the scorching heat of summer, we’re enjoying stews and soups as often as we can. In a few weeks, lighter meals will be more appropriate. But, until then, meat stews are most welcome.

Stews can be tricky to cook with the need to stir occasionally and check the amount of remaining liquid to avoid the sauce from drying out. But with a slow cooker, stewing meat becomes practically effortless.

A good stew requires a cut of meat that requires a long and slow cooking time. Tough cuts are ideal. Short ribs, short plate, brisket, oxtail and shank are my favorites. In this recipe, I used a combination of short plate and fatty brisket.

The meat, cut into two-inch cubes, were browned in a little oil for better flavor and color. I did this in two batches to avoid overcrowding the pan and making sure that every piece of meat was touching the hot oil. Browning is more French than Asian but I prefer doing it even when cooking Asian stews. Because of the crust that forms on the surface, the meat pieces are less likely to break and fall apart during the long and slow cooking.

The bottom of the slow cooker pot was lined with onion slices and the browned beef went on top. The onion slices serve three purposes here. First, to impart a bit of sweetness. Second, to help thicken the sauce. And, third, to prevent scorching which is more likely to happen if the meat cubes were touching the bottom of the pot directly.

Slices of fresh ginger were thrown in and the mixture of soy sauce, sake and mirin was poured in. Next, a heaping tablespoonful of miso paste, brown sugar and just enough boiling water to cover the meat were added. The slow cooker was set on high and the beef cooked for three and a half hours.

There are two options for adding the sweet potatoes. Brown them first in a little oil then add to the beef during the last 15 minutes of cooking. But if you’re not in a rush, I suggest you add the potatoes the following day.

Most stews taste better after sitting in the fridge overnight. This beef stew is no exception to that general rule. I cooled the tender beef cubes in the sauce, transferred them to a container and allowed the meat to continue soaking up the flavors.

The next day, the sweet potatoes were lightly fried in a wok. With the surface browned but the centers still requiring additional cooking, I dumped in the beef and sauce. As the stew reheated, the sweet potato cubes continued to cook. By the time the sauce was simmering, they were perfectly done.