Savoury Minced Beef
This is a good recipe for an easy tasty meal. It was given to me by one of the great cooks at a country hospital where I worked in the late 80s - back when hospital food was cooked on site with local produce and tasted good!
This is a good recipe for an easy tasty meal. It was given to me by one of the great cooks at a country hospital where I worked in the late 80s - back when hospital food was cooked on site with local produce and tasted good!
- 2 cups water
- 2 tablespoons worcestershire sauce
- 1/4 cup tomato sauce
- 1 kg minced beef
- 2 medium onions finely chopped
- 1 large carrot grated
- 1 large potato grated
- 2 teaspoons butter or oil (or a little cooking spray)
- 1 teaspoon cracked black pepper
- 400 g canned diced tomatoes
- 1/4 cup frozen peas
- 1/2 70g packet dutch curry and rice soup mix
- 2 tablespoons plain flour
- 2 beef stock cubes crumbled
- 1 teaspoon tabasco sauce
- Carbohydrate 25.6689530736551 g
- Cholesterol 96.5299302910674 mg
- Fat 26.8351989862346 g
- Fiber 4.55476951951044 g
- Protein 38.2224702290404 g
- Saturated Fat 10.8663595072332 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (509g)
- Sodium 551.787179309697 mg
- Sugar 21.1141835541446 g
- Trans Fat 3.52754436384881 g
- Calories 500 calories
Step-by-step
- Heat a large frypan, melt butter and stir-fry minced beef, onion, potato and carrot breaking up the mince well with a spatula while cooking. Add cracked black pepper, tomatoes, peas. and Worcestershire sauce.
- Sprinkle the soup mix over the meat, then add the blended flour, stock cubes and water. Mix well and allow to thicken. (A little more water may be added if the consistency becomes too thick.) Add the tomato sauce, tabasco sauce and more Worcestershire sauce if required to taste.
Minced beef carries the primary structural and savory weight of this dish, releasing proteins that bind with starches to create a naturally thickened gravy. Brown the meat thoroughly in a wide skillet over medium-high heat to build deep Maillard flavors before introducing any moisture. Breaking the beef apart with a rigid metal spatula ensures even browning without steaming the protein.
Adapting this formulation for different dietary needs requires simple pantry swaps rather than complex overhauls. Replace the standard wheat flour with a two-to-one volume ratio of cornstarch slurry to keep the sauce gluten-free, remembering that starches require a full boil for one minute to eliminate raw flour tastes. Substitute the packaged soup mix with an equal quantity of homemade bouillon paste and curry powder if dietary restrictions exclude commercial seasoning packets.
Cooking in a compact kitchen means maximizing limited surface area efficiently. Processing the onions, carrots, and potatoes in a food processor saves valuable prep time and creates uniform micro-particles that melt completely into the simmering liquid. A straight-sided twelve-inch pan prevents overcrowding and keeps liquids contained during reduction.
Leftovers store safely in an airtight glass container in the refrigerator for up to four days. Reheat portions gently on the stovetop over medium-low heat, splashing a tablespoon of water into the pan to restore the original glossy consistency of the sauce.
