Indulge in some hearty fare as a family while it’s drizzling and chilly outdoors. This creamy samp and beef stewcipe is perfect for slow simmering over the weekend. South Africans love their beef stew thick and tender, and it goes well with their favourite side dish, samp, which is creamy and full of flavour. Samp is a popular African staple dish made from dried maize kernels that have been crushed and diced till broken, but not as finely ground as mealie-meal or mielie rice.
Creamy samp and beef stew suggestions
If you want the samp to absorb as much liquid and become as creamy as possible, you should soak it overnight. In fact, many South Africans would rather eat this than mashed potatoes. A multi-layering of flavours is used to extract the most flavour from each component. Add half a teaspoon of chilli flakes if you want to spice things up a little. To serve, sprinkle with chopped parsley, fresh garlic, and lemon zest.
Is it comfort cuisine for the typical South African family that you seek? This weekend, I urge you to try this recipe for a rich and satisfying samp and beef stew.
Creamy samp and beef stew recipe
Course: Main
Cuisine: South African
Difficulty: Easy
Servings: 6 servings
Prep time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 3 hours 15 minutes
Total time: 3 hours 35 minutes
Ingredients
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2kg stewing beef, cut into cubes
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3 tbsp. olive oil
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2 cubes beef stock
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4 cups water
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2 carrots, chopped
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3 large potatoes, peeled and cubed
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1 large onion, chopped
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1 can chopped tomatoes
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100g Worcestershire sauce
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2 cups samp
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2 potatoes, peeled and diced
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onion
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1 tsp Aromat
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38g mushroom soup
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½ cup Cremora or Ellis Brown powdered milk
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38g creamy cheddar sauce
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2 tbsp. margarine
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250ml fresh cream
Method
- For samp:
- Wash the samp.
- Once you have washed the samp, place in a bowl and leave to soak overnight. *Soak in 1L of cold water.
- Cooking samp: Drain soaked samp and place in a pot. Add enough boiling water to cover the samp.
- Bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat and simmer for two hours or until soft. Stir every 30 minutes. Add water when necessary.
- In a bowl, add powdered milk, cream and mushroom soup and cheddar sauce with 100 ml of hot water and mix until it forms a paste. Once paste is formed, add another 150 ml of water. Add to your samp.
- Add margarine and Aromat and stir.
- Simmer for 20 minutes. Stir occasionally until you get a creamy texture.
- For beef stew:
- Heat oil over medium heat. Brown the beef for 3 – 4 minutes on all sides. Set aside.
- Sweat the onions and carrots in the same pot, deglaze with wine or stock to scrape off burned beef bits.
- Add the beef back into the pot and dissolve stock cubes in 500 g of water then pour over the beef.
- Simmer for two hours.
- Add potatoes, tomato paste and Worcestershire sauce.
- Simmer for 60 – 90 minutes on low heat until tender.