I remember running around the house trying to escape the vegetables meal when I was a kid. Most of the vegetables in Egypt are cooked along with beef stew and tomato sauce like “Peas and carrots”, “Spinach”, “Green beans” and many other veggies. I used to hate all of them when  I was a kid but again something happened! I LOVE beef stew now and even better with vegetables like peas and carrots. This dish is a very traditional Egyptian dish specially on a weekday, so it will be an unhappy surprise for a kid coming back home from school. At least, that was my case.

The Egyptian recipe of the beef stew is a bit different from the regular beef stew recipe, since it is done over 3 main steps:

• Cooking the beef separately in its broth
• Preparing the tomato sauce
• Mixing all together: the beef, tomato sauce and the veggies

Ingredients

1 bag frozen peas and carrots (if you have time, go fresh, flavors are way better of course)
2 lbs beef stew cut into cubes
2 large onions diced into 1/4 ”
2 tablespoons corn oil
4 bay leaves
1 lime juice
1 teaspoon 7 spices
1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
2 chopped/squeezed or killed fresh tomatoes by your food processor
3 tablespoons tomato paste
2 garlic cloves minced
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon white sugar
salt and pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil

Cooking the beef

Take half of the diced onions and rub them with sprinkled salt and pepper (little bit) and set them aside.

Wash the beef and pat dry it (Egyptians wash all the food for some reason).
Sprinkle the beef with a bit of salt and pepper.
Add the onions mix from above to the beef. Add the cardamom, bay leaves, lime juice and the spices on the beef.

Heat 2 tablespoons of corn oil in a medium pan.
Add the beef mix and stir until it browns.

Add 2 cups of boiling water on the beef.
Adjust salt and pepper (about 3/4 teaspoon but taste to make sure)
Cover and lower the heat for 1 hour.

Preparing the tomato sauce

In another pot, add the olive oil, the minced garlic and the second half of the diced onions. Stir until it becomes a bit yellowish.
Add the tomato juice and the tomato paste.

Stir then add 1 cup of water.

Add the sugar, little bit of salt and pepper since we will adjust it at the end.
Set aside.

Preparing the beef stew with veggies together

When the meat is done.
Add the tomato sauce mix into the pot where the beef and broth are .
Add the frozen peas and carrots.
Add the cumin.
Bring to boil.
Cover and simmer for 45 minutes on low heat.
If it needs more sauce, add a little bit of water.
Taste to adjust salt and pepper.

Best served with calrose rice.