GREEN BEAN STEW (BREDIE)
A maximum of 30 minutes in the pressure cooker and this dish is done and so easy and delicious to make! Before going into the details of the recipe, please let me share something with you. Chuck , lamb knuckles and different stewing meat are all great. I have tried it all, but would you believe me if I said soft shin (also referred to as shank) without the bone – is the best of all cuts as far as I am concerned? It is soft and tender. ‘Why only use it in soup?’, I always say. My mother is 83 and when I first told her she said, “ No, my son, not in a stew or bredie!” Well, she does not use any other meat than shin in bredies anymore! Ok, let us go into the details of the recipe.
- 1½ – 2 kg of boneless shin
- few beef or lamb ribs
- vinegar, for wiping the meat
- drizzles of vegetable oil, for browning
- chilli flakes to taste
- 1 – 2 onions, chopped
- 1 beef stock cube
- 1 teaspoon mixed spice
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 cup hot water
- 4 – 6 potatoes cut into big chunks
- big hand or to taste, of green beans, halved or slightly smaller
- rice, cooked – for plating
Wipe the meat with a cloth doused with vinegar. You can also add lamb or beef ribs. Cut the meat into cubes. Brown the meat in frying oil on the stove. If you can get it close to the colour of marmite, the better- but you will have to stir the pot constantly as your meat will burn otherwise. Then add some chilli flakes over the meat (more like a pinch or a little more). Add the onions and cook until the onions are browned. Transfer the meat and onions with a holed spoon (releases the oil) to a pressure cooker. Add the beef stock, mixed spice, seasoning and hot water. Close the pot and cook for eight minutes. Whilst cooking, prepare potatoes add to the pot after the eight minutes. Cook for a further 4 – 5 minutes. Add the green beans and cook for another three minutes. The dish is done. Serve on rice of your choice. Do enjoy! There is hardly any effort in this recipe once you have the hang of it!
Chef notes:
The secret is to brown your meat very, very well; but keep stirring the pot during the browning process. A variation is to take frozen, cubed pumpkin or butternut and add it with the green beans – what a colourful and tasty bredie!
Recipe and photo: David Scott
