Matariki Beef Brisket Stew

• Main Ingredient: Beef Brisket
• Prep Time: 1 hr
• Cook Time: 3.5 hrs
• Serves: 6-8
• Recipe by: Ironclad Co.

MĪTI KAU KŌHUA
Beef Brisket Stew

Toni Walker, Ngāti Ranginui, is a passionate cook and ocean enthusiast who combines her love for food with a commitment to sustainability. She advocates for catch-and-cook practices and shares her culinary adventures through social media, inspiring others to appreciate and protect New Zealand’s natural resources.

“Kia ora,  I’m Toni Walker, this year I’ve teamed up with Ironclad to raise awareness about Matariki. To celebrate, I’m making my mum’s delicious beef & vege stew to Waipuna-ā-rangi, the star that represents rain and the life-giving waters that sustain our whenua. Get your taste buds ready for a side of crispy fried bread to dunk in this hearty goodness.

We normally put on a hangi or boil up for Matariki, but this stew honestly reminds me of home, of mum, the good parts of my childhood. Mum loved gardening, she loved growing all the hua whenua/veges for the kai she fed us. 

She was happy when it rained, so she didn’t have to water her mara/garden. This was one of the first meals I properly learnt how to make with fresh produce from the māra.  

It’s real family memories when things were easy- setting the table, lining up to grab our piece of raw onion, getting a growling for putting sauce on mums food. 

This stew reminds me of having my brother still with us; those were happy days we shared.

Nga mihi o te touhou maori. Happy Māori New Year.”

— Toni Walker

METHOD:

1. Cube the meat (into about 3cm chunks).

2. Season with salt, pepper and the flour.

3. Using the lid and the pot of your Ironclad Old Dutch, brown the meat off  in batches in the oil, making sure it forms a nice brown crust.

4. Remove the meat to the lid of the Old Dutch. Heat oven to 140C.

5. Add the root veg to the Old Dutch pot and fry, stirring all the time  until there is some colour. Add the celery and onion to the pan, a Tbsp butter and finally the garlic and fry till fragrant.

6. Deglaze the pan with stock, add the meat back in and top with stock until just covered.

7. Add your soy and cover on a medium heat till just bubbling.

8. Reduce the heat and cook for 3 hours.

9. 30 minutes before serving, add your extra veg and check seasoning.

10. Final step, if you need to, is to mash the hunks of pumpkin into the stew- to help thicken it.

11. While the meat is cooking prepare your Paraoa Parai.

12. Put the milk and hot water in a bowl. It should feel warm not hot.  Sprinkle  the yeast, sugar, salt and 1 T flour over the top of the liquid and leave to prove for 5 minutes.

13. Add enough flour to make a stiff dough, knead a minute or two or a floured bench then return the dough to a clean oiled bowl and leave to rise, covered, until 30 minutes before the stew is ready to serve.

14. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured bench. Roll out until it’s half an inch thick and cut into pieces.

15. Heat 3 c of oil in your Matāriki Pan till a small piece of dough bubbles on contact but doesn’t burn. Fry off the dough in batches. Don’t overfill the pan, as this will reduce the heat of the oil.

16. Drain the fry bread on paper towels and serve hot and crunchy with the stew.

17. Enjoy!