• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
We Eat At Last
  • Home
  • About
  • Recipe Index
  • World Cuisine
  • African dishes
  • Navigation Menu: Social Icons

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
menu icon
go to homepage
  • About
  • Recipe Index
  • World Cuisine
  • Subscribe

subscribe
search icon
Homepage link
  • About
  • Recipe Index
  • World Cuisine
  • Subscribe

×
Home » African dishes

South African Beef Stew

Dated: May 2, 2022 . Modified: Sep 7, 2022 by Kate Hahnel

Jump to Recipe Print Recipe
South African Beef Stew

This fork-tender and delicious South African beef stew with curry, potatoes and carrots is a must-try! Pair it up with some pap, rice, bread, or a side dish of your choice, for a complete and comforting meal!

A picture showing South African beef stew served in a bowl.

*This post may contain affiliate links — as an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases, at no extra cost to you.

This South African beef stew is always my go-to dish, whenever I am craving something cozy, especially during cold evenings and winters. Similar to my Kenyan beef stew, it is absolutely easy to make.

Jump to:
  • ingredients
  • how to make South African beef stew
  • what can I serve this stew with?
  • useful tips
  • more African recipes
  • 📖 Recipe
  • frequently asked questions

ingredients

Here are the ingredients you will require for this recipe. This is a summary, a printable recipe card with full measurements has been provided at the bottom of this page.

A picture of the ingredients needed to make this recipe.
  • stewing beef - make sure the beef you choose does not have large pieces of connective tissue, as this may lead to it cooking for too long.
  • cooking oil.
  • vegetables - onion, a few cloves of garlic, medium-sized carrots, potatoes, bell pepper, and some chopped fresh parsley and thyme (for flavour and to garnish).
  • seasoning - curry powder, salt, and pepper. Different types of curry powder have different types of spice levels, so choose accordingly, depending on how spicy you prefer your food.
  • condiments - tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce (optional), chutney or brown sugar. While the chutney or brown sugar help cut down the acidity of the tomato paste this is also totally optional so feel free to leave it out, if you prefer.
  • other - water and all-purpose flour.

how to make South African beef stew

A photo collage showing the first steps in making South African beef stew.
  1. Preheat oil in a large deep-sided pot over medium heat. Add the diced onion and fry until golden brown and fragrant. Next, add the stewing beef and the garlic, and brown the beef on both sides.
  2. Add two cups of water, and stock cube, then cook until most of the liquid has evaporated and the meat is tender. Next, add the curry powder, tomato paste, chutney or brown sugar, thyme, salt, and pepper, then combine.
A photo collage showing the final steps in making South African beef stew
  1. Add the Worcestershire sauce, carrots, bell pepper, potatoes, and one cup of water, then combine. Cover and cook under low heat until the potatoes and carrots have softened. In a small bowl, combine the all-purpose flour and one-third cup of water using a spoon to make a slurry. Pour the slurry into the stew and stir. Feel free to add 1-2 extra cups of water or broth, if the stew feels too dry. Cook for a further 5 minutes or until the stew thickens and becomes glossy.
  2. Garnish with some fresh parsley or your favourite herbs, serve and enjoy!

what can I serve this stew with?

This beef stew goes well served alongside yellow rice, pap, bread, roti, mashed potatoes, or green beans. You can also serve it with salads or your favourite side dishes.

useful tips

  • The total time it takes and how much liquid you need will depend on how tender or tough your stewing beef is.
  • Use three large diced tomatoes, instead of the tomato paste if you prefer, and stir in chili flakes or sliced chili peppers, for more heat.
  • Feel free to use more water, to boil the meat, if it still feels tough. Just make sure to add it in half cup increments, so you do not add too much.
An overhead picture of South African beef stew

more African recipes

  • Moroccan Chermoula sauce
  • Samaki wa Kupaka
  • easy baked chicken drumsticks recipe
    Easy Baked Curry Chicken Drumsticks
  • A picture of chips mayai (also known as zege)
    The Best Chips Mayai Recipe
  • An overhead picture of vegetarian bobotie.
    Vegetarian Lentil Bobotie
  • An overhead photo of East African Kachumbari
    Kachumbari (East African Salad)

Enjoy making this recipe! Be sure to give it a review ⭐ below!

Follow us on Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook and Tiktok and subscribe to our YouTube channel and Newsletter for regular recipe notifications!

📖 Recipe

A picture of a bowl of South African beef stew.

South African Beef Stew

Kate Hahnel
This fork-tender, comforting and delicious South African beef stew with potatoes and carrots is a must-try! Pair it up with some pap, rice, bread, or a side dish of your choice, and you are good to go!
5 from 11 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes mins
Cook Time 1 hour hr 20 minutes mins
Total Time 1 hour hr 30 minutes mins
Course Dinner, Lunch, Main Course
Cuisine African, South African
Servings 6
Calories 437 kcal

Video

Equipment

medium-sized cooking pot or pan
Chopping board
Chopping board
chef's knives (for slicing the vegetables)
cooking spoon
Prevent your screen from going dark

Ingredients
  

  • 1 kg stewing beef (cubed - about 2.2 pounds)
  • 3 tablespoon cooking oil
  • 1 large onion diced
  • 4 medium-sized garlic cloves minced
  • 3 cup water (see recipe tips below) (to boil the meat).
  • 1 stock cube
  • 1 tablespoon curry powder (use less curry powder if your prefer your stew less spicy)
  • 3 tablespoon tomato paste
  • 1 Tbsp chutney or brown sugar (optional)
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon black pepper (use a teaspoon, if you prefer it spicy)
  • 3 medium-sized carrots chopped
  • 1 teaspoon thyme (dried or fresh)
  • 2 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce (optional)
  • 3 large potatoes peeled and sliced into quarters
  • 1 large bell pepper (sliced)
  • 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour to thicken the stew (or gluten-free thickeners, such as cassava flour)
  • ⅓ cup water (to thicken the stew)
  • ⅓ cup chopped fresh parsley (to garnish)

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oil in a large deep-sided pot over medium heat. Add the diced onion and fry until golden brown and fragrant. Next, add the stewing beef and the garlic, and brown the beef on both sides.
    1 kg stewing beef, 3 tablespoon cooking oil, 1 large onion, 4 medium-sized garlic cloves
  • Add two cups of water, stock cube, then cook for about 45 minutes or until most of the liquid has evaporated and the meat is tender. Add an extra 1-2 extra cups of water or broth, if the meat is still tough, and continue cooking until it softens up (see notes). Next, add the curry powder, tomato paste, chutney or brown sugar, thyme, salt, and pepper, then combine.
    3 cup water (see recipe tips below), 1 stock cube, 1 tablespoon curry powder, 3 tablespoon tomato paste, 1 tablespoon chutney or brown sugar, ½ teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon black pepper, 1 teaspoon thyme
  • Add the Worcestershire sauce, carrots, bell pepper, potatoes, and one cup of water, then combine. Cover and cook under low heat until the potatoes and carrots have softened. In a small bowl, combine the all-purpose flour and one-third cup of water using a spoon to make a slurry. Pour the slurry into the stew and stir. Feel free to add 1-2 extra cups of water or broth, if the stew feels too dry. Cook for a further 5 minutes or until the stew thickens and becomes glossy.
    3 cup water (see recipe tips below), 3 medium-sized carrots, 2 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce, 3 large potatoes, 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour to thicken the stew, ⅓ cup water, 1 large bell pepper
  • Garnish with some fresh parsley or your favourite herbs, serve and enjoy!
    ⅓ cup chopped fresh parsley

Notes

  • The total time it takes and how much liquid you need will depend on how tender or tough your stewing beef is.
  • Use three large diced tomatoes, instead of the tomato paste if you prefer, and stir in chili flakes or sliced chili peppers, for more heat.
  • Feel free to use more water, to boil the meat, if it still feels tough. Just make sure to add it in half cup increments, so you do not add too much.

Nutrition

Calories: 437kcalCarbohydrates: 32gProtein: 41gFat: 16gSaturated Fat: 4gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 9gCholesterol: 103mgSodium: 622mgPotassium: 1360mgFiber: 5gSugar: 7gVitamin A: 5572IUVitamin C: 69mgCalcium: 90mgIron: 6mg
Tried this recipe? I would love it if you could leave a rating by clicking on the stars above on this recipe card.Pin this recipe on Pinterest or tag me out on socials @weeatatlast. I love seeing your creations.

frequently asked questions

Can I use other types of vegetables to make this stew?

Yes, you can. Substitute potatoes and carrots for your favourite vegetables. You can also use seasonal vegetables such as peas, squash, and turnips for the best flavour. Buying and using seasonal vegetables in recipes is also budget-friendly, as these tend to be more affordable.

Can I make this recipe keto, or gluten-free?

To make this recipe gluten-free, simply use gluten-free all-purpose flour, tapioca, or cassava flour in place of regular all-purpose flour to thicken the stew. Make this recipe keto-friendly by using keto-friendly vegetables such as rutabaga and green beans. Thicken the stew using half a teaspoon of xanthan gum instead of wheat flour.

More African dishes

  • A side photo of cassava fufu with some egusi in the background.
    Cassava Fufu
  • A plate of egusi soup with fufu.
    Egusi Soup
  • Swahili coconut rice in a bowl.
    Swahili Coconut Rice
  • African bean stew served in a bowl with fried plantain.
    West African Bean Stew

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Dana

    September 05, 2023 at 11:22 pm

    Do you think this would work well in a slow cooker or crock pot? Thank you, excited to try this!

    • Kate Hahnel

      September 09, 2023 at 9:34 pm

      While I haven't tested it, I am pretty sure it would also work well in the slow cooker or crock pot. I will let you know once I get to test it.

  2. Lynn Polito

    May 05, 2022 at 5:18 pm

    5 stars
    This recipe was SO flavorful! My whole family loved it!

    • Kate Hahnel

      May 05, 2022 at 10:41 pm

      Thank you!

    • Paula

      August 08, 2023 at 11:12 pm

      The best beef stew😋😋 sehr lecker🙌🏼

      • Kate Hahnel

        August 12, 2023 at 10:32 pm

        Thank you!!

  3. Sherry

    May 05, 2022 at 3:53 pm

    5 stars
    There is something about beef stew that is a must have on a cold day. I made this South African Beef Stew along with some homemade mashed potatoes. My family loved this stew recipe and asked me to make it again!!

    • Kate Hahnel

      May 05, 2022 at 10:41 pm

      Beef stew and mashed potatoes are one of my favorite things to eat. Happy to hear you enjoyed it.

  4. Jennifer

    May 05, 2022 at 3:29 pm

    5 stars
    This is an amazing stew. It's packed with flavor and the beef was so tender. We ate every last bite and the family wants to know when I'm making it again!

    • Kate Hahnel

      May 05, 2022 at 10:40 pm

      That makes me so happy! Glad to know you enjoyed it!

    • Glenda

      May 06, 2022 at 6:36 am

      5 stars
      The addition of curry made this beautiful beef stew a next level dish. Absolutely sensational. My family really enjoyed it at our weekend get-together.

      • Kate Hahnel

        May 06, 2022 at 9:38 am

        Thanks! It is a wonderful dish to cook for a crowd!

5 from 11 votes (7 ratings without comment)

Primary Sidebar

A picture of Kate Hahnel, owner of the website We Eat At Last

Hi, I'm Kate! Join me in discovering how to effortlessly prepare easy, simple and tasty meals at home.

About Me

Readers Picks

  • Air fryer chicken breast using the Ninja foodi.
    Ninja Air Fryer Chicken Breast

  • Sliced oatmeal banana bread on a plate.
    Cottage Cheese Oatmeal Banana Bread

  • Lemon and walnut oil salad dressing.
    Lemon Walnut Oil Salad Dressing

  • A bowl of air fryer carrots.
    Air Fryer Honey Roasted Carrots

Spring Recipes

  • Air fryer asparagus on a plate.
    Air Fryer Asparagus

  • Two bowls of spicy carrot and coriander soup.
    Carrot Coriander Soup

  • A plate of white asparagus with potatoes, and a yogurt dip.
    Air Fryer White Asparagus

  • Jamaican steamed cabbage
    Jamaican Steamed Cabbage Recipe + Video

  • A close-up shot of crispy, golden-brown fried goat cheese slices arranged neatly on a plate.
    Fried Goat Cheese

Footer

^ back to top

About

  • Privacy Policy
  • Impressum
  • Accessibility Statement
  • Cookie Policy
  • Disclaimer

Newsletter

  • Sign Up! for emails and updates.

Contact

  • About Kate
  • Contact

We Eat At Last is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

Copyright © 2025 Foodie Pro on the Foodie Pro Theme.

Rate This Recipe

Your vote:




A rating is required
A name is required
An email is required

Recipe Ratings without Comment

Something went wrong. Please try again.