This dish is one of my favorite dishes of all times. After stuffed grape leaves that is. This is also my daughter’s favorite dish. She could eat this all week long without complaining, and then ask for it again after she had finished the entire stew by herself. You could use lactose free yogurt for this recipe. I make my own lactose free yogurt by using lactose free, but not dairy free milk. I have never tried it with dairy free yogurt, but I guess there is always something new to experiment with. Who knows, maybe one day I will.
Ingredients:
Beef and Seasoning
- Salt to taste
- 1 pound stew beef (cubed into 1 inch cubes)
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon allspice
- ½ teaspoon garam masala or Lebanese 7 spices
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 10 to 15 medium onions
Cornstarch Mixture
- 5 tablespoons cornstarch
- ¼ cup water
Yogurt
- 1 (32 ounces) yogurt container and 1 cup
- 3 cups water
- Salt to taste
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/8 teaspoon garam masala or Lebanese 7 spices
- ¼ teaspoon allspice
Utensils
- Large heavy bottom pot
- Chopping board
- Large sharp knife
- Wooden spoon
- Measuring cups
- Measuring spoons
- Small spoon
- Medium bowl
Directions
I remember when my mom would hand me the spoon to stir the yogurt for her while its cooking. I hated that job. I still do, but I have a much more efficient stove now that doesn’t take me forever to get my yogurt to reach the boiling point, and I am not cooking for a crowd. That is another advantage that makes this process go a lot faster.
If you are cooking for a crowd, do not worry. Today’s stoves are much more efficient than the 90’s stoves. I am pretty sure this process will still go a lot quicker than it did for me when I was a kid.
Before you proceed to stirring the yogurt, we have to do some prep work here.
The first thing you’ll need to do is to prep your beef. Chop the beef into 1 inch cubes. You really could use any type of beef cut here as long as you cut it correctly. The key here is that when you cut it, you want to see strands like threads going across the cube. If you see only the beginning of the strand, sort of like a fluff that a pompom would make, and the strands disappear into the inner part of the cube, than you cut it the wrong way. This will create a tougher piece of meat that will take a very long time to get cooked. So make sure that you cut the beef properly so that it doesn’t take you ages to wait for it to become tender.
Once you have cut the beef into cubes, you’ll want to season them. Add all the seasoning ingredients in with the beef (Except for the onions of course) and set aside.
You could start to brown your beef now, but in order to prevent to cooking stress, prepare the onions first and then brown the beef.
To prepare the onions, peel and remove the ends. cut the onions in half, then cut each half into quarters.
I know it seems like a lot of onions, but the onions are what gives this dish its delicious and unique flavor. When cooked properly, they will release their sugars into the stew creating a sweet yet tangy stew that you will keep craving over and over.
To brown the beef, add in a couple tablespoons of olive oil into a heavy bottom stock pot and brown on medium heat. I like to heat the oil and the stock pot a little bit before adding in the beef to brown. This will create a crust on the beef that will add an immense flavor to the stew. The crust will soon soften up during the cooking process, but it would have done its job of adding in the flavors before it softens up.
Once the beef is fully browned, add in the onions to the beef and stir fry for one to two minutes or until they are slightly softened and begin to brown. Reduce the heat to low and cover the pot.
Now is when the magic happens. During this process the onions will release their juices to help the beef to continue to get cooked and soften up. The flavors from the onions will infuse with the beef, and the seasoning and beef flavor will infuse in with the onions. It is like a marriage that is meant to be.
You will not need to add any liquid during this time. The juices released from the onions and the beef should be sufficient to allow both the beef and the onions to get fully cooked. Allow them to simmer together on low heat for about 40 minutes or until the beef is tender. If you did not cut the beef properly, it will require a lot longer than 40 minutes to become tender. This process here is what gives the Laban Emmo or the Yogurt stew its unique and delicious flavor.
Once the beef is tender and the onions are soft, transfer them along with the juices that they have produced into a medium bowl, and set aside. You could store them in the microwave without turning it on to keep them warm as the microwave will act as an insulator from the outside elements.
Now you need to prepare the yogurt. To do so, prepare the cornstarch mixture and set it aside. Add the yogurt into the same pot that you have cooked the beef and onions in and stir to get all those yummy flavors into the yogurt. Add the cornstarch mixture in with the yogurt, the water, and the yogurt seasoning and mix everything together.
Now this is the tricky part. If you need to use the bathroom, drink or do anything vital, now is the time to do it before you begin preparing the yogurt mixture, and I am being serious here! Once you put the yogurt on the heat, you really cannot leave it, and should not leave it until it begins to boil. Pretend its a hungry or crying baby that needs your immediate and constant attention for a small period of time.
Are you ready now? I will give you a few minutes to get ready.
Okay, ready? Let’s begin. Have a long wooden spoon ready in your hand. You will need a long spoon, and you will thank me for telling you that later. Place the pot with the yogurt mixture on high heat, and begin to stir in a circular motion in one direction. It is important to stir in a circular motion, and in ONE direction. Once you have begun to stir in one direction, do NOt, I repeat, do NOT change directions! This is super vital. Because if you do change direction, or stir haphazardly and not in a continuous circular motion, the yogurt will curdle and you will not get that creamy texture that we are looking for.
Once you have begun to stir, do NOT stop. Just keep stirring. This is why you need the long wooden spoon. So that your arm can be as far from the heat as possible. You do not want to get burnt, do you? You also should not stir very fast because you do not want the yogurt mixture to be splashing everywhere, and you do not want to stir very slow as this also may cause the yogurt to curdle.
This is a very delicate process. One mistake, and the dish is ruined, but do not worry, it is not difficult. You just need concentration and consistency. Remember, stir in circular motion, medium speed, in one direction, and your yogurt stew should turn out perfect.
You will know when to stop stirring because you will eventually stop stirring once you see large rolling waves on the surface of the yogurt mixture that differ from the waves caused by the stirring process. If you suspect that you do see those waves, it is okay then to stop stirring for a second and closely inspect the yogurt mixture to look for those waves. If you do not see them continue stirring until you are are confident that they are present. Once you see them, this will be your sign that the yogurt has begun to boil, and it will be your saving grace because now you can stop stirring.
Once the yogurt has begun to boil, reduce heat to medium low and carefully add the cooked beef and onions along with the juices that they have produced. Do not leave any drop of that juice. It is liquid gold! It is what will add the extra, super, delicious flavor into your dish! Stir everything together and allow the yogurt stew to simmer uncovered (You do not want to cover it as this too will cause the yogurt to curdle) on medium low for 10 to 20 minutes. This will allow all the flavors to infuse together and create the perfect yogurt stew.
Make sure to never cover the stew while it is hot because as I have mentioned above, covering the stew while it is still hot will cause the yogurt to curdle. I know, yogurt is so sensitive!
You can now serve this dish over some Mediterranean Rice, or on its own as a soup.
I like to eat it on its own as a soup, with a small bowl of Mediterranean Rice on the side. Two of my favorite dishes together. Yum!
You can save this recipe and print it, because I am sure that once you try it, you will want to come back to it over and over again.
It may seem intimidating at first, but once you have made it the first time, you will realize how easy it is to actually make it. Yes, it is true, you do have to baby sit the yogurt for a while, but it is only a short while, and considering the delicious food that you will get out of it, it is totally worth it!
Laban Emmo (Mediterranean Yogurt Stew)
Equipment
- Large heavy bottom pot
- Chopping board
- Large sharp knife
- Wooden Spoon
- Measuring cups
- Measuring Spoons
- Small spoon
- Medium bowl
Ingredients
Beef and Seasoning
- Salt to taste
- 1 pound stew beef cubed into 1 inch cubes
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon allspice
- ½ teaspoon garam masala or Lebanese 7 spices
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 10 to 15 medium onions
Cornstarch Mixture
- 5 tablespoons cornstarch
- ¼ cup water
Yogurt
- 1 (32 ounces) yogurt container and 1 cup
- 3 cups water
- Salt to taste
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/8 teaspoon garam masala or Lebanese 7 spices
- ¼ teaspoon allspice
Instructions
- Season the beef with the above-mentioned ingredients except for the onions.
- Peel and chop the onions into eighths or about 1 inch cubes.
- Add the 2 tablespoons of olive oil into the pot. Heat on medium heat until the oil is glistening. Once the oil begins to glisten, add in the seasoned beef to the pot and brown. Stir occasionally to prevent it from sticking or burning.
- Once the beef is fully browned. Add in the onions. Brown for 2 minutes on medium heat. Reduce heat to low, cover the pot, and allow the onions and beef to cook for around 20 to 40 minutes or until the beef is tender. Check on the onions and beef occasionally and give them a little stir to prevent anything from sticking. If you do notice even after the heat has been put on low and the pot is covered that you do have some sticking, you can add a little bit of water or beef broth. About a ¼ cup. However, this should not happen unless you had the heat cranked up too high, or the pot that you are using allows too much moisture to evaporate.
- Once the beef is tender to your licking, Remove the pot off the heat and transfer to beef and onions along with the juices into a medium bowl.
- Prepare the cornstarch mixture by mixing in the 5 tablespoons of cornstarch with the ¼ cup of water.
- Using the same pot. And do NOT rinse it. I repeat, do NOT rinse it. You want all that flavor that developed from the beef and onions to stay in the pot. Add in the yogurt, salt, water, and cornstarch mixture, and mix until well combined. The cornstarch will prevent the yogurt from curdling after the cooking process is done.
- Place the yogurt mixture on high heat, and continuously and relentlessly stir in a circular motion in one direction. Whichever direction you have started stirring at the beginning, keep stirring in that same direction. This is important because if you stop stirring, or if you stir haphazardly without choosing a direction the yogurt will curdle, and you will not end up with a smooth and creamy texture. So, it is very important to stir continuously, and in the same direction until the yogurt begins to boil.
- You will know that the yogurt has begun to boil by the rolling waves that it will form on its surface. It is ok at this time to stop stirring for just a second to see if it did begin to boil.
- Once the yogurt has begun to boil, reduce the heat to medium low, carefully add in the precooked beef and onions, and the yogurt seasoning. Stir until everything is well combined.
- Now, it is ok to stop stirring and let it simmer – uncovered for 10 to 20 minutes on low in order to allow the yogurt flavor to infuse into the beef.
- Remove from heat and do not cover as covering it will also allow the yogurt to curdle while it is still hot.
- Serve over Mediterranean rice.
- Once the yogurt stew is completely cool, you can cover it and store the remaining stew in the fridge.
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