How to prepare Corned Beef Stew (8 Easy Steps)

Corned Beef Stew is the regular Nigerian Red Stew prepared with tiny pieces of corned beef other than using meat. I am not a fan of corn beef, but people around me, love this and I really can’t understand why. So the other day I had an argument with my friend over whether to use it in the rice we agreed to make or not, she was so persistent and really wanted this.

This stew is not difficult to make, it doesn’t require many ingredients to make it and it is very affordable. If you haven’t made this stew before and you would want to try it out, it is fine, all you have to do is get the right ingredients for your stew as mentioned below, follow the instructions on how to cook this stew as we have on this post and you are good to go. Try to be creative, add or remove whatever you do not like, and make the stew to your taste.

Ingredients for Nigerian Corned Beef Stew

These are the ingredients for making this stew, you can increase or reduce the quantity it all depends on the number of people you are cooking for.

• 700ml Tomatoes stew
• 450g corned beef or minced beef
• 1 onion
• I teaspoon thyme
• 1 teaspoon curry powder (turmeric)
• 1 cooking spoon vegetable oil
• 1 big stock cube
• Pepper & Salt (to taste)

Important notes on the ingredients

It is important you note these about the ingredients before you start the preparation;

1. Tomatoes is fresh tomato puree and the tinned tomato paste that has been boiled and fried to remove all traces of water and the sour/tangy taste of tomatoes. Please note that this stew does not contain spices or seasoning. It only contains tomato puree, then onions and vegetable oil that was used in frying it.
2. If you do not like corned beef, use minced beef instead. Minced beef is simply ground beef and can be purchased from all major supermarkets in Nigeria.
3. The curry powder mentioned here is not the hot and spicy curry powder rather much closer to turmeric. We call it curry powder in Nigeria.

Before you cook Nigerian Corned Beef Stew

1. If you already have Tomato Stew in your freezer, bring it out to defrost in good time before you need to use it in the recipe. Remember to pour out the excess oil when done.
2. I usually prepare large quantities of tomato stew and store them in my freezer. That way, I can prepare such Nigerian recipes as Corned Beef Stew in no time. All I need to do is bring out the stew early enough to defrost and food is ready in 15 minutes.
3. Bring out the corned beef from the tin and use a tablespoon to separate it into small pieces.
4. Cut the onions into tiny pieces.
5. Pound the pepper (if fresh) or grind if dry.

How to cook Corned beef stew

1. Start cooking the staple food you will serve with the stew: yam, rice, pasta, or potatoes.
2. Pour the vegetable oil into another (dry) pot.
3. When the oil is heated, add the diced onions and fry for a bit.
4. Add the corned beef or the minced beef and fry till the beef turns pale. Ensure you stir constantly so that the beef will not form lumps. Tiny pieces are the best.
5.  
6. Add water to the same level as the contents of the pot and cook till the meat is done. This should take about 7 minutes on medium heat.
7. Add pepper, curry powder, tomato stew, and salt to taste.
8. Stir very well, cover, and leave to simmer and it’s done