Rustic stew dad will love

The Star

14-06-2025

A hearty, rustic stew is simply a cosy combination of flavours that fills you with a warm, fuzzy feeling.
Making a satisfying stew is a test of patience, especially when mutton is the protein of choice, and shortcuts are best not resorted to if a deeply satisfying dish is what you aim for.
For me, bone-in mutton works best for stew.
In fact, this is a dish my dad, Dr A. Chandran, looked forward to, especially on Fathers Day or special occasions.
We, the women of the family, loved making stew because it does not break your back.
Mutton, which is gamier in flavour than beef or lamb, is best slowly simmered to release its flavour compounds of proteins, fats and nutrients in creating a mouth-watering broth.
During the cooking process, fat renders to create a pale yellow, flavourful layer on the surface.
The umami-rich broth, which gets richer over time, is sweetened with aromatics such as root vegetables including onions and carrots.
I would not recommend using a pressure cooker for making stew because it does not yield the same taste, as the high-pressure steam method does not give the meat enough time to break down beautifully as it should.
Worst still when the flour that you dredge the mutton in does not dissolve into the broth but clings on, leaving the meat spotty.
This mutton stew recipe is what my mother Rose Melton learned from her Domestic Science teacher and British national Mrs Bell, back in the 1950s, at Sultanah Asma School in Alor Setar, Kedah.
Robust and rich in taste, the one-pot dish calls for mutton, potatoes, carrots, onions and cabbage.
Thyme, bay leaves, cinnamon and black pepper are herbs and spices that build the flavour profile.
Steps to make this dish include browning the mutton cubes evenly.
I prefer fresh herbs where possible for the earthiness and aroma they bring to the dish.
Having pored over online articles, videos and discussed with fellow foodies including Star TV producer Ian Lau, we found that cabbage is not a popular ingredient in Irish stew, hence why this is just mutton stew.
A classic Irish stew calls for carrots, onions and potatoes with some cooks adding other root vegetables such as leek or parsnip for added taste.
Give it a try and earn that big smile of appreciation from your dad this Fathers Day.
Mutton stew
Ingredients
1kg bone-in mutton
½ cup all-purpose flour
100ml olive oil/vegetable oil
50g unsalted butter
2 (two-inch) cinnamon sticks
1 bulb yellow onion
5 small-sized red onions
1 litre water
2 stalks carrot
3 potatoes (skin on)
3 cabbage leaves
5g thyme
4 tsp salt
1 tbsp pepper
Letting the meat simmer before the final garnish.
Directions
Cut bone-in mutton into two-inch cube-sized pieces, trim excess fat.
Dredge in flour coating all sides of the meat evenly.
Heat olive oil (or vegetable oil) in a Dutch oven or a deep pot on medium heat.
Introduce the meat pieces and brown mutton cubes, on all sides, working in batches.
Be careful not to overcrowd the pot, giving the meat time to brown nicely.
Once the mutton cubes have caramelised, remove and set aside.
Prepare the vegetables by dicing the yellow onion into equal-sized cubes. Slice carrots into 1cm pieces.
Cut cabbage leaves into eight pieces, leaving leaves fairly large.
Using the same oil with rendered fat in it, add 50g unsalted butter and let the oils mingle.
Add two cinnamon sticks to flavour the oil.
Introduce diced yellow onion and cook until translucent.
Return the mutton to the pan. Pour in one litre of water.
Add 5g of fresh thyme to the pot. Season with salt.
Cover with a lid and simmer for two hours.
Once the meat has softened, add carrot pieces to sweeten the soup.
Cut the potatoes (skin on) into eight pieces to prevent them from disintegrating in the soup.
Add the tubers in. Season with black pepper.
Cover the pot and cook for another 20 minutes before adding in quartered red onions.
Lastly, add cabbage and simmer for about two minutes.
Adjust seasoning according to taste, and serve hot.
Mutton stew is best eaten hot, served with bread.