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Guyanese Beef Stew

A hearty stew of beef, onions, carrots, and potatoes simmered with wine, vinegar, and spices.

From the Recipes Wiki (Fandom) · 12 ingredients
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Why it works: Pepper and carrot match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 6% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 14,555 recipes. Both carry 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine, which smells earthy, pea. The science ↓

Guyanese Beef Stew

Time90 minutes

Ingredients

Directions

Brown the beef

  1. Combine the flour and pepper in a bowl.

  2. Add the beef and toss to coat well.

  3. Heat 3 tablespoons of the oil in a large pot.

  4. Add the beef a few pieces at a time; do not overcrowd.

  5. Cook, turning the pieces until beef is browned on all sides, about 5 minutes per batch.

  6. Add more oil as needed between batches.

  7. Remove the beef from the pot and add vinegar and wine.

  8. Cook over medium‑high heat, scraping the pan with a wooden spoon to loosen any brown bits.

Simmer the stew

  1. Add the beef, diluted bullion cubes, and bay leaves.

  2. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer.

  3. Cover and cook, skimming broth from time to time, until the beef is tender, about 90 minutes.

  4. Add the onions and carrots and simmer, covered for ten minutes.

  5. Add the potatoes and simmer until vegetables are tender, about 30 minutes more. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

1090Calories
45 gProtein
30 gFat
151 gCarbs

Counts 11 of 12 ingredients. The other 1 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.

What these numbers assume: 11 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Flour1 cup (125g) all-purpose455
Beef100g cooked250
Potato1 medium (173g) baked161
Olive Oil1 tbsp (14g)119
Onion1 medium (110g)44
Wine2 tbsp cooking wine (30ml)25
Carrot1 medium (61g)25
Black Pepper1 tsp ground (2.3g)6
Vinegar1 tbsp (15ml) distilled3
Bay Leaf1 leaf (0.6g)2
Salt1 tsp (6g)0
Meatnot in our table0

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

Recipe from the Recipes Wiki (Fandom).

Steps grouped into stages for easier reading; the method is the source's own.

Explore the science

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.

  1. Pepper + carrottop 6% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together14,555 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).

  2. Onion + carrottop 6% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together21,601 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).

  3. Beef + oniontop 7% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together17,092 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).

  4. Pepper + beeftop 10% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together18,971 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).

  5. Vinegar + red winetop 10% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together575 recipes

    Shared aroma: sotolon (curry, maple).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Beef stewing meat
Browning builds savory flavor, and slow simmering turns the tough cuts tender.
Flour
Coats the beef so it browns well and helps thicken the broth.
Red wine
Adds acidity and depth as it loosens the browned bits from the pot.
Potatoes
Soften during simmering and thicken the broth as their starch releases.
Carrots
Add sweetness and hold their shape through the long simmer.

The step that matters

Brown the beef in batches. Crowding the pot drops its temperature, so meat steams instead of browning. Browned surfaces build the deep flavor of the stew.

Swap the carrot

The recipe marks carrot as optional. How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (flour, pepper, beef, meat, vinegar, red wine, onion):

  1. Shallotfits better
  2. Capsicumfits better
  3. Potatofits about as well
  4. Carrotthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against flour, pepper, beef, meat, vinegar, red wine, onion. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

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