recipe-1

Recipe-1 › Curries of the world › Carbonnade flamande

Flanders, Belgium

Carbonnade flamande (Stoofvlees)

Flemish beef stew cooked in dark beer with onions, thyme, bay, mustard and a little brown sugar.

Carbonnade flamande
Close to the base recipe Mild

New here? How this page works

Recipe-1 is one simple curry recipe in nine steps: fry onions and green chillies, add your vegetables or meat, add chilli powder and turmeric, then water and salt, and boil. With small changes the same nine steps make curries from all over the world.

This page takes those nine steps and shows what to change to make Carbonnade flamande. You don’t need to read anything else first: every base step is written out below. The changes are worked out on paper from what is typical for this dish; not yet kitchen-tested. Cooked it? Tell others how it went.

Green: the base recipe step (crossed out = do not use it for this dish)Red: what to do instead for Carbonnade flamande

See the full base recipe (with timers and tips) · See all curries on the world map

You’ll need

How many people?4

The amounts change with the number of people; cooking times stay about the same (use a bigger pot for more). Taste as you go: you can always add more chilli or salt, but you cannot take it out.

Main ingredient: 1 kg Beef chuck in cubes.

From the base recipe

  • 3 Onions
  • Green chillies not used
  • Cooking oil not used
  • Red chilli powder not used
  • Turmeric not used
  • 1 tsp · not used Salt and water
  • Ginger garlic paste not used
  • Cloves, cardamom and cinnamon not used
  • Garam masala (optional) not used

Add for Carbonnade flamande

  • 500 ml Dark Belgian beer
  • 1 tbsp Mustard on a slice of bread
  • 1 tbsp · 1 tbsp Brown sugar and vinegar
  • 3 sprigs · 2 Thyme and bay leaves
  • 50 g Butter

Leave out

  • Green chillies
  • Chilli powder
  • Turmeric
  • Whole spices
  • Garam masala

The nine steps, with the changes

Where a step has a red line, do the red line and not the crossed-out green base step. Steps with only green are done just as in the base recipe.

  1. Base step: do not useCut onions and chillies.

    Carbonnade flamande: do thisSlice the onions; skip the chillies.

  2. Base step: do not useFry in some oil for around 4 minutes on medium-high heat.

    Carbonnade flamande: do thisBrown the beef in butter, then fry the onions slowly.

  3. Base step: do not useCut the vegetable(s) of your choice.

    Carbonnade flamande: do thisUse the beef.

  4. Base step: do not useAdd them and fry for around 4 minutes on medium-high heat.

    Carbonnade flamande: do thisReturn the beef.

  5. Base step: do not useAdd red chilli powder and turmeric.

    Carbonnade flamande: do thisAdd thyme, bay and pepper instead of chilli and turmeric.

  6. Keep frying until just before they start browning.

  7. Base step: do not useAdd some water.

    Carbonnade flamande: do thisInstead of water, add the beer.

  8. Add salt.

  9. Base step: do not useBoil until the gravy is as thick as you like.

    Carbonnade flamande: do thisLay the mustard-spread bread on top and simmer 2½ hours; stir in sugar and vinegar at the end.

Serve: With fries (frites).

For meat and seafood, make sure it is cooked through: chicken until no pink remains inside; mutton, goat and beef need long, slow cooking.

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Food marks, as on packaged food in India: vegetarian · non-vegetarian (meat, fish or egg). Dishes with both marks can be made either way.

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