Eurasian Pot Roast Beef

Eurasian Pot Roast Beef is a delicious twist on the old classic. It can be eaten as part of an Asian meal or with the usual suspects for a roast dinner.

Estimated reading time: 8 minutes

Eurasian pot roast beef with carrots and celery on an oval dish
Eurasian Pot Roast Beef

Eurasian Pot Roast Beef

Or beef pot roast, however you want to call it. Is there a difference between a regular roast and a pot roast?

Yes, absolutely. The regular roast is cooked dry in an oven while the pot roast is cooked in liquid, either in the oven or on the stove.

Roasts are also quite often cooked on their own with just aromatics and herbs. Pot roasts, on the other hand, are often cooked alongside vegetables.

On LinsFood, I have a recipe for Asian Pot Roast Beef, which is cooked with Asian flavourings like ginger and soy sauce. So essentially, you’re taking a good old pot roast recipe and adding Asian ingredients, which basically defines the term Eurasian.

So today’s Eurasian Pot Roast Beef is based on that recipe, and a slow cook lamb recipe I have on LinsFood: Slow Braised Lamb Shanks.

The beauty of pot roasts is that you start off with a less expensive, tougher cut of meat. But the slow cooking breaks down the tough connective tissue, resulting in melt-in-the-mouth meat.

Slow Braised Lamb Shanks on LinsFood

Eurasian Pot Roast Beef Recipe

To make our beef pot roast on the stove, this is what we’ll be doing:

  1. Prep work (quick seasoning of the beef, and chopping, etc).
  2. Brown the beef.
  3. Add the aromatics.
  4. Then we add the wine (if using), stock and seasonings.
  5. Cook for 1 1/2 hours.
  6. Finally we add carrots and celery to the braising liquid and cook for another hour until the meat is fork tender.

That’s it.

It’s a recipe for slow cooking. I do it all on the stove in my large Dutch oven from Le Creuset. You can do it in a large saucepan, in your slow cooker or instant pot (all affiliate links on Amazon). I need a new rice cooker, I’m thinking of getting that last one, as it seems to do all of the above!

I don’t own a slow cooker, nor an instant pot as I work from home and have never felt the need. But if that’s your thing, go ahead, just follow the manufacturer’s instructions. For a slow cooker, it will be something like low for 5 hours or high for 3.

What Cut of Beef?

Pot roasts are usually made with inexpensive cuts of beef. What is the best cut for pot roast? To me, there is no best cut of beef for pot roast, it’s all a matter of preference, and perhaps also budget.

Also, something to bear in mind is that cuts of beef can be called different things, depending on where in the world you are. The cuts I mention below are the names we use in the UK. If you don’t recognise them, just do a Google search.

Any of the following will be perfect for our Eurasian Pot Roast:

Chuck Roast

The chuck is from the shoulder of the cow and full of connective tissue that breaks down during slow cooking.

A well cooked boneless beef chuck roast is incredibly tender and is perfect for shredding to make tacos and such. Think leftovers!

Brisket

This is from the breast of the cow, or pectoral muscles. Once again, it’s a tough and fairly inexpensive cut that is full of connective tissue. Perfect for pot roasts and stews.

In the US, I believe, this is also called rump, which in the UK, is literally the rump of the cow.

I’m using a boneless beef brisket roll.

Silverside or Topside

These are both taken from the end of the cow, between the rump and the leg. Their lean and tender qualities make them ideal for roasting. However, I prefer to use these cuts as actual roasts, instead of pot roasts.

The Vegetables in Eurasian Pot Roast Beef

The best pot roast recipes are the ones that will provide you with the meat and vegetables in a single dish. So there is n need to cook them on the side. All you need is to think about is the carb you’re serving it with and any condiments.

So as far as the vegetables are concerned, we’re going for stew friendly ones. While there is a fairly wide option here, I’m sticky with just carrots and celery.

When you add the vegetables will determine their integrity. I’m adding them 1 hour before the end of cooking time. This will give me softly cooked carrots, mushy ones.

You could also throw in some leeks at the start of cooking time. The leeks will basically fall apart and add more body and flavour to the sauce in our Eurasian beef pot roast.

To turn this into a one-pot meal, you could also add some quartered potatoes to the pot, along with the carrots and celery.

Eurasian pot roast beef with carrots and celery on an oval dish
plenty of vegetables

Aromatics and Flavourings

This is where things change, turning this regular pot roast into a Eurasian one. Besides onion and garlic, I’m also adding ginger, our first Asian inspired flavouring.

Then, for added flavour, we’re going to use cinnamon, star anise and two kinds of soy sauce. So we’ve got light soy sauce, which is more salty than anything else, and dark soy sauce which adds depth to our recipe.

Apart from that, I’ve kept it fairly simple. Ordinarily, we’d have sprigs of fresh thyme, rosemary and bay when cooking a traditional pot roast. But I’ve left all that out in favour of just finishing the dish with some spring onions (scallions) or fresh coriander leaves (cilantro).

Can you add some Asian herbs like kaffir lime leaves and lemongrass? Absolutely. Throw the lemongrass in with the aromatics, and the kaffir lime leaves with the carrots and celery.

Stock

Pot roasts are basically the roasting joint cooked in liquid, providing a ready made gravy. That is provided by the stock that we use. As this is a beef roast, you can use beef stock (beef broth in American speak) or you could also use chicken stock, which will be a slighter lighter affair.

Refer to the product information on the dilution. But usually, you need 1 stock cube or stock pot for 500 ml (1 cup) of water. So in today’s recipe, we’d need half of that.

Wine or No Wine?

In the Asian pot roast that I cook, I use Chinese Shaoxing wine. But for today’s, I decided to go down the “regular” wine route.

Red wine or white wine? I use these interchangeably, to some extent, depending on the season. Red wine will produce a sauce or gravy that is heavier in body and is perfect for cold, winter days.

If I happen to make this for Easter or in spring time, then I tend to go for white. In the recipe card below, I’ve used white wine.

Don’t do alcohol? Leave out the wine, use an equivalent amount of water and add 1 tsp clear vinegar to make up for the flavour.

Don’t bother with grape juice to replace wine. It’s the alcohol you need to replace, not the fruity flavour.

Storage

Our pot roast beef will easily keep in the fridge for 2 days. Store in an airtight container. Leftovers can be shredded with 2 forks and served as pulled meat, making a great taco filling.

Or for adding to stir-fries and noodles the next day. Or soups.

How to Serve Eurasian Pot Roast Beef?

  1. Get the whole roast out and place it on a serving or chopping board. Then slice it thinly.
  2. Transfer the whole lot neatly onto a large plate.
  3. Surround the meat with all the vegetables and just a little drizzle of the gravy.
  4. Find the cinnamon stick and star anise and lose them Then pour the remaining gravy (without straining) into a gravy boat or jug. Then everyone can add more as they want it.

You can serve this as a regular roast as you would any roast dinner, with some roast potatoes on the side. Mashed potatoes are also great in this. In fact, any form of potatoes will work.

But because this is a Eurasian pot roast beef, serve it as part of a Asian spread, if you like. In fact, it would be great for special occasions and perfect at Christmas and Chinese New Year.

So you could serve it with some rice, vegetables like soy limang terung, and perhaps another meat dish. If cooking for Christmas, go for more festive dishes like the Eurasian salad, Seybak. See suggestions below.

And now, shall we get cooking? Any questions, just drop me a comment.

If you enjoy the recipe, drop me a comment and let me know. Feeling like a star? Don’t forget that 5-star rating!πŸ˜‰

If you make this recipe, post it on Instagram and tag me @azlinbloor and hashtag it #linsfood.

Lin xx

Serving Ideas

Seybak with Duck (a Eurasian Christmas Salad)
Seybak is a delicious, festive Eurasian salad popular amongst the Portuguese Eurasian community in Singapore and Malaysia. Here, I'm using duck legs, instead of the customary pork belly and chewy pig ears.
Check out this recipe!
duck salad (seybak) in a green bowl with Christmas plates
Kerabu Timun (Malaysian Cucumber Salad)
Kerabu timun recipe, a fresh and delicious Malaysian cucumber salad that is ready in minutes. It can be mild or spicy, that's up to you.
Check out this recipe!
Kerabu Timun (Malaysian Cucumber Salad) in a blue bowl
Soy Limang Terung (Eggplants with Lime and Soy Sauce)
Soy limang terung, or eggplants with soy sauce and lime juice, is an old, favourite Eurasian recipe from Malacca, a delicious side dish.
Check out this recipe!
soy limang terung, eggplants on a white plate
Eurasian pot roast beef with carrots and celery on an oval dish

Eurasian Pot Roast Beef

Azlin Bloor
Click here for my Eurasian pot roast beef recipe. Meltingly tender beef in a delicious combination of East meets West.
5 from 8 votes
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 2 hours 30 minutes
Course Main Course
Cuisine Eurasian
Servings 6 (4-6, depending on portion)
Calories 353 kcal

Equipment

Ingredients
 
 

  • 1 kg boneless rolled beef joint see article above for what to use
  • 2 Tbsp EV olive oil vegetable oil will do too
  • 250 ml beef or chicken stock
  • 125 ml white wine OR 1 tsp clear vinegar (alcohol free)
Spices and Seasonings
  • ΒΌ tsp salt
  • freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • 1 star anise
Aromatics
  • 1 large onion about 200 g/7 oz pre peeled weight
  • 4 large cloves garlic
  • 5 cm ginger
  • 3 mild green chillies unless you want it hot
  • 1 stalk spring onion (scallion) or fresh coriander leaves OPTIONAL
Vegetables
  • 2 large carrots
  • 2 celery sticks
Sauces
  • 2 Tbsp light soy sauce
  • 2 Tbsp dark soy sauce
  • 1 Tbsp Dijon mustard

Instructions
 

Prep Work

  • Rub the salt and some freshly ground black pepper all over the joint and set aside while you get everything else ready.
  • Quarter the onion, peel the garlic but leave them whole. Cut the ginger into matchsticks.
    Slice the carrots in thick 1" rings, and the celery to about the same width.

Let's Get Cooking

  • Heat the olive oil in a medium sized casserole dish, saucepan or Dutch oven over medium-high heat, and brown the beef on all sides. This will take about 5 minutes. When done, take it out, and set aside on a plate. Don't line the plate with any kitchen paper.
    This is going to smoke. So turn on your extractor hob or open your kitchen window and mind that smoke alarm. Mine always goes off if I forget to shut the kitchen door, as the smoke alarm is just on the other side.
  • Lower the heat to medium and fry the onions for 1 minute. Don't worry about any "burnt bits" in the pan, they will add to the final flavour.
    Add 1 more Tbsp of oil if you need to.
  • Add the cinnamon stick, star anise, garlic and ginger stir and cook for 20 seconds.
  • Add wine, if using and stir, and cook for 1 minute.
    If not using wine, stir in the vinegar and immediately move on to the next step.
  • Add the flour in and stir well to mix (10 seconds will do). Then add the stock, soy sauces, mustard and more black pepper and bring to a boil. Lower the heat down and simmer, covered, for 1 and a half hours.
  • After that time, add the carrots, celery and green chillies to the braising liquid, tucking them all around the beef joint. Scoop up some of the liquid and drizzle over the the top of the meat.
    Cover and cook for another hour.
    If you want potatoes, quarter them and add them now.
  • To check for doneness, push a thin knife through the middle of the roast, it should just glide through. If not, give it another 30 minutes and it should be done.
    Leave the roast to rest for 10 minutes before serving. Scatter some spring onions or chopped coriander leaves, if you like, just before serving.
    If you have potatoes, bear in mind that will soak up much of the sauce in the pot.

Nutrition

Calories: 353kcalCarbohydrates: 9gProtein: 37gFat: 18gSaturated Fat: 5gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 9gCholesterol: 105mgSodium: 912mgPotassium: 735mgFiber: 2gSugar: 3gVitamin A: 3408IUVitamin C: 6mgCalcium: 35mgIron: 4mg
Keyword christmas, daging, pot roast, roast beef
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