Need dinner in a hurry? This jalapeno spiced Asian beef stew is ready in no time at all. My recipe for Instant Pot Spicy Asian Beef Stew is a family favorite.
Asian beef stew
Does this happen to you? It’s 4 pm and you have no idea what to make for dinner. It seems that dinner sneaks up on me and I am at a loss as to what to make. Even if you are getting a little hangry, you can be enjoying Instant Pot Spicy Asian Beef Stew in less than an hour. Tender chunks of beef are bathed in a beefy, gingery and garlicky sauce that gets its heat from jalapeno. Perfect for those nights when standing over the stove for hours making dinner is not an option.
Making one pot stews is one of my favorite ways to cook. Brown up some beef, chicken or pork. Toss in some veggies like potatoes, carrots, and mushrooms. Add stock and let it simmer away. But sometimes I am looking for a speedier stew and not a cook on top of the stove all afternoon stew.
the ingredients in Asian beef stew
One of the first one pot stew recipes I developed was Beef Tenderloin Stew with Baby Potatoes and Mushrooms. It's a little fancy and oh so good. Even though it's a quicker than usually stew recipe, on busy nights I let my Instant Pot make dinner. With about 3 pounds of beef stew (thanks to my butcher for cutting the roast into chunks for me) and a few ingredients from my pantry, a spicy, Asian inspired Instant Pot dinner is quick to throw together.
- red onion
- jalapeno
- garlic
- ginger root
- soy sauce
- beef stock
- sesame oil
- rice wine vinegar
- brown sugar
- beef stew meat
- cornstarch
- sesame seeds
- scallions
Typically, I pick up beef chunks that are precut for stew. The best cuts of beef for stew are usually a little tough such as a chuck or round roast. Slices of jalapeño, chopped garlic and slices of ginger root give the dish a kick. The recipe also includes the usual ingredients in Asian dishes - soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, sesame oil, sesame seeds and scallions.
how do you cook beef stew meat so it's tender?
In a pressure cooker! Cooking tough cuts of meat in an Instant Pot makes it fork fall apart tender and rich in beef flavor. And it takes only a fraction of the time compared to traditional slow cooking methods. When cooking under pressure, the tough collagen and fat in the meat breaks down and melts. The result is super tender and delicious beef stew. In about a total of 1 ½ to 2 hours, a delicious Asian beef stew will be ready to enjoy.
suggestions and tips
- To speed up the prep work for the stew recipe, I buy chuck or round roast that is already cut in chunks.
- Taste a tiny piece of the jalapeno before adding it to the Instant Pot. The level of heat in a pepper can vary from mild to inferno. If you want to make the recipe more on the mild side, remove the seeds and ribs from the jalapeno before adding it along with the other ingredients.
- An Instant Pot is pretty foolproof. Just make sure the lid is securely sealed and the venting valve is in the closed position before cooking.
- After the stew finishes cooking, leave the pot alone for 15 minutes. Then manually release the remaining steam by opening the venting valve carefully.
- Cornstarch is my go to sauce thickener for Asian dishes. Remove the cooked stew meat and add a slurry of cornstarch and water to the liquid in the pot. Use the Sauté setting to gently boil the sauce so it thickens.
what to serve with Asian beef stew?
Pair with perfectly fluffy rice (grab my no fail rice recipe here), thin rice noodles, or even mashed potatoes. I like some simply blanched vegetables (about 3 to 4 minutes in boiling water) like broccoli, carrots, asparagus or green beans.
just one more thing
If you make this super easy and delicious stew recipe, I’d love hearing from you all. Be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating ~ I do my best to reply to all your comments. And snap a photo to post to Instagram. I’ll add the photos to my Insta stories as I love seeing all your creations.
more Asian recipes I love
Better than takeout fried rice with chicken
Spicy chicken and broccoli stir fry
Asian cashew beef and rice lettuce wraps
recipe
Instant Pot Spicy Asian Beef Stew
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 6 1x
Description
Don't think you have enough time to make dinner? This Instant Pot Spicy Asian Beef Stew recipe will be ready by the time you finish your first glass of wine.
Ingredients
- 1 red onion, about 2 cups thinly sliced
- 1 jalapeno, diced
- 6 cloves garlic, chopped
- 6 (¼ inch) slices ginger root
- ¼ cup reduced sodium soy sauce
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- ½ cup beef stock
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
- 3 pounds beef stew chunks
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- sesame seeds and sliced scallions (for serving)
Instructions
- In the Instant Pot, combine the red onion, jalapeño, garlic, ginger root, soy sauce, brown sugar, beef stock,sesame oil, and rice wine vinegar.
- Add the beef stew chunks and stir to combine. Seal the Instant Pot. Select manual setting and adjust pressure to high. Set timer for 35 minutes.
- When cooking is finished, let pressure release naturally for 15 minutes. Then manually release the remaining pressure.
- Mix the cornstarch with 2 tablespoons of water. Set aside.
- Remove the lid of the Instant Pot and put the meat in a large bowl.
- Select the high sauté setting and stir in the cornstarch slurry. Continue cooking for 2 to 3 minutes or until the sauce is thickened.
- Pour the sauce over the met.
- Serve the stew in bowls and sprinkle with sesame seeds and scallions.
Notes
Pair with perfectly fluffy rice (grab my no fail rice recipe here), thin rice noodles, or even mashed potatoes. I like some simply blanched vegetables (about 3 to 4 minutes in boiling water) like broccoli, carrots, asparagus or green beans.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Category: entree
- Method: Instant Pot
- Cuisine: Asian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: ⅙ of recipe
- Calories: 658
- Sugar: 6.9 g
- Sodium: 529 mg
- Fat: 48.6 g
- Saturated Fat: 18.5 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 0 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 12.1 g
- Fiber: 0.6 g
- Protein: 44.5 g
- Cholesterol: 170 mg
This recipe was originally posted in June 2019. Updates in May 2020 include photos, ingredient list, more thorough recipe instructions.
Barbara
This recipe is honestly wonderful! How can anything so delicious be so easy? Well, it was. When I have little time or energy, that's when I get out my instant pot. This dish was a breeze to make (everything in the pot at one time -minus the cornstarch - and no no browning or sauteeing!) Then, just about an hour later: voila - I had something aromatic and lovely for dinner. Thank you, Amy, I'll be here to your page often!
Amy Casey
Thank you so much Barbara! Aren't recipes like this one just the best?! I'm so glad you enjoyed my recipe 🙂 Thank you so much for your comment. I appreciate it!
Kim
Excellent ! My kids asked me to make it again - Big Success
Amy Casey
Thanks awesome Kim! I'm so happy your family enjoyed my recipe. I just love easy Instant Pot recipes.
CK
It was 5 PM and I wasn’t sure what to cook for dinner…It happened I have chuck roast in the fridge that I need to use it. I scrolled through a list of recipes and I found yours exactly what I needed .I had all the ingredients except for jalapeño so I used dry red chilies instead. I was skeptical if I should sauté the garlic and onions and sear the meats but I just followed the instructions to toss and mix everything in the instant pot. It turned out the meat was tender and the stew was really delicious! My teenage boy didn’t complain the stew taste bland. This recipe will become my weeknight staple. Thank you so much for sharing it!
Amy Casey
Wow! Thanks CK for your review! Don't you just love easy recipes like this that are delicious?! I'm so glad you and you son enjoyed my recipe 🙂
Amy Casey
One of my favorite ways to make beef stew!