A few weeks ago we were looking for a nice restaurant, one where we could enjoy a quick, tasty meal and a nice beer. We looked at the menu of De Volkslust and decided this was exactly what we’re looking for. The restaurant originates from Antwerp, Belgium. Some 15 minutes later they brought us a Flemish Beef Stew, served with fried potatoes. It looked and smelled great. And it tasted, eh, slightly different? Of course! Chef used Djeroek Poeroet! Interesting, you would expect bay leaf in a Flemish Stew, but this was definitely djeroek poeroet (or jeruk purut, the leaves of the Kaffir Lime). Great idea. Aromatic, refreshing, light. A few days later we made our version of it.
And typical for a good stew: make it a day in advance.
Wine Pairing
The obvious choice is a nice, cold beer. Perhaps the one you used for the stew? We used Affligem Blond, an award winning Belgian Blond beer with pleasant bitterness and fruitiness.
If you go for a glass of red wine, make sure it is full-bodied and rich; a wine with dark fruit and a touch of oak.
What You Need (for 4 persons)
- 1 kilo of excellent, fat, marbled Beef
- 2 Shallots
- 250 grams of Button Mushrooms (Champignon de Paris)
- Olive Oil
- 2 bottles (33 cl) of Blond Belgian Beer
- Bouquet Garni (Thyme, Parsley, Chives)
- 6 leaves of Djeroek Poeroet (frozen preferred)
- Black Pepper
What You Do
Slice the meat by following its structure. We prefer bigger parts, so not cubes. They will take longer to cook, but the meat benefits from this approach. Clean the mushrooms and slice the bigger ones in half. Coarsely shop the onion. Heat olive oil in a large pan and fry the meat. You probably will have to do this in 2 or 3 batches. Make sure the meat is nicely colored. Remove the meat from the pan and fry the mushrooms. Remove them when nicely golden, add some more olive oil and caramelize the sliced onions. When ready, add the mushrooms, the beef, the beer, the Bouquet Garni and 6 leaves of djeroek poeroet. Heat through and through. Close the pan and keep on a low heat for 5 to 6 hours. Stir every hour. Check the taste during the cooking process, perhaps you want to remove the djeroek poeroet (or add more!).
When you’re happy withe the cuisson, remove the meat from the pan, discard the bouquet Garni and reduce the sauce. Transfer the meat back into the pan, reheat, then cool and transfer to the refrigerator until the next day.
Serve with unpeeled potatoes fried in olive oil and (homemade) mayonaise.
Cook and Drink 
Lucky you for having easy access to kaffir lime leaves! Unfortunately, kaffir lime leaves are a luxury here in Manila. 😦
(On a side note, I realized that you used the old Indonesian orthography when you wrote “djeroek poeroet.” Modern Indonesian spells it as “jeruk purut.”)
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Thanks Monch, yes, I guess we’re lucky with the availability of frozen leaves.
When writing the post we wondered if we should use the term ‘kaffir lime leaves’ or ‘djeroek poeroet’ (which we use in the Netherlands). Thanks for mentioning the modern Indonesian term jeruk purut. We’ve included it in the post.
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I always appreciate the unique flavor that beer brings to a red meat recipe. Thanks for sharing this delectable recipe.
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Indeed, red wine seems to be the obvious choice when making a beef stew, however a stew with (brown) beer can be just as tasty!
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What would be a good alternative to use for the kaffir leaves? Your food looks delish! 🙂
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Thanks! You could try lemon grass or perhaps some grated lemon.
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