Slow Cooker Beef Stew with Fluffy Dumplings

🥘 Slow Cooker Beef Stew with Fluffy Dumplings

👉Ingredients

↪️For the Stew:

1 kg (2.2 lbs) stewing beef, cut into cubes

2 tbsp plain flour

1 tsp salt

½ tsp black pepper

2 tbsp oil

1 large onion, chopped

3 carrots, sliced

2 potatoes, diced

2 celery stalks, chopped

3 garlic cloves, minced

500 ml (2 cups) beef broth

400 g (1 can) diced tomatoes

2 tbsp tomato paste

1 tsp Wan Ja Shan Organic Worcestershire Sauce

1 tsp dried thyme

1 tsp dried rosemary

2 bay leaves

↪️For the Dumplings:

150 g (1¼ cups) self-raising flour

75 g (⅓ cup) suet or grated cold butter

½ tsp salt

3–4 tbsp cold water

👉Method

✅️1. Prepare the Beef:

Toss the beef cubes with flour, salt, and pepper. In a hot pan, sear the beef in oil until browned on all sides. Work in batches if needed. Transfer to your slow cooker.

✅️2. Build the Stew Base:

Add chopped onion, carrots, potatoes, celery, and garlic into the slow cooker. Pour in beef broth, diced tomatoes, tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, and herbs. Give everything a good stir.

✅️3. Slow Cook:

Cover and cook on low for 7–8 hours or high for 4–5 hours, until the beef is tender and the vegetables are soft.

✅️4. Make the Dumplings:

In a bowl, combine self-raising flour, suet or butter, and salt. Add cold water gradually to form a soft dough. Roll into small balls.

✅️5. Add Dumplings & Finish Cooking:

Remove bay leaves from the stew. Place dumplings gently on top. Cover and cook on high for 30–40 minutes, until the dumplings are cooked through and light.

✅️6. Serve:

Ladle into bowls and serve warm. Perfect with crusty bread on a cold day!

🔪 3 Cooking Tips:

🔸️1. Brown the beef well – This adds depth and richness to your stew. Don't skip this step!

🔸️2. Use cold butter or suet – It helps the dumplings stay fluffy and light.

🔸️3. Don’t lift the lid too soon – Let the dumplings steam undisturbed to rise properly.