Hawaiian Beef Stew (aka Local Beef Stew) is a flavor-packed favorite! (2024)

This hearty Hawaiian Beef Stew is packed with tender chunks of beef, carrots, celery, potatoes, and an amazing flavor! My easy-to-make stew is the perfect comfort food dish to enjoy during cold winter weather, or just because it's completely addictive!!

Best Hawaiian Beef Stew Recipe

It's the dead of winter here in Minnesota, so what's more completely logical than making something island-inspired?! I slow-cooked this amazing stew to perfection during the flickering power of a two-day blizzard, no less!

Soups and stews are enjoyed in my home more than I can describe, they are indeed a family favorite. There is nothing that my daughter, Lauren, enjoys more than having leftover stew for lunches during the week.

Plus, we're really big about tasty, warm, filling comfort food stews in our cold northern winters. A nice big bowl of this yummy beef stew and I'm ready to brave the weather for barn chores!

🤔 What Is Hawaiian Beef Stew?

Hawaiian beef stew is a stew recipe enjoyed on the Hawaiian islands. It has influences from the mainland, the 'beef stew' flavor, plus East Asian flavors that weave their way throughout the Hawaiian cuisine!

In the case of this Hawaiian style beef stew, the soy sauce adds the island touch. Even more so if you happen to shop somewhere that supplies the most incredible brand of soy sauce. Aloha Original Blend Hawaiian Shoyu Soy Sauce!

Flavor differences throughout Hawaii are noticeable within this popular stew recipe. A dash of Worcestershire sauce here or there, a sweeter taste to the stew, or using stewed tomatoes along with the tomato paste are all common variations.

Also note that this 'Hawaiian Beef Stew' would be called local beef stew, or local style beef stew, more commonly when you are actually visiting the Hawaiian Islands.

🥘 Hawaiian Beef Stew Ingredients

Gather your stew ingredients plus a Dutch oven or soup pot and get ready to enjoy a hearty stew dinner! These staple ingredients combine to make a beef stew that is sure to be a new favorite!

• Beef Stew Meat - I love using chuck roast or short ribs in this stew, both cuts have a great amount of marbling and love to be cooked low-and-slow! Another great cut for slow-cooked soups and stews is the eye of round. It offers a very beefy flavor in a leaner beef cut portion and is a very affordable cut of beef. If you're in a hurry, the already cut beef stew meat available at your local grocery store works just as well.
• Cooking Oil - this recipe screams coconut oil at me, and you can use virgin or unrefined coconut oil to add a hint of that great tropical coconut flavor! However, whichever cooking oil that you prefer will work equally as well.
• Vegetables - the classic combination of onion, garlic, carrots, and celery are the base of this hearty stew! I prefer yellow onion or a sweet Walla Walla onion in this recipe, but a white onion or shallots could also be used.
• Tomato Paste - I like a lot of tomato paste in this stew! You can also use a couple of tablespoons of paste in combination with some fresh or canned, diced tomatoes. Or use a small can of tomato sauce in combination with the paste.
• Red Wine - there are literally tons of red wines to choose from, but I like using a good quality Pinot Noir for my soups, stews, and cooking in general. You can swap out the same amount of red wine with an additional portion of beef broth to keep this recipe alcohol-free.
• Beef Broth - a great beef broth is an important part of the 'beefy' flavor of this stew. Use beef bone broth if you have it, or add a teaspoon of Better Than Bouillon if you're fans of it like I am!
• Soy Sauce - an integral part of the umami flavor in this stew! If you can get your hands on the popular island brand Aloha Original Blend Hawaiian Shoyu Soy Sauce, it is highly recommended!
• Seasoning - all you need is a bay leaf, and some salt & pepper. That's it! Use the base amount while cooking the stew, then remove your bay leaf and adjust the seasoning to your taste!

🔪 How To Make Hawaiian Beef Stew

The first step is to make sure that you have rice ready to serve with your stew 🙂 Just kidding! The rice is optional, and I recommend sticky rice as the first choice for your rice but either steamed Jasmine or Basmati rice are a good second choice.

Prep your stew meat and vegetables, grab a large soup pot or Dutch oven, and get ready to enjoy this delicious meal!

1. Pour your cooking oil into your pot and bring them to medium-high heat. The oil should be shimmering when it is ready for you to add the meat.
2. Add the cubed chuck roast or beef stew meat and cook until all of the sides have been seared or browned. Reduce the heat to medium once the meat has been browned, add the onion and garlic and sauté for 2 - 3 minutes or until fragrant and softened.
3. Next, pour the red wine into the pot (or use beef broth or beef stock) to deglaze the pan. You want to use this liquid to scrape all of the cooked bits ( also called 'fond' ) from the bottom of the pot, it's what makes a gravy spectacular! Stir for about 2 - 3 minutes or until the bottom of the pot is mostly cleared of bits.
4. Then add the chopped carrots and celery as well as the tomato paste. Stir and continue stirring, you want the tomato paste to brown a bit before adding the broth. *Do add a splash of broth if you feel that you are close to burning the paste though!
5. Pour in the beef broth and soy sauce, then add the diced potatoes. Season with salt and pepper, plus a bay leaf. Stir and bring to a boil.
6. Once the soup reaches a boil, reduce the heat, stir and bring to a simmer. Cover and cook at a simmer for about 1 hour and 40 minutes, stirring occasionally.
7. Finally, after the soup has simmered and cooked, remove the bay leaf, taste, and adjust the seasoning to your preferences.
8. Serve and enjoy!

💭 Tips & Notes

• If you would like to thicken the stew, make a slurry using 2 tablespoons each of all-purpose flour and cold water or beef broth. Mix the slurry until smooth, then whisk into the stew.
• Hawaiian beef stew is usually fairly thick and served over sticky rice. If you would like a thinner soup consistency, rather than this thicker stew, simply adjust by adding more broth and taste as you go!

🍳 You May Also Like These Soups & Stews!

• Creamy Cauliflower Ham Soup
• Cajun Cabbage Stew
• Italian Chicken Pastina Soup
• Beef Stew from Bone Broth
• Green Chile Chicken Stew
• Pasta e fa*gioli

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