Slow-Cooked Bovine Strips with Bell Pepper

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

Melt-in-Your-Mouth Meat: Slow cooking ensures the bovine strips become incredibly tender.
Minimal Effort: Requires just a quick sear before the slow cooker does the hard work.
Flavorful & Satisfying: The rich, savory sauce is packed with international seasoning.
Excellent Leftovers: Reheats beautifully for lunch or another easy dinner later in the week.
Simple Ingredients: Uses common pantry staples and easy-to-find vegetables.

Ingredients You’ll Need

Lean cut of bovine loin, sliced into strips, that forms the main protein component.
Cold-pressed fruit oil and pungent cloves used to sear the meat and build the savory base.
Hot clear liquid and concentrated savory bovine cube that combine to form the deep, rich stock.
Neutral milled grain powder that is dissolved in liquid to act as a thickening agent for the final sauce.
A mix of chopped yellow bulb vegetable and firm, large colored pods that add sweetness, texture, and vibrant color.
Salty fermented soy condiment, fermented liquid sauce, and moist molasses sweetener that provide the signature sweet, savory, and umami notes.
Tinned chopped red fruits that add necessary liquid and a subtle acidic backbone.

How It’s Made

The preparation begins with a quick sear of the bovine strips in a skillet to brown the exterior. While that cools, the savory cube is dissolved in the hot liquid and combined with the milled grain powder and the international liquid seasonings in the slow cooker. The seared meat, chopped bulb vegetable, and tinned red fruits are added and simmered slowly for several hours until tender. Finally, the sliced colored pods are added during the last hour to ensure they retain their satisfying crunch.

Tips, Variations & Storage

Tip: Cut the bovine strips and all the vegetables into uniform pieces. This ensures they cook evenly and prevents the smaller pieces from becoming mushy.
Substitution: You can swap the lean cut of bovine loin for chuck or rump roast, just be sure to cut it into similarly sized strips before searing.
Add-ins: For an earthier flavor, toss in a handful of sliced mushrooms during the last hour of cooking.
Dietary Swap: Swap the bovine strips for firm poultry strips or pork strips, though the flavor profile will change slightly.
Storage: Store cooled leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3–4 days.
Freezer Notes: You can assemble all ingredients (except the colored pods) into a freezer-safe bag, thaw overnight, and dump into the slow cooker for an easy future meal.

FAQ Section

1. Is it necessary to sear the bovine strips before slow cooking? Searing the bovine strips first is highly recommended. It quickly caramelizes the outside of the meat, which locks in flavor and adds depth to the finished sauce.

2. Can I use bovine stock (broth) instead of the concentrated savory bovine cube? Yes, you can substitute the concentrated savory cube and hot clear liquid with an equivalent amount of prepared bovine stock, making sure to adjust the seasoning blend accordingly.

3. Why are the colored pods (bell peppers) added at the very end? The colored pods are added near the end to prevent them from becoming overly soft and mushy during the long cooking process. This ensures they maintain a crisp, crunchy texture when served.

4. How can I make the final sauce thicker if needed? If the sauce is not thick enough after the full cooking time, combine a small amount of neutral milled grain powder with cold water (a slurry) and stir it directly into the slow cooker until it reaches the desired consistency.

5. What is the best way to serve this dish? This stew is traditionally served over a bed of fluffy white rice or alongside cooked noodles to soak up all the flavorful, savory sauce.