Vegetables

1. Wash, peel, and prepare the vegetables and cut into small bite-size chunks.
2. Toss the vegetables with oil, herbs, and seasoning. Coat well.
3. Place coated veggies on a parchment-lined baking tray and roast in the oven at 180C/350F for about ±45-60 minutes, until fork tender and soft when pierced.
4. Depending on your oven, this may be shorter or even longer and the size of the veggie cubes will also dictate the time. Another factor to consider would be the type of veggies used, as the carrot, butternut, and yam do take longer to soften than i.e. the leek and mushrooms.
5. The bottom line is that you need to continue to roast veggies until fork tender.
6. At each 20-minute interval, toss and turn the vegetables in the baking tray.
7. Place ±¾ of the fork-tender roasted vegetables and the tin of coconut milk in the soup pot and use a stick blender to mash it completely. This will form the base of your soup.

While you roast the veggies, get working on the meat.

Meat

1. Wash and prepare the beef cubes, and cut into bite-size cubes.
2. Sprinkle the meat with a drop or more of oil.
3. Add the spices and mix to cover the meat completely.
4. Add the remaining oil to a deep large pot (as you prepare the soup in this pot).
5. Add the spiced meat when the oil is hot and brown/sear** the meat cubes in the pot.
6. Be sure to remove the brown and scrapings from the bottom of the pot as it contains a lot of flavor from the spices.
7. Add the Concentrated Beef broth + 3 boxes of water to the browned meat in the soup pot and simmer for 30+45 minutes until soft and tender. Again, this will depend on the size of the meat cubes and the quality of the stewing beef. Continue until soft and tender to your liking.
8. Spoon out the meat and keep it aside. If not soft enough, keep simmering until done.
9. Now continue to add the veggies and meat together in the same pot.
10. No need to blend further, unless you want it mushier, but I decided to keep ¼ of the veggies and all of the meat in cubes. Cook/simmer if still needed to ensure soft and tender meat and veggie bites.
11. Once ready, just turn off the heat and leave it to cool down in the pot, and there is no need to remove it from the heat.
12. I like to let a pot of soup sit for an hour or two as this helps to get all the flavors to mingle.
13. When ready, say approximately 20 minutes or so before serving, heat your soup and bring it to a simmer.
14. Add the Chinese-style noodles and cook through (it should not take more than 2-3 minutes) and serve with a drizzle of cream and some finely chopped green leek ends as decoration. If you have parsley, you can use that as well.
15. This is a full and hearty meal, and very filling but oh so super delicious.

You will be able to provide a large serving of this incredibly delicious soup to at least 10-12 people!

Why You Should Sear Meat **

Don’t even think about skipping the searing fun when cooking or using that stew meat. It’s not just a little dance your meat does in the pan or pot; it’s the secret sauce to making your dish taste sensation! Searing is like the magic wand that adds a burst of flavor and transforms your meat into a textured masterpiece, turning your dish from meh to oh-so-amazing. Sure, you could breeze past it and still end up with an okay meal, but where’s the fun in that? Taking a tiny detour to sear-town is like leveling up in the cooking game, and trust me, your taste buds will thank you for those extra few minutes of deliciousness!