Ground Meat Stew with Zucchini, Carrots, Cabbage and Mushrooms

👨‍🍳 Method

For the Fried meat

1. 1
   Heat the oil in a wide pot over medium heat.

   ⚙ Pan-fryingStoveWide, shallow pot
2. 2
   Add the onion and fry for 6 minutes, stirring, until the onion turns golden.

   ⚙ Adding to the hot fat and fryingStove

   💡Add by cooking time: what needs long (onion, carrot, meat) goes in first, and what burns fast (garlic, dry spices) goes in last, only until fragrant.
3. 3
   Raise the heat to medium-high and add the meat. Press it flat over the bottom and leave it for 2–3 minutes without stirring, until a brown crust forms.

   Stove

   💡Brown ground beef in the pot without pressing it: leave it as one 'cake' for a few minutes until a brown crust forms, then break it into chunks. Deep browning = deep flavor.
4. 4
   Break it up with a wooden spoon and fry for 6–7 more minutes, stirring, until no pink is left and the meat browns.

   StoveWooden spoon

To assemble

1. 5
   Add the garlic, turmeric, paprika, cinnamon, salt and black pepper and stir.
2. 6
   Add the carrot, cabbage and stock and bring to a boil.

   Stove
3. 7
   Turn down the heat, cover and simmer 15 minutes.

   ⚙ SimmeringStoveLid

   💡A gentle simmer, not a boil: a hard boil dries the food out and clouds it, a slow simmer cooks it evenly.
4. 8
   Add the mushrooms and zucchini and cook another 15 minutes, until the zucchini are tender but hold their shape and the carrots are completely tender.

   Stove

   💡Hard vegetables (carrot, eggplant) go in first, and zucchini only toward the end of cooking: that way they're all tender and none fall apart.
5. 9
   Sprinkle the parsley on top.
6. 10
   Serve the stew with white rice.