Hachee recipe: Dutch beef and onion stew, Moeders-style

This hachee recipe makes the classic Dutch beef stew with onions, bay leaves, cloves and a splash of vinegar. The secret is patience: three hours of gentle braising until the meat falls apart and the onions melt into a dark, slightly sour gravy.

At Moeders, on the Rozengracht in the Jordaan since 1990, hachee sits among the classics: Dolly’s beef stew with onions, served with boiled potatoes and red cabbage, for € 23.00. The restaurant is covered in hundreds of photos of mothers; at the opening, owner Jurriaan asked his guests to bring their own plate, glass and cutlery. The name comes from the French hacher, to chop, and acidity has always been part of it: vinegar or wine makes the meat more tender. This is our own version, with our own quantities.

Ingredients

Hachee needs no technique, only patience: three hours of gentle braising does the work.

• 800 g beef braising steak (rib or shin), in 4 cm chunks
• 600 g onions, in half rings
• 40 g butter
• 2 tablespoons plain flour
• 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
• 500 ml beef stock
• 3 bay leaves
• 4 cloves
• 10 black peppercorns
• 1 tablespoon Dutch apple syrup (appelstroop)
• salt

Method

1. Pat the meat dry and season with salt. Dry meat browns instead of steaming, and that crust gives the gravy its depth.
2. Heat the butter in a casserole and brown the meat on all sides in two batches. Crowding the pan cools it and draws out moisture.
3. Cook the onions in the same fat for 15 minutes until soft and golden. They lift the browned bits and become the base of the sauce.
4. Sprinkle over the flour and cook for 1 minute to lose the raw taste. Deglaze with the vinegar and scrape the bottom.
5. Return the meat, pour in the stock and add the bay leaves, cloves, peppercorns and apple syrup. The meat should be just covered.
6. Braise with the lid on over very low heat for 2.5 hours. Connective tissue only melts into gelatine after a long time below the boil.
7. Remove the lid and reduce for another 30 minutes until the gravy is thick. Fish out the bay leaves and cloves and adjust the salt and vinegar.

Tip: serve hachee the Moeders way

Serve it with boiled potatoes and red cabbage, as on the Rozengracht, or spoon it over hutspot with carrot and onion. Ideally make it a day ahead: after a night in the fridge the gravy is fuller and the meat even more tender.

Frequently asked questions about this hachee recipe

Which cut is best for hachee? Rib or shin braising steak. They have enough connective tissue and fat to stay juicy during the long braise; lean meat turns stringy and dry.

What is the difference between hachee and draadjesvlees? Hachee is all about lots of onion and a slightly sour gravy with bay and cloves. Draadjesvlees is braised in larger pieces until it falls into threads, with less onion. Moeders serves both.

Can I make hachee in the oven? Yes. Put the covered casserole in an oven at 150 °C for 3 hours. The heat comes from all sides, so the bottom is less likely to catch.