This is the House Foods Hokkaidō Stew (Cream), made with fresh cream and “natural” cheese from Hokkaidō milk. It was the top-selling product among roux stews in 2021.
Each box contained two sealed packages, each enough for five servings. To prepare the stew:
- Brown the protein and vegetables over medium heat. The recommended ratio for one box of roux is 500 g of meat (chicken or pork), 600 g of onion, 450 g of potato, and 200 g of carrot. However, we’ve found that the roux can accommodate a larger volume, such as 2 kg of chicken thigh, 1 kg of carrot, 1 onion, 2 cans of straw mushrooms, and 2 cans of baby corn. To handle this larger quantity, we left the chicken and onion in the pan to stew after browning, and added the remaining stir-fried vegetables just before serving.
- Add 1200 mL of water and bring it to a simmer for 15 minutes, skimming off any scum.
- Turn off the heat and add the roux.
- Return to low heat, stir until the roux is fully melted, then add 200 mL of milk and simmer for 5 minutes until thickened.
- Serve over stir fried vegetables and steamed rice.
The roux straight out of the packaging was a deep beige hue and had a strong, pungent dairy aroma that might be off-putting for those sensitive to intense dairy flavours. However, recalling that the original stew had a similar profile, we weren’t discouraged. On tasting, the flavour was much more subdued. The stew had a creamy consistency and a taste reminiscent of the comforting original but richer, with a deeper umami from the cheese and cream, a slight sweetness, and a noticeable presence of rich beef and chicken gravy with subtle garlic and onion notes.
Overall, the flavour of this stew with Hokkaidō dairy was very enjoyable and a tasty improvement on the original. While it contained 40 g more roux than the original (yielding two additional servings), we found the original satisfying enough that we weren’t convinced this version was worth the 40% higher price.
This House Foods Hokkaidō Stew (Cream) contained 180 g. It was produced in Japan and purchased in Sydney, Australia in 2024.