The words ‘brown stew’ doesn’t exactly seduce your tastebuds like ‘beef stew’ does, so I’m not sure why this S&B Torokeru Beef Stew goes with the former on the export packaging.

Each box contained 8 cubes of hayashi roux.

The 8 cubes are divided into 2 parts, each serving 4.

The box provides instructions for preparing the hayashi on a stove, but like D and I prepare it in a pressure cooker by searing 500 g of chunky gravy beef, tossing in chunks of 2 carrots and 3 potatoes (or mushrooms for more ‘authentic’ fare), popping 8 cubes (the whole box) on top, and pressure cooking for 25 minutes.

After 25 minutes, we reduce the liquid to a stew consistency. The liquid has a red film of red spicy (chilli?) oil.

The stew is an opaque deep brown beneath the layer of red chilli oil with a flavour that recalled beef slow cooked with root vegetables. As with other instant roux, the seasoning is spot on out of the box – barely sweet with a balanced savoury meaty flavour that’s rich and comforting. It’s hearty and similar to the Hayashi Rice by S&B, but we prefer that one for the enjoyable sweet tartness that comes from the tomato-based sauce.

This S&B Torokeru Beef Stew contained 160 g. It was produced in Japan and purchased in Sydney, Australia in 2017.