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:

1. 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.
2. Add 1200 mL of water and bring it to a simmer for 15 minutes, skimming off any scum.
3. Turn off the heat and add the roux.
4. Return to low heat, stir until the roux is fully melted, then add 200 mL of milk and simmer for 5 minutes until thickened.
5. 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.