Easy Belgian Recipes

What makes Belgian food approachable at home

Belgian cooking is built on a few comforting ideas: potatoes, vegetables, beer, butter and good bread. Many dishes are forgiving and use ordinary ingredients, which makes them well suited to home cooks. Below are five recipes with realistic quantities, followed by notes on snacks and the national dish. If you want the background on how these dishes show up in the capital, read our guide to Brussels famous food.

Stoemp

Stoemp is mashed potato mixed with cooked vegetables, often leeks, carrots or cabbage, and usually served with sausages or pork.

Ingredients (serves 4)

• 800 g potatoes, peeled and cut up
• 3 leeks (or about 500 g carrots or savoy cabbage), sliced
• 50 g butter, plus more to finish
• 100 ml milk or cream, warmed
• Salt, pepper and a pinch of nutmeg

Method

1. Boil the potatoes in salted water until tender, about 15 to 20 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, cook the sliced vegetables in a knob of butter over medium-low heat until soft.
3. Drain the potatoes, mash them with the rest of the butter and the warm milk.
4. Stir in the vegetables, season with salt, pepper and nutmeg, and serve hot with sausages.

Easy beef and beer stew (carbonnade)

Often called a Flemish stew, carbonnade flamande is slowly cooked beef and onions in dark beer. Many recipes add a little mustard and a slice of bread or some brown sugar for balance.

Ingredients (serves 4 to 6)

• 1 kg beef chuck, cut into large cubes
• 3 large onions, sliced
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 500 ml dark Belgian-style beer
• 1 tablespoon mustard
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar or a slice of gingerbread
• 1 tablespoon vinegar
• Thyme, bay leaf, salt, pepper, butter or oil

Method

1. Season the beef and brown it in batches in a heavy pot. Set aside.
2. Cook the onions in the same pot until soft and golden, then stir in the flour.
3. Add the beer, scraping up any browned bits. Return the beef, add the mustard, sugar, vinegar and herbs.
4. Cover and cook gently, either on a low heat or in a low oven at about 150 C (300 F), for around 2 to 2.5 hours until the meat is tender.
5. Adjust seasoning and serve with potatoes, frites or stoemp.

Chicken waterzooi, simplified

Waterzooi is a creamy stew from Ghent, traditionally made with fish or chicken. This version is quick enough for a midweek dinner.

Ingredients (serves 4)

• 600 g chicken breast or thighs, cubed
• 2 leeks and 2 carrots, cut into small pieces
• 300 g potatoes, diced
• 750 ml chicken stock
• 2 egg yolks and 100 ml cream
• Butter, parsley, salt, pepper, lemon juice

Method

1. Soften the leeks and carrots in butter, then add the chicken, potatoes and stock.
2. Simmer for about 20 minutes until everything is cooked through.
3. Whisk the yolks with the cream, stir in a ladle of hot broth, then stir this back into the pot over low heat. Do not boil after adding it.
4. Finish with lemon juice and parsley.

Belgian-style waffles

Light waffles are one of the easiest Belgian recipes. This version uses whipped egg white for a crisp, airy result, with a waffle iron.

Ingredients (makes about 8)

• 250 g plain flour with 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 2 eggs, separated
• 50 g sugar and 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 75 g melted butter
• 250 ml warm milk, plus a splash of sparkling water

Method

1. Whisk the yolks, milk, sugar, vanilla and butter together, then mix in the flour until smooth.
2. Whip the egg whites to stiff peaks and fold them in gently.
3. Cook in a greased, hot waffle iron until golden, a few minutes per waffle.
4. Dust with icing sugar or top with fruit and chocolate.

Brussels waffles are rectangular and light; Liège waffles are denser, rounder and contain pearl sugar and a yeast dough, so they need a different recipe.

Frites at home

Belgian frites are typically fried twice. Cut floury potatoes into thick sticks, rinse and dry them well, fry first at a lower temperature until cooked but pale, drain, then fry again at a higher heat until golden. Serve in a paper cone with mayonnaise, or with a mustard mayo. Take care with hot oil; never leave it unattended and keep water away from it.

Belgian snacks

If you are asking what Belgian snacks to try, common answers include frites with sauce, waffles, croquettes (including shrimp croquettes), speculoos biscuits, chocolate and the sandwich known as a mitraillette. Most are easy to find in Belgium and some can be made at home.

What is the national dish of Belgium?

Belgium has no officially declared national dish. Moules-frites (mussels with fries) and carbonnade are most often named, along with frites on their own.

Tips for cooking Belgian food

• Use a dark, malty beer for carbonnade and avoid very hoppy ones, which can turn bitter.
• Warm the milk before adding it to mashed potatoes for a smoother stoemp.
• Make carbonnade a day ahead; it often tastes better reheated.

FAQ

What’s in a Flemish stew? Beef, onions and dark beer form the base, often with mustard, a little sugar or gingerbread and herbs.

What to eat in Belgium? Frites, moules-frites, carbonnade, waterzooi, stoemp, waffles and chocolate are typical answers.

Can I make carbonnade without alcohol? You can substitute beef stock with a splash of vinegar, though the flavour will differ.