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Beef Curry Recipe

This Beef Curry recipe is loosely based on Madhur Jaffrey's Royal Lamb dish. It is slightly simplified, which is not to say that it tastes any better, but it cuts down on the preparation time somewhat. Authentically, the spices should be dry-fried first but I add them to the onions and it seems to speed things a little.

This is one of those beef casserole recipes where I prefer using topside beef as it is very lean. However, chuck or brisket would work well - you would just need to cook these cuts for longer until they are succulent. If using either of these cuts, I would suggest making this dish a day in advance, then once it has cooked, chill it.

The fat will rise to the surface and you can skim it off easily. You can easily adapt this recipe and cook it as you would a crockpot beef stew. This Beef Curry is one of our favorite easy beef recipes and it makes for great entertaining when served with all the trimmings.

Easy

Preparation time: 25 minutes

Cooking time: 1½ - 2 hours

Serves: 8 - 10 or you can make two meals (feeding 4 - 5 people) for the freezer.

Ingredients:

3½ lbs / 1½ kg beef, cut in to inch / 2 cm cubes

2 large onions, diced quite finely

4 cloves garlic

2 " / 5 cm piece of ginger, peeled

about 20 cardamom pods

12 cloves

a 2 " / 5 cm stick cinnamon

4 tablespoons ground coriander

2 tablespoons cumin

½ teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 - 1½ cups single cream

4oz / 100g ground almonds

You will need a casserole dish with a lid. It is worth using one that can be used on the hob as well to save on washing-up.

Method:

Preheat the oven to 300° F / 150° C.
Brown the ground beef in 4 - 5 batches. If you attempt to brown it all at once, you will land up with a gray, watery mass.
Brown the onions until they are a deep caramel color. This helps to give the dish flavor.
Add the garlic and ginger. Fry for a few minutes.
Add the whole cardamom pods, cloves and cinnamon sticks. Add the ground coriander, cumin and cayenne pepper. Fry for a few minutes to release the oils from the spices.
Add the cream and ground almonds. Place a lid on the casserole dish and place in the oven. Bake for about 1½ hours - 2 hours until the meat is tender. Stir the dish every half an hour or so.
Serve this beef curry recipe with Basmati rice, cucumber raita, chopped tomatoes, chutney and pappadums.

Budget meal planning tip - use leftovers for:

Beef Pie Recipe