Braised Beef Curry
Difficulty Level Easy
My grandmother lived to be 102 and I always thought one reason was her healthy appetite. She always ate proper meals. She was never one of those elderly ladies to who starts to subsist on tea and toast until they fade away. But now that my husband is on a two week vacation, I see just how difficult it is to make the effort to cook a healthy meal for one and I realize what an effort it must have been for my grandmother (and now my mother). It's pretty tempting to graze all day and never sit down to an actual meal.
Writing for Planet Green pretty much ensures that I actually cook meals, but I decided to make recipes the original size rather than cutting them in half. That way, I'd have plenty of leftovers to heat for my lunches so I wouldn't have to cook more than once a day. Turns out it was a really smart idea with this Beef Curry. It was really delicious the first day, and it just kept getting better. I think I got five meals from this recipe, with, it must be admitted, some grazing in between.
I really loved this recipe and I know I'll make it again. The recipe calls for stewing beef, but I like to buy a roast and chop it up myself, that way you know what cut of meat you are using. This cooks for 8 to 10 hours so use a more flavorful, cheaper cut of meat and it will still be fork tender. It was wonderful over mashed potatoes, but you could use rice as well. You can toss this all into the crock pot and cook it, but it adds depth to the flavor if you brown the meat first. I didn't have any fresh chilies, so I added 1 teaspoon of dried crushed chilies.
INGREDIENTS
| 1 tbsp | vegetable oil |
| 2 lbs | stewing beef, or roast cut up into 1 inch cubes |
| 2 | onions, chopped finely |
| 4 cloves | of garlic, minced |
| 1 tbsp | ginger, minced |
| 1 tbsp | coriander seeds |
| 1 tsp | turmeric |
| 1 | cinnamon stick, about 2 inches long |
| 4 | whole cloves |
| 1 tsp | salt |
| 1 tsp | crack black peppercorns |
| 1/2 tsp | fennel seeds |
| 1/4 cup | beef stock |
| 2 | long red or green chilies, finely chopped |
PREPARATION:
- In a skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat for 30 seconds. Add beef, in batches, and cook, stirring, adding a bit more oil if necessary, until nicely browned, about 4 minutes per batch. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to a slow cooker stoneware.
- Reduce heat to medium. Add onions to pan and cook, stirring, until softened, about 3 minutes. Add garlic, ginger, coriander seeds, turmeric, cinnamon stick, cloves, salt, peppercorns and fennel seeds and cook, stirring for 1 minute. Add stock and bring to a boil.
- Pour mixture over beef. Cover and cook on Low for 8 to 10 hours or on High for 4 to 5 hours, until beef in tender. Stir in chilies. Cover and cook on High for 10 minutes. Serve immediately.
From 175 Essential Slow Cooker Classics by Judith Finlayson
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