Beef Madras Curry
Chuck steak is the right cut for a curry like this. It’s tough to start with, but given a proper sear and over an hour in the sauce, it breaks right down into something extremely tender.
The spices get toasted properly before the tomatoes go in, which blooms them in the oil and stops the curry tasting flat or dusty. It’s a small step that makes a real difference to the final flavour.
Serve it over cinnamon-scented steamed rice with fresh coriander and naan on the side. It takes a bit of time, but most of it is hands-off simmering.
Beef Madras Curry
BEEF · DINNER · MEDIUM
Slow-braised beef with real depth of spice
Searing the chuck steak properly before it goes into the sauce builds a base of flavour the long simmer alone can't replicate. It's worth taking your time with this step.
Toasting the ground spices for a full minute before the tomatoes go in blooms them in the oil, so the finished curry tastes rounded and rich rather than raw or dusty.
Give the chuck steak the full simmer time and it breaks down into something properly tender, soaking up all that spice along the way.
Beef Madras Curry
Ingredients
Curry
- 28 g Ghee
- 1 kg Chuck Steak Diced
- 2 g Cumin Seeds
- 3 Bay Leaves Dried or Fresh
- 1 Brown (Yellow) Onion Sliced
- 3 Garlic Cloves Grated
- 35 g Ginger Peeled & Grated
- 6 g Ground Cumin
- 4 g Ground Coriander
- 10 g Garam Masala
- 2.25 g Ground Turmeric
- 2 g Kashmiri Chilli Powder
- 10 Fresh Curry Leaves Optional
- 400 g Diced Tomatoes Canned
- Hot Water Enough to Cover
- Salt & Pepper To Taste
Rice
- 200 g Basmati Rice Washed
- 400 ml Cold Water
- 1 Cinnamon Stick
- Salt To Taste
Garnish
- Coriander (Cilantro)
- Naan
Method
Curry
- Place a large high-rimmed pot or pan over high heat. Once hot, add the ghee or canola oil and sear the chuck steak for 3-4 minutes, or until well browned all over. Do this in batches to get the best colour without steaming the meat. Remove and set aside.
- Add the whole cumin seeds and bay leaves, and toast for 1½ minutes, or until fragrant and just starting to crackle. Add the onion and sauté for 4 minutes, or until golden and translucent. Add the garlic and ginger, and sauté for 1 minute, mixing the whole time.
- Add the ground cumin, ground coriander, garam masala, turmeric, and Kashmiri chilli powder. Mix well and toast for 1 minute. Add the curry leaves (if using), diced tomatoes, and seasoning to taste. Mix well and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Once boiling, add the seared chuck steak along with any resting juices, and pour in enough hot water to just cover everything.
- Bring back to a boil, reduce the heat to medium-low, and simmer for 1¼ hours, or until the steak is extremely tender and the sauce has reduced and thickened. Remove and discard the bay leaves. Remove from the heat.
Rice
- 20 minutes before the curry is set to finish, place all of the rice ingredients into a medium-to-large saucepan. Bring to a boil, cover with a lid, reduce the heat to low, and steam for 14 minutes, undisturbed. Turn off the heat, leave the lid on, and let it sit for 4 minutes to finish steaming — don't remove the lid. Once finished, remove the lid, discard the cinnamon stick, and fluff the rice with a fork or spatula.
Serving
- Serve the beef madras over the steamed rice, with fresh coriander and naan bread. Dig in.
