Sweet Beef and Coconut Curry

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Sweet Beef and Coconut Curry (2)

Sweet Beef and Coconut Curry

I recently published my Beef Kofta Curry,https://eatingforireland.com/recipe/beef-kofta-curry/  and because I liked it so much I’ve adapted it for beef pieces using exactly the same spices.. This recipe takes about 2- 2.5 hours to cook.

Beef Koftas (6)

Beef Kofta Curry

EQUIPMENT:

  • Frying pan
  • Pestle and Mortar
  • Oven-proof Casserole dish.

INGREDIENTS: Feeds about 4-6 people

Beef Koftas (9)

  • 2 tblsp sunflower oil
  • 2 large onions, roughly chopped
  • 4 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
  • 2 teaspoons of ground coriander
  •  2 teaspoons of ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon of ground turmeric
  • 1 teaspoon of garam masala
  • Pinch of cayenne pepper
  • A finger of fresh ginger, peeled and grated
  • 1 large, fat green chilli, washed, deseeded and finely chopped
  • 500-700g lean Beef pieces
  • A handful of  fresh coriander, chopped
  • 400g  can of coconut milk
  • 1 dessertspoon of tomato puree – I always use Sundried Tomato paste.
  • 250ml of hot beef stock
  • 6 cloves – lightly crushed
  • 1 cinnamon stick, broken in two
  • 8 green cardamom pods, toasted, crushed and shells removed
  • 1 tablespoon of soft brown sugar.

METHOD:                                                            Sweet Beef Curry (2)

  • Heat the oven to 140 degrees Fan
  • Measure out all the spices onto a medium-sized plate, ready to add to the pan
  • Dry-fry the cardamom seeds until fragrant, then crush them in the pestle and mortar. Remove the seed skins, then add the seeds to the rest of the spices
  • Grate the Ginger, and crush the Garlic, de-seed and chop the Green chilli.
  • Fry off the beef pieces until nicely browned, remove them to the casserole.
  • Add a little more oil and fry the onions until softened but not browned.
  • Add the Garlic, Ginger and Chilli to the onions and stir in.
  • Add all the spices, and stir in.
  • Add the hot stock and the Coconut milk

Sweet Beef Curry (5)

  • Add the sugar.
  • Mix everything, and have a quick taste – it sometimes needs a little salt.
  • Pour the contents of the pan into the Casserole to join the Beef pieces
  • Give it one final stir,  break the Cinnamon stick in two, pop the pieces into the pot, cover and cook for 1 hour in the oven.

Sweet Beef Curry (1)

  • After the hour is up, take it out and have  a look – it will smell delicious, but the Beef pieces will need more cooking. So stir it up, re-cover, and give it another hour
  • Take the lid off the casserole for the last 30 minutes so that the sauce thickens up beautifully.
  • Fish out the Cinnamon sticks, and the cloves – if you can find them!
  • Serve with fluffy Basmati Rice and some Naan bread.

NOTES:

  • Like all casseroles, this will taste even better if it’s left to itself in the fridge for a day or two.
  • It’s a great recipe for doubling or trebling up for a crowd.
  • If you want a Vegetarian edition of this, just leave out the meat (duh!) and replace the beef stock with a Vegetable one. Make the sauce as above, and cook it gently in the oven or on a stove-top for about an hour – take the lid off for the last 30 minutes so that the sauce has the correct consistency. 30 minutes before serving, add thick slices of Cauliflower, Fresh Sugar snap peas, Carrot batons, or really, whatever you like (except uncooked Mushrooms which will add too much liquid to the mix – if you want mushrooms, cook and drain them before adding to the sauce)
  • I’ve made this twice, and only remembered as I was serving it up that I’d thought before that I’d really like some steamed tender-stem Broccoli as a side with this dish.  I think it would benefit from a vegetable served separately  -just a thought!

Sweet Beef and Coconut Curry (3)

About

I started writing down recipes in an old copybook when I was about 16. With 6 children at home, my Mother was always glad of a hand in the kitchen, and really allowed us to experiment - as long as we washed up afterwards, and left the kitchen immaculate! Having a tidy kitchen has followed me through my life, as has the habit of writing down my favourite recipes; except that these days I write them for my website, and add photographs when I can. The website really started when it occurred to me that my daughter might like to have these recipes when I've forgotten them. In my early days of cooking for family and friends, I used to phone my Mum all the time to ask her for the recipe for some of our favourite family dinners. She rarely had a recipe to hand - I think, like me, she made a lot of it up as she went along.. So welcome to Eating for Ireland - these are the recipes that my friends and family having been eating these past 40 years.. yes, I truly am ancient! They are tried and tested, and have worked for me for all that time - I have updated them as new ingredients became available - I really hope you'll find something that you can make into a family favourite of your own. You don't have to tell anyone where you found these great new dishes that you're serving up - it can be our little secret, but I'd really love it if you could give me a sneaky 'follow' on Facebook and Instagram.. So off you go - have a good rummage around, you're bound to find something new! My sincere thanks to all of you who have found a recipe that you liked and dropped me a line to tell me - I really do love to hear from you! Happy Cooking! Becks xx

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