Beef Madras
Nisha Katona’s beef madras recipe is the perfect curry for a comforting one pot dinner. It is full of spices and chunks of flavourful meat in a creamy sauce.
Introduction
Named for the city of Madras, now Chennai, this dish was invented at the time of the British Raj as a mild, simple curry for the Western palate. It is not known in the traditional Indian kitchen. It often uses curry powder, which – again – is not a spice blend that forms part of the usual Indian pantry.
Ingredients
| 4 tbsp | vegetable oil |
| 1 tsp | black mustard seeds |
| 3 | star anise |
| 2-3 | whole dried red chillies |
| 2 | black cardamom pods |
| 8-10 | fresh curry leaves |
| 2 large | white onions, finely chopped |
| 5cm piece of | fresh root ginger (20g), peeled and grated |
| 6 | garlic cloves, peeled and minced |
| 600g | stewing beef, diced into 3–4cm cubes |
| 1 tsp | salt |
| 1½ tbsp | Garam Masala (see page 15 of The Curry Bible for a homemade version) |
| 2 tsp | ground cumin |
| 1 tsp | chilli powder |
| 1 tsp | ground turmeric |
| 200g | tinned chopped tomatoes |
| 1 tbsp | tamarind concentrate |
| 250ml | coconut milk |
| 1 tsp | sugar |
| 1 tsp | freshly ground black pepper |
| 2 tbsp | chopped fresh coriander (stalks and leaves) |
Method
Heat the oil in a large, heavy-based saucepan over a medium-high heat. Add the mustard seeds and let them crackle, then add the star anise, dried red chillies, cardamom pods and curry leaves, followed by the onions, ginger and garlic. Cook for 8–10 minutes, or until the onions are soft and golden brown.
Add the diced beef and fry for 5 minutes, stirring well.
Stir in the salt, garam masala, ground cumin, chilli powderand turmeric, and fry for 1 minute.
Add the chopped tomatoes along with 350ml water and bring to the boil, then cover and simmer for 45 minutes over a low heat. Keep stirring intermittently.
Add the tamarind, coconut milk and sugar, and cook for a further 30 minutes.
After this time, check the tenderness of the beef and cookfor longer, if needed. Add more water, if required, to bringthe sauce to your desired consistency.
Finish with the black pepper and chopped coriander before serving.
Reviews
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