Sri Lankan Beef Curry Recipe

[Truman42]

Following on from bribies Authentic British Indian Curry recipe I thought I would post my dads Sri Lankan beef curry recipe. Its always a hit when we have curry nights with friends.


Sri-Lankan Beef Curry

Ingredients

Stage 1
3 tablespoons Ghee or oil
2 large onions (Finely chopped)
1 Tablespoon Fresh ginger (Finely Chopped)
3 cloves garlic (finely chopped)

Stage 2
4 tablespoons Ceylon Curry powder (I use the dark roasted curry powder which has curry leaves in it, you can get it from most of those Indian spice shops)
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
2 teaspoons black mustard seeds

Stage 3
2 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon vinegar

Stage 4
1.5 kgs stewing steak (Cut into small cubes)

Stage 5
6-10 fresh red chillies (Or 3 teaspooons chilli powder)
1 can whole tomatoes (Drain liquid first)


1. Fry onions garlic and ginger in ghee or oil until golden.
2. Add stage 2 ingredients and fry for 3-4 minutes.
3. Add stage 3 ingredients and stir well.
4. Add stewing steak and fry on medium heat to coat meat well.
5. Add stage 5 ingredients and simmer on very low heat for two hours with lid on.

Stir well every 30 minutes.
After 1.5 hours if gravy is to thin or theres too much, remove lid and increase heat for last half hour.
If preferred add a cup of coconut cream and simmer for 10 mins longer.
Taste test and add salt or lemon if desired.

The only thing extra I do is add potatoes about half way through cooking which makes it go further. You can also try this with lamb, chicken or pork and the best thing is you can use the cheapest cut off meat there is because the meat will melt in your mouth once cooked.

 

[DU99]

looks a good recipe :icon_drool2:

 

[Bribie G]

Love that Sri Lankan stuff ... their Curry Paste is also incredible, and really cheap: this stuff used as the core spices comes out very similar to an Indian Restaurant:




They do pork curry mix, mutton, chicken etc but I reckon they are fairly interchangeable. However don't follow the directions on the jar as the quantities they suggest would kill an entire Tasmanian Community in one hit

 

[Phoney]

Nice! Sri Lankan curries are the best curries out of them all imo.

I shared an office with a sri lankan woman sometime a year ago, I took the time to get as many curry tips as possible off her.

I posted this on AHB at the time:

Ive started working with a Sri Lankan woman, ive picked up some awesome curry making tips from her.

Basically Sri Lankan curries are almost like a cross between southern Indian & Thai. In that they use a lot of coconut and fresh, aromatic herbs, and of course they're big on seafood.

Essential spices for a traditional sri lankan Curry:

Always start with fresh curry leaves, straight onto hot coconut oil or ghee for 20 - 30 seconds before you put down anything else. Then to make up your curry use cumin seed / powder, corriander seed / powder, fenugreek seeds, a cinnamon stick, black mustard seeds, black peppercorns, star anise, chili powder, clove, cardamon either pod or seeds, turmeric... The fresher the better, if you cant buy the seeds & grind them up yourself, buy powders in small amounts and use them before they go stale (2 - 3 months).

Put your curry spices on the oil and cook it for 2 - 3 mins to make a paste, then add your meat & other ingredients, followed by coconut milk. At the end of your cook, whether that be 45 mins or 4 hours, grind up half a cinammon stick, some more cumin and a star anise and throw it in. Cook for another 5 - 10 mins and serve, this freshens up the spice kick.

Try throwing in one or two dried Goraka for a nice fruity /spicy addition.

Rice: Forget Basmati - use Samba. Try mix some dried maldive fish flakes through it.

Coconut milk - dont use the stuff in tins. Use coconut milk powder and rehydrate it with water. Supposed to be better flavour and it works out heaps cheaper.

Instead of using flour to thicken up your curry, get an equal portion of samba rice and dessicated coconut, say a handful, throw it onto a hot pan without oil and toast it. Then, take it out and blend it into almost a powder, then throw it into your curry and cook for at least half an hour.