I do apologize for being an absent chef the past couple weeks. As mentioned in my last post we were off to Trinidad and Tobago for my sister’s wedding and for a short vacation. And though I had all intention to cook and blog while we were there, there was so much to see and do that I got side tracked. Plus, the MAC computer I had access to, didn’t allow for me to upload my pics via a card reader and I totally forgot to pack my firewire to connect the camera directly.

Curry beef is not something we grew up on, actually the first time I ever tasted curry beef was when I lived with my aunt after first moving to Canada. To date I can probably count the number of times I’ve had curry beef. Not as if I don’t like it, it’s just that I grew up with a taste for stew beef. Looks like I may have to cook this more often as both Indy and Tehya both enjoyed dinner tonight.

You’ll Need…

1 1/2 lbs cubed beef
3/4 teaspoon salt
dash of black pepper
1/4 teaspoon roasted Geera (powder)
2 table spoon curry powder (madras)
1 onion separated (1/2s) – diced
2-3 cloves of garlic – crushed/chopped
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons water
2 cups water
1 tomato diced
1 tablespoon green seasoning
2 leaves of shado beni (shandon beni)
1/4 teaspoon ketchup
1/4 hot pepper (I use habanero) Don’t include seeds if you’re afraid of some heat.
1 lime or lemon (juice) to wash the cubed beef before seasoning

Tip: If you don’t have the green seasoning, simply use 1 scallion chopped, a pimento pepper if you have access to one, 1 table spoon thyme, 1 table spoon celery chopped fine, 2 tablespoons cilantro.

Start by cutting the beef into 1 inch cubes and then pour the lime or lemon juice over it and rinse with running water. Squeeze off all excess water then season with the… tomato, salt, black pepper, green seasoning, 1/2 of the onion, ketchup, shando beni and roasted geera. Stir well and allow to marinate for about 1 hour.

In a heavy pot, heat the oil on medium to high heat (in the pic I’m using the new iron pot I purchased on my trip.. notice how shiny it is?), then add the remaining onion, garlic and pieces of hot pepper. Allow this to cook for a couple minutes. In the meantime, in a small bowl put the curry powder and add 2 table spoons of  water. Stir to form a paste. Then add this paste to the semi cooked onion / garlic and allow this to cook for a few minutes.

Now that the curry is cooked a bit, start adding the seasoned pieces of beef and give it a good stir. Bring it to a boil, then cover and turn down the heat to low. You will notice that a lot of natural liquid will form. That’s ok, we’ll use those wonderful juices in the first step of cooking. After you’ve emptied the bowl with the seasoned beef, pour in the 2 cups of water into it and try to pick up all the remaining bits of seasoning… we’ll use this later on.

Allow this to cook for about 25 minutes covered, then remove the cover and turn the heat back up to high. we want to burn off all the liquid that was released. Stir so it doesn’t burn and when you can see the pot’s bottom dry, add the 2 cups of water we prepared earlier in the bowl that had the seasoned beef. Stir, bring to a boil and reduce the heat back to low. I like my curry beef very tender, so I usually allow it to cook for about another 40 minutes or so.

After the 40 minutes or so feel free to check for salt (you may need to add more if you like a lot of salt) and bring the gravy to a thickness you like. if you find that it’s still a bit runny, turn up the heat to allow it to thicken. TIP. If you’d like you can add a couple cubed potatoes the final 25 minutes, but you may need to add a little more salt. Makes for a great curry potato and beef, the kind you’d find when you purchase a beef roti.

There you go, a simple and tasty curry beef that’s great on rice or as a side for roti… or to enjoyed as you please. Remember to leave me your comments below.

This one is a hit on a Sunday morning whenever my mom visits (yup…a heavy brunch type dish on a Sunday). Our girls claim that only my mom can make this to their liking. Plus we get her to make roti for us, since I’m clueless when it comes to anything involving flour. The best combination for this is obviously paired with roti, but you can’t go wrong topping rice with this thick and savory dish… as I did in the pics below.

Note: I mentioned above that we usually enjoy this as a brunch dish, but you’re not limited as to when you can enjoy this. Most people I know treat this as course for dinner or big lunch.

Tip! If you live in a country that experiences winter and your house is locked up during those months and you’re concerned about that pungent scent that cooked curry seems to leave back (especially on your clothes), you have a few options…

- burn a scented candle during and after the cooking process

- ventilate (open a window or turn on the exhaust fan above your stove)

- place a stick of cinnamon in some water and simmer on the stove

- bake some cookies after

You’ll need…

3 lbs chicken cut into pieces (I like using legs with back attached – dark meat)

1 tablespoon curry powder (your choice)

1/2 teaspoon geera (ground cumin)

1/4 piece of habanero pepper (you control the heat by the amount of pepper you use)

1/2 teaspoon salt

pinch of black pepper

1 teaspoon green seasoning mix.

3-4 leaves of shado beni (chopped) or 3 chopped tablespoon of cilantro.

1 medium onion (chopped)

2 cloves of garlic (crushed/chopped)

1 medium tomato (chopped)

2 tablespoon lime or lemon juice (or vinegar)

2 tablespoons of oil (vegetable)

2 medium potatoes (peeled / sliced into chunks)

2 cups water

Start by washing the chicken pieces with the lime or lemon juice and water (not the water mentioned in the recipe). Then start seasoning by adding all the ingredients mentioned above, except the oil, potato and water. Allow this to marinate for a couple hrs for best results. Feel free to cook immediately if you’re in a rush.

On high heat, in a saucepan (with a lid) add the oil and wait until you start seeing gentle smoke. Try fishing out the pieces of onion and garlic from the marinated chicken and add to the now hot oil.

Allow this to cook for about 2-3 minutes (you’ll notice that other recipes will ask that you cook the curry powder – I don’t), then start adding the seasoned pieces of chicken. Move everything around so it gets in contact with the heated oil. Cover and let simmer for a few minutes. After about 8 minutes you’ll notice that the chicken released some natural juices – lets turn up the heat and get rid of that.

As you wait for the liquid to cook down, peel and dice the potatoes. Place it into the same bowl that the chicken was sitting in. When the liquid that was released is gone, add the potato pieces and stir around. Pour the 2 cups of water into the same bowl and try to get any remaining seasoning that was left behind.

After you’ve added and moved the pieces of potato around the pot a bit, add the water and bring back to a boil. Cover the pot and turn down the heat to a gentle simmer. Allow this to cook for about 20 minutes or so. The goal is to have tender pieces of potato (melt and thicken the sauce) and a rich-thick sauce. If there’s still a lot of liquid left after the 20 minutes, using the back of your spoon, smash a few pieces of the potato. This will help thicken the gravy/sauce.

FYI. Just about everyone I know practices a different technique in cooking curry dishes, so feel free to use this a a base for your own unique version. Be sure to taste for salt in the event you need to add some. In the unlikely event there’s too much salt, add a sliced tomato and cook for a few minutes. It will absorb some of the extra salt.

Please leave me your comments below and share this with your friends.