One of the things I love doing is watching cooking shows, but ever since I reduced the amount of channels we get from our cable package, I was left without the cooking channel. I hated having to pay for channels we never watch, just to get the Cooking Channel. Even to get the cooking channel added as a stand alone within our current package, means having to pay pretty much the same price as I was paying before when it was packaged. The next option for me is Youtube, and it FREE.
There is no better source than YouTube for cooking videos and I can spend hours at a time.. well, if I didn’t have to work etc. It’s simply mind-blowing when you start looking at how people from all over the world use curry. It’s got to be one of those things that have the most variations I’ve ever come across. There’s no 2 regions that cooks curry the same… even within the Caribbean itself, there are a few different techniques for cooking with curry. That said, here’s my tropical curry beef with potato:
You’ll Need…
1 lb beef (cut into 1 inch cubes)
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon green seasoning mix (optional)
1 scallion
1/2 hot pepper (habanero, scotch bonnet or whichever you like)
dash black pepper
1 medium tomato diced
2-3 tablespoon cilantro or shado beni (chopped fine)
1 teaspoon ketchup
1 heaping tablespoon curry powder
1/4 teaspoon geera powder (cumin)
1 onion sliced
3 cloves garlic (crushed and sliced)
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/4 cup water (for cooking curry)
3 1/2 cups water for final cooking stage
3 medium potatoes (1/4s)
* I used a special Madras blend of curry powder that I get from the islands. I find it to be uniquely Caribbean-like and not as heavy or pungent as the ones that comes directly from India. Be sure to read the label of the curry powder you use if doing this recipe gluten free as some may contain flour as a filler and will not meet your specific gluten free dietary needs.
Cube and wash the pieces of beef with the juice of a lime or lemon (not mentioned in the ingredients list) and water. Drain off the excess water and season with the salt, black pepper, ketchup, scallion, green seasoning, cilantro or shado beni and tomato. Then cover and place in the fridge to marinate for about 2 hours. If you’re in a rush, marinate for at least 15 minutes.
After the two hours of marinating, put a pan on medium/high heat and allow the 3 tablespoons of oil to heat. Now add the onion, garlic and hot pepper and allow to cook until you start seeing the edges go golden brown. This is an indication that it’s time to add the curry powder and ground geera (cumin). Cook for a couple minutes, then add the 1/4 cup of water. We’re now cooking the curry to allow it to bloom. This will cook for about 5 minutes before after it starts drying off. Allow all the liquid to burn off and you should have a sort of grainy paste on the bottom of the pan… add the seasoned beef at this point and stir.
Stir well so everything gets coated with the cooked curry. Then cover the pot, turn down the heat to low and allow this to cook for about 25-35 minutes. you will notice that it will spring a lot of natural juices.
While this cooks, peel, wash and cube your potato and place it in the bowl you had the seasoned beef in. Then pour in the 3 1/4 cups of water and try to pick up any seasoning that may have been left behind. TIP I like seeing pieces of potato when the dish is finished, so this is why I cut each potato into 4 pieces (big) so it will not totally melt away as we cook the beef to tenderness.
After about 25 minutes on very low heat (gentle simmer), remove the lid and turn up the heat to burn of any remaining liquid. After which you add the water and pieces of potato, bring to a boil and reduce to a gentle simmer. Ensure the pot is covered and cook for about 40-50 minutes. Basically until the beef is really tender and most of the liquid is gone. If you find that the liquid is till runny and the beef is tender, simply turn the heat up and cook until you get to the desired thickness. Check for salt near the end..since everyone preference for salt is a bit different.
I was lucky enough to have some buss-up-shut roti in the freezer, so I nuked it and had a wonderful dinner. BTW, if you ever have excess roti, simple place in a freezer lock bag and freeze. I have some that lasts up to 3 months (as long as there’s no air in the bag) and they heat rather well in the microwave. So if ever I go to a friend’s home and they’re serving roti and have extras at the end of the night.. I bring those babies home with me for future use.
I’d love to hear from you, so please leave me your comments in the area provided below.
happy cooking
chris…
Based on 27 Review(s)
Definitely will do.
Yummy! On Saturday’s I try your recipes. Thank you!
What cut of beef do you recommend?
I am not a cook but was able to follow the instructions quite easily. The recipe itself came out very well. Thank you.
Hi! Thank you for posting a very helpful video tutori and an easy to follow
recipe. The curry turned out great! Really tasty and with authentic taste.
It was my first time making beef curry – so it’s woeth noting that the longer the curry can simmer the more tender the meat. I would add the potatoes later in the process to keep them from dissolving. I would rate this 4 starts easily. Can’t wait to check out more recipes from this site.
Wow! This was amazing, I have never replied to a recipe off the internet before but this one deserves it, and I use a lot of found recipes. This deserves 5 stars. The flavours are spot on, my first time making beef roti and this rivals our very good authentic Trinidadian roti shop. Will be making this again!
Thank you
Susan
Hi Chris,
Thanks a mil for all these super recipes. I really enjoy trying my hands at some. They all turn out delicious.
Great job
Clare
Hey this dish turned out amazing thank you so much
Hi Chris,
Just want to say dinner was GREAT. This curry beef and potatoes was a knock out at the table. Kids come home and ask what have you and Chris cook up today I laugh. My husband LOVES this dish Then again we all LOVE all the dishes can not pick just one. THANK YOU and your family for allowing us to come into your kitchen and enjoying the taste of the Caribbean. MERRY CHRISTMAS
Lorrie & Family
Thank you for this wonderful beef curry recipe, the best I’ve tried so far. My partner is Trini and I love making him things to remind him of home.
Thank You for all the yummy recipes on here!
Kelly
Hi Chris Thks fr all yr delicious recipes!! My son loves curry beef,he is a very picky eater he also likes egg salad do u have any ideas how to spice up old boring egg salad!!!its summer so its something cold he can fix fr himself.
Thank you
Sherry
Hey Brother
Ya real Wicked in the kitchen. You have saved mi tail many of times. Thanks and keep up the good work.
Dear Chris Happy New Year
Thank you for all your reciple
Donna
Hi Chris,
I will try this recepie. What is the name of the curry powder that you use. I am not happy with the one I have
Chief… out of Trinidad and Tobago.
Chris,
Thanks for this recipe, it was delicious! I modified it a little as I was in a bit of a rush. Rather than green seasoning I threw some thyme into the curry powder, which I always mix myself anyway.
Most of my family left Trinidad in the 60s and 70s for England or America, and I only have a few distant relations back there now. But for my sister, my cousins and I it’s largely through food that we reconnect with our ancestral Island. It’s something my mother encouraged, and it’s something I’ll pass on to the next generation when I have kids. People like you help us keep that culinary culture alive, and to share it with friends from around the world who may have no connection with the West Indies. Keep up the great work!
Excellent Chris…
Chris,
I must say that you are an inspiration… Even though I left Trinidad when I was the young age of 8 years old and now 32 you bring Trinidad to me in a pot. We have made it a tradition in my home to cook as a family because of you.
I just wanted to say Thank you!
Keep cookin!
I always comment on your wonderful recipes,but never see them printed,or receive an answer.I get the comments need to be approved reply. But I love ALL of your recipes and my family love them too.Thanks for helping me feed my family tasty Caribbean fare.
Hi Chris, how are you? In Trinidad stewed beef and potatoes are normally eaten. I have not thought of curried beef and potatoes. I did try it and it tasted good. It went well with paratha roti (buss-up shut). Thank you Chris.
Chris,
I had two pounds of cubed beef I was about to waste in some chili this evening. I made this instead and doubled the recipe. I used shado beni and a 7-pot pepper just out the garden (in south Louisiana).
Great stuff, Chris!
Thanks!
-Joe
Thank you Chris!!
I did this today, … though I was too hungry, and impatient to wait for the exact cooking times. I also added green beans.
As well I had in mind to eat it with quinoa instead of rice, but opted for some store bought roti. I also added a colourful vegetable salad.
Thank you again for all the effort you put forth in providing us with your time.
KJ
Thailand-best local meat is water buffalo-but man this recipe is good just the same.
Love curry and this one's a treat.
I am of Eastern Europian descent living in Canada where I had a chance to try this in the restaurant and I imediatelly fell in love with this kind of dish.Now my kids got addicted to it but it is pretty pricey to buy it couple of times a week. I tried this recepie and it is very very good and pretty close to that one in restaurant.This is a keeper,thank you very much.
Thanks Chris for this recipe. Ilove curry as well. Iwill give it a try.Have you ever eaten curry shrimp and roti? Mmmm it is great. You should try it some day.
Chris
I just had Grilled Chicken Paillard at a restaurant in my neighborhood here in North Baldwin, Long Island. It is grilled chicken, the chicken is flattened and served with a salad. The dressing was out of this world. Chris can you share some salad dressings please? I do not eat raw onions. There was raw onion slices in the salad; because of the dressing, I ate every slice of the raw onion.
Thanks
Lucille
Chris,
I'm Puerto Rican and Italian, and I love food and cooking and this recipe is exactly what I was looking for. I always get great Trini food in Queens, but I can't always make it all the way to the Trini restaurant with my schedule. I can't wait to make this at home. It looks exactly like the dish I always order there. I can taste it already!
ahhhhh, this curry iss soo good 🙂
First of all, I am so excited to have found a site with authentic Caribbean recipes by a Trini native, and the pix are so helpful! I made the "tropical curry beef with potato" this past week to use a low-grade piece of beef, and it was so delicious. The flavors improved when I served it again as leftovers (I can't believe that there were any leftovers!), and I will definitely be adding this dish to my personal repertoire of "go-to" dishes. I've used different kinds of curries (Indian, Pakistani, Burmese, Thai), and one tip I learned is to add a bit extra curry powder to finish the dish just before serving -it boosts and brightens the curry. I think this curry dish would also be really good with pork.
Thank you so much for sharing your food, your culture, your stories, and your heart. Stay warm in the great white north.
that looks good the cant stop our caribbean cusine.
Thanks, Chris for a fun recipe. The temps are below zero here in Minnesota – a good curry hits the spot. When I close my eyes I can almost see the palm trees!
Thank you,Chris, for giving me a place to run to quickly when I can't remember how to make something…..from bake to curry. keep up your labour of love!
I made the Tropical curry beef with potatoes. It was to die for if I do say so myself, my partner loved it and wanted seconds and my daughter also loved it. We’re now eating the leftovers from yesterday and it tastes even better. Lol. Thank you love your recipes.x
Thank you so much for this wonderful recipe. I made it for friends and my husband and they enjoyed it so much. my husband (who is a food critic) couldn't stop telling me how good this was. love your website and i wish you wonderful sucess. thanks again
Thank you!! This is an awesome recipe and fool proof. I tried making this before from the NaparimaGHS cookbook but it just didn't taste quite right. The pictures made it all the more easier. I too do the ziplock freeze with roti ( and doubles) whenever I get extras.
reading your comment eill help me because I amm so afraid to try the curry as mines usually taste bad
I just put some extra roti in the freezer. Lol!!! …. cooking for just me alone is frustrating when there are so much left-overs.
Hey Chris,
I am new to your site. What is roti? I love the pictures that show the step by step. Being a northern boy from Michigan, I am new to your style of cooking, but will be trying some of your recipes.
Again, love the work you are doing, great stuff.
Dave
Dave, so glad to have you here and commenting. roti is basically a flat bread, but there are some variations. I've got a couple recipes to share so far:
Sada roti (the most common) https://caribbeanpot.com/make-room-for-sada-roti-p…
Fry bake or fry roti: https://caribbeanpot.com/a-rustic-fry-bake-recipe/
Buss Up Shut – https://caribbeanpot.com/tag/recipe-for-buss-up-sh…
there are several other types with stuffing, but I'm yet to post those.
Do try some of the recipes and come back and share your thoughts.
OMG this is a fantastic recipe. I tried it and everyone in the house loved it. Thank you so much for including pictures. My parents are haitian and my mom can cook but we can't cook like her. She holds down the island food while we hold down the american food. One of my friends told me that they thought my mom had cooked the food. That let me know I did a wonderful job. Thanks again!!!!!
None of us can even come close to cooking like moms! thats for sure. I'm so happy that everyone loved it. Happy cooking
Tuty, I wish. My mom usually makes it for us and then we package it into zip lock bags for future use. Next time she’s at our place I’ll see if I can make a video of the process. Everything this lady makes is true gold.
I find your recipes to be very interesting. I have tried one or two of them already. But will definitely try the curry beef with potato.
Antonette.
Do let me know your thoughts when you do.
As always, your posts are so very informative and I'm learning a great deal about caribbean food from you. Keep up the good work!
thanks.
I really like your blog finding food i grow up with i can do myself its great have a question can you in any way but a recipe up for coconut tart pastries can't find that anywhere
Funny you should ask this. only days ago I was talking about coconut tarts. Check out http://www.stabroeknews.com/2009/the-scene/06/06/… it's a column written by a fellow food blogger and someone who comments on here as well. Cynthia is probably one of the leading food bloggers in the Caribbean. Her work is very inspiring and can be found at: http://www.tasteslikehome.org/
good luck
chris
I admire that you take the time to do these step by step photos. I start off with good intentions but always end up getting frustrated along the way. Great recipe
wizzythestick.. thanks for stopping by. Adding the pics is a bit of work, but with all the good comments I get, it's truly worth it.
happy cooking
chris…
Hello,I love reading through your blog, I wanted to leave a little comment to support you and wish you a good continuation. Wishing you the best of luck for all your blogging efforts.
johnny.. thanks for the support
Hi Chris,
The buss-up shut roti looks so flaky. Did you make it yourself?
Tuty, I wish. My mom usually makes it for us and then we package it into zip lock bags for future use. Next time she's at our place I'll see if I can make a video of the process. Everything this lady makes is true gold.