Lunch · Dinner · British Indian

Beef madras

Name: Beef madras
Total time: 160 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: British Indian
Ingredients: 2 Brown onions; 4 cloves Garlic, grated; 30g Fresh ginger, grated; 2 Red chillies, finely chopped; 2 tbsp Vegetable oil; 800g Diced braising steak; 2 tbsp Medium curry powder; 1 tsp Ground cumin; 1 tsp Chilli flakes; 2 tbsp Tomato purée; 1 tin Chopped tomatoes; 1 cube Beef stock cube, in 400ml water; 1 tsp Garam masala; 1 Lemon; 300g Basmati rice, cook on the day; 30g Fresh coriander, add on the day

Slow-cooked beef in a hot, tangy, chilli-red sauce. The one to make when you want real heat.

Start to finish: 2 hr 40 min
Hands-on: 37 min
In the fridge: 3 days
Freezes: Yes

Properly hotContains celery, mustard

Ingredients

4 portions

2Brown onions
4 clovesGarlic, grated
30gFresh ginger, grated
2Red chillies, finely chopped
2 tbspVegetable oil
800gDiced braising steak
2 tbspMedium curry powder
1 tspGround cumin
1 tspChilli flakes
2 tbspTomato purée
1 tinChopped tomatoes
1 cubeBeef stock cube, in 400ml water
1 tspGaram masala
1Lemon
300gBasmati rice, cook on the day
30gFresh coriander, add on the day

Plus salt, pepper and water.

Method

1
Finely chop the onions, grate the garlic and ginger and finely chop the chillies, seeds and all.
2
Heat 1 tbsp of the oil in a large casserole over a high heat and brown the beef in two batches, 4 to 5 minutes each, until deep brown all over. Lift onto a plate.
3
Add the rest of the oil and fry the onions over a medium heat for 10 minutes, scraping up the brown bits, until golden.
4
Stir in the garlic, ginger, chillies, curry powder, cumin and chilli flakes and cook for 2 minutes, adding a splash of water if they start to catch. Stir in the tomato purée for a minute more.
5
Return the beef with the chopped tomatoes and the stock cube crumbled into 400ml boiling water. Bring to a simmer, cover and cook on the lowest heat for 2 hours, stirring now and then, until the beef falls apart when pressed with a spoon.
2 hr 2 min, mostly hands-off
6
Stir in the garam masala and the juice of the lemon, and season well. Leave to cool, then portion into tubs for the fridge or freezer.

On the day

Reheat until piping hot all the way through. Boil the rice in salted water for 12 minutes while it heats, and scatter the coriander over at the end.

Cook’s tip

The lemon at the end is what makes it taste like a madras rather than just a hot curry. Add it, taste, and add a pinch of sugar if it is too sharp.