Spicy Beef Tomato Curry

I make Beef at home only once in a while and when I make, it’s usually Beef Ulathiyathu. Before the Lenten Season started, for a change, I made Beef Curry on Fat Tuesday. Our friends had come home for dinner. I wanted to make a Beef Curry with nice and thick gravy unlike the usual watery Beef Curries. So I added Crushed Tomatoes and made Tomato Beef Curry.

My friend Lisha had made Parathas and Pathiri and we enjoyed it with this Beef Curry. If you are making Beef Curry, make sure that the gravy is thick. You can add tomatoes, coconut milk and so on for making a rich gravy. I made this Beef Curry using the ingredients I normally use for Kerala Style Beef Recipes. If you don’t have Crushed Tomatoes, you can use fresh tomatoes instead. Whenever you want a thick Beef gravy to accompany Rotis or Appam, you can try out this yummy Beef Tomato Curry.

Ingredients

1. Cubed Beef – 2 lbs or 1 kg approx (I used Stew Beef for this recipe)
2. Diced Onions – 1 big
3. Ginger Garlic Paste – 1 tbsp
4. Coriander Powder – 1 tbsp
5. Red Chilly Powder – 1 tsp
6. Meat Masala Powder – 1 tbsp
7. Home Made Garam Masala Powder – 2 tsp
8. Crushed Tomatoes – 1 can (approx 1 cup)
9. Oil – 2 tbsp
10. Mustard Seeds – 1/2 tsp
11. Salt – to taste
12. Water – as needed

Home Made Garam Masala Powder

You can dry roast and grind the following ingredients to make Fresh Garam Masala Powder.

1. Cloves (Gramboo) – 10
2. Cardamom (Elakka) – 4
3. Cinnamon stick (Patta/Karukapatta) – 2 pieces of 1” inch length each
4. Star Anise (Thakkolam/Nakshathra Poo) – 1
5. Fennel seeds (Perinjeerakam) – 1 tbsp

For Marinating the Beef

1. Home Made Garam Masala Powder – 2 tsp
2. Meat Masala Powder – 2 tbsp (I used Eastern Meat Masala Powder)
3. Red Chilly Powder – 1 tbsp
4. Coriander Powder – 1 tbsp
5. Turmeric Powder – 1 tsp
6. Pepper Powder – 1 tsp
7. Minced Garlic – 5 or 6 cloves
8. Minced Ginger – 2 tbsp
9. Slit Green Chillies – 4
10. Curry Leaves – A sprig
11. Salt – to taste

Preparation Method

1. Wash the beef thoroughly and allow the water to drain.
2. Marinate the beef with all the above ingredients and keep it aside for 30 minutes to 1 hour.
3. Pressure cook the beef with 1/2 cup water. The cooking time varies depending on the beef used. For stew beef, I pressure cook it on medium heat for 2 whistles. The beef which we get in Kerala has a longer cooking time. So pressure cook accordingly. If you don’t have a pressure cooker, you can cover and cook the beef in any big pan for around 45 minutes to 1 hour until tender.
4. Meanwhile heat oil in a non stick pan and splutter mustard seeds. Add onions and saute until the onions become translucent.
5. Add ginger garlic paste and saute for a few more minutes until the raw smell disappears.
6. Reduce heat and add red chilly powder, meat masala powder, garam masala powder and coriander powder. Saute for 2 minutes.
7. Add the crushed tomatoes along with 1 cup water and salt to taste. Cover and cook for around 10 minutes until the tomatoes are cooked thoroughly.
8. Open the pressure cooker and transfer the cooked meat along with its gravy to the above pan. Mix everything well.
9. Cover and cook on medium heat for 5-7 minutes so that the masala gets coated on the meat. Add salt if needed.
10. Serve this Beef Curry with Rotis or Appam.

Note

• Crushed Tomatoes give a nice color and stronger flavor. You can also use Fresh Tomatoes instead of Crushed Tomatoes.