Sri-Lankan beef curry

Next on my list of curries was a Sri-Lankan beef curry. Very different flavours to the Malaysian chicken & prawn curry even though a lot of the ingredients in the 2 recipes overlapped.

It had a very unique smell & flavour, not quite like anything else I’ve ever tasted.

Here’s the recipe:

Ingredients

serves 6 - 8 

1 tablespoon cardamom pods
4 tablespoons coriander seeds
2 tablespoons cumin seeds
1 tablespoon fenugreek
2 cinnamon sticks
10 cloves
2 tablespoons vegetable oil for frying
3 onions, diced
6 garlic cloves
5cm piece fresh ginger, finely chopped
6 large red chillies, finely chopped
1 kg rump steak, diced into large pieces
4 tablespoons tomato paste
250ml water
1 bunch fresh coriander
540ml coconut milk
800ml coconut cream

Raita
2 Lebanese cucumbers, seeded and diced
4 tomatoes, diced
1 red onion, finely diced
1 green/red chilli, finely chopped
250g plain yogurt

Coriander leaves, chopped to garnish
Jasmine rice to serve

1. Roast spices individually in a dry frying pan or until fragrant and spices change colour.

2. I grinded spices in a coffee grinder (much quicker than a mortar & pestle!). Transfer to a roasting pan and dry roast until mixture reaches a dark coffee colour.

3. Heat oil in a frying pan and cook onions, garlic, ginger and chilli for a few minutes.

4. Add spices and pan fry for 1 minute.

5. Add meat and pan fry until browned. Add tomato paste, water, coriander and stir to combine. Pour in coconut milk, season with salt and pepper and bring to the boil. Reduce heat to simmer for 30-40 minutes. Pour in coconut cream and cook until sauce has thickened, stirring occasionally.

6. For the raita, combine all ingredients and season with salt to taste. Garnish with coriander leaves.

Where to find it:

Cardamom pods – Pick & Pay

Fenugreek – Food Lover’s Market

Coconut cream – Food Lover’s Market / PnP

Lebanese cucumbers – Food Lover’s Market