Slow cooker beef madras is dark and flavoursome beef curry. Tender chunks of meat are slow cooked in a hot and sour sauce with a deliciously spicy finsh.
1small handful of fresh corianderoptional, for serving
Instructions
Marinade
In a bowl add the ingredients for the marinade (spices, dried coriander, garlic, salt, tomato puree and yoghurt) and stir well to form a paste.
Remove any sinew from the beef then cut into large chunks (roughly 4 cm). Add the pieces of beef to the marinade and mix well to ensure all of the meat is fully coated. Cover and refrigerate for a minimum of 30 minutes, ideally 1-2 hours. You can leave this over night if you are preparing the day before.
Once the beef has marinated, heat a frying pan to a high heat, add 1 tbsp of oil, and sear the pieces of beef on all sides. You may need to do this in batches to ensure that the beef pieces don't simmer in the marinade. Remove the beef from the pan and transfer to the slow cooker.
Next, add the remainder of the marinade paste from the bowl, the sliced onion, ginger, tamarind paste, sugar, and beef stock cube dissolved in boiling water. Next pour over the chopped tomatoes and add the fresh red chilli (see recipe notes). Sprinkle in a small handful of curry leaves and gently stir. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours.
Once cooked, the curry will have turned a deep brown colour and have a thick fragrant sauce. Serve with chopped fresh coriander on top.
Notes
Beef
If you don't have beef braising steak, bavette, skirt or chuck steaks will work as alternatives.
Don't cut the beef chunks too small, around 4cm pieces are ideal so they retain their shape after cooking.
Spice
If you like a spicy curry, chop the fresh red chilli and add it to the curry with the seeds. De-seed the chilli before chopping if you'd like a less intense heat.
It's best to always taste a small amount of your fresh chilli before you add it into your beef curry so you know how intense the heat will be.
Serving a little natural yoghurt on the side will help to cool the heat in the sauce if required.
Cooking Times
Depending on the type of slow cooker you have, the cook times may need to be adjusted. I recommend you check the thickness of the sauce and texture of the meat after 5 hours.
Storing
Leftover curry should be kept in an airtight container, and stored in the fridge for up to three days, or up to three months in the freezer.
Reheating
Ensure that the curry is piping hot all the way through before serving.