Growing up I was blessed to be surrounded by a bunch of colourful women, who by some magic it seemed, were all amazing cooks. I mean, doesn't it take a special kind of magic to make people fall in love with your food? Each one of them brought their own speciality to the table. My grandma was famous for her dhal curry, one aunt for her pork curry, another for her prawn curry and so on. Then there's also my mum who with just a handful of ingredients can turn out what seems to be a banquet of delicious food! So yes, I am truly blessed to have been trained by the best... I mean, I've been in the kitchen since I was 8 years old! I just hope and pray one day my children will carry on this special tradition of what I like to call 'Unconditional love through food'.
The beauty of this special Sri Lankan Beef Curry is that it infuses many traditional ingredients and methods used in homes all over the island. It's earthy, spicy and flavourful.
Now generally speaking, in the case of most meats, you need time for the beef to become tender... but in this case, I have used my trusty pressure cooker to do the job for me.
Making Coconut Milk with Coconut Powder:
> Thin milk - 1 & 1/2 tbsp coconut powder + 3 cups of water
> Thick milk - 4 tbsp coconut powder + 1 cup of water
Find the link to the demo video for this recipe here: @beefcurry
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400g beef, bite-sized pieces
1 medium onion, sliced
1 medium tomato, chopped
4 cloves of garlic, sliced
1 tbsp ginger, chopped
6 small green chillies, split
1 sprig of curry leaves
3 cardamom
6 cloves
1 star anise
1" piece of Ceylon cinnamon
1/3 cup of thick coconut milk
Water as required
1 tbsp coconut oil
To marinate the beef:
1 tsp pepper powder
1/2 tsp white vinegar
1 tbsp red chilli powder
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
3 tbsp roasted curry powder
1 small piece of goraka
(garcinia cambogia or malabar tamarind)
Salt to taste
Method:
Cut the beef to the desired bite-size pieces. Wash thoroughly, drain and place in a bowl or dish.
Toss in all the ingredients listed under 'To marinate the beef' and mix well. Leave to rest for at least 30 minutes at room temperature or overnight in the fridge, covered with a piece of clingfilm.
Add the coconut oil into a pressure cooker and heat on a medium flame. Put in the curry leaves, ginger, garlic, green chillies and onions. Mix well and fry for a few minutes until the onions turn translucent.
Now add in the marinated beef and mix well.
Toss in the tomatoes and combine well.
Add in about a 3/4 cup of water, close and pressure cook half way. In the case of my pressure cooker, that is equal to 4 whistles. Timing may vary according to different types of pressure cookers and brands.
Once it has completed 4 whistle, switch off the flame and wait for the steam to go down completely. Open and add in the cardamom, cloves, cinnamon, star anise and coconut milk. Combine well.
I like doing it this way, but you are most welcome to add these together with the other ingredients and complete the cooking process all on one go.
Cover and cook again for another 4 to 6 whistles or depending on the timing of your own pressure cooker. At the end, the beef needs to be nice and tender.
Serve it into a dish and serve hot with your favourite rice and vegetable curry.
It can be eaten with a variety of items like string hoppers, pol roti, hoppers (aapam), Sri Lankan savoury pancakes or even some crusty bread like Sri Lankan roast paang or a French baguette.
Enjoy!
PS: If you make any of my recipes, do tag me on Instagram as @MyFoodyChic and use the #MyFoodyChic hashtag. I really do love seeing your takes on my recipes!
XOXO, Jovanka
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