The weather seems to have dropped a few degrees. (Thankfully! For those of us working in kitchens this long summer, it has been pretty stifling at times). There’s a bit of a chill in the air in the early morning and at dusk. Especially tonight, being Bonfire Night, I always find its a few degrees colder. There is nothing better on a cold night like tonight, than a slow cooked stew or as in this week’s recipe, a slow cooked spicy and comforting beef and potato curry.

In the cafe we cook this using mince steak. The potatoes almost collapses into the meat to form part of the sauce. It is served as a special on Wednesdays only. It flies out the door! We serve it with some plain steamed basmati rice, a crunchy rainbow salad, generous garnish of coriander and drizzle of chilli sauce.

The cooking time is about an hour or so. But the ingredients are few and the preparation time takes only 10-15 mins. Once done, the pot can be left to simmer away slowly whilst you get on with other things!

A perfect dish to eat on a cold day and simple to make.

Maybe you could add some fresh green chillies to munch on the side (as Burmese folk like to do!). If you have a homemade Burmese condiment or two handy, such as balachaung, keyunthee n’gapi chet or n’gapi daung, all the better! Perhaps, a few crisp raw or parboiled veggies to dip into the condiments.

Next week I’ll post a recipe for one of these condiments! 🙂

Here’s a short video showing you how to make Beef & Potato Curry 

Serves 2-3 people as part of a meal with other dishes

Ingredients;

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1 teaspoon minced ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
• 1 caraway leaf (pre soaked) or a bay leaf
• 1 tablespoon chopped & pre-cooked caramelised onions (this does not need to  be done in advance. If it isn’t then add at the same time as the garlic and ginger and cook until caramelised.
• 300 gms diced beef – marinated in 1 teaspoon chicken stock powder, 1/4 teaspoon turmeric & 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 heaped teaspoons chilli powder (or less or more to your liking)
• 2 medium potatoes cut into 1 inch cubes

Method;

First heat oil in a saucepan and gently fry onions, garlic, ginger and turmeric until caramelised. About 10 minutes. Now add the caraway leaf, stir, then add the marinated beef cubes and stir until coated with the paste in the pan and browned all over. About 5-10 minutes. Add chilli powder and stir thoroughly. Now add enough water to cover the meat entirely, by about 1 cm. Let it come back up to a bubble, then lower heat to a very gentle simmer. Cover with a lid and leave for about an hour. Check half way through to ensure the sauce has not stuck to the bottom of the pot, give it a stir. Add a little more water if it looks to dry. In the last 20 mins add the potatoes and simmer until cooked. Garnish with lots of coriander.

Dah beh! ….That’s it!