Sri Lankan red beef curry

This lovely hot and coconutty beef curry has becoame a real family favourite – it’s a Madhur Jaffery of course! . It’s very straight forward and can be cooked on the hob or in a slow cooker.

Ingredients

450g braising steak, cut into 2.5cm chunks

1 tsp ground coriander

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp ground fennel

1 tsp cayenne pepper 2 tsp bright red paprika

Ground pepper

3 tbsp corn or peanut oil

1 medium stick cinnamon

4 whole cardamom pods

1/2 tsp fenugreek seeds

4 tbsp finely sliced shallots

2 finely sliced garlic cloves

2 thin slices of fresh ginger

2-4 fresh green or red chillis (or both)

10-15 curry leaves

Good pinch of salt

2 tsp lemon juice

Tin of coconut milk,

Method

Put the meat in a bowl with the coriander, cumin, fennel, cayenne pepper, paprika and lots of black pepper. Mix and leave to marinate for 20 minutes (or longer if possible).

Pour the oil in a large, non-stick lidded pan, and put it on a medium heat. When hot, add the cinnamon, cardamom, fenugreek, shallots, garlic, ginger, chillis and curry leaves. Stir for about 2 mins, until the onions are translucent. Then add the meat and cook for about 3 mins, until lightly browned.

Add the salt, 350ml of water and two thirds of the can of coconut milk (the watery stuff plus a bit of the creamy stuff!) and the lemon juice. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to very low, cover and simmer for 80 mins, stirring two or three times, and adding a little water if necessary. Just before serving add the rest of the coconut milk and bring to a simmer. Garnish with fresh coriander.