mitzireddy

My husband, Rajen, cooked his delicious beef curry last night – I have learnt over the years not to enter the kitchen while he is cooking – so I can remain in blissful ignorance of the unholy mess that he generally creates whilst working in the kitchen. I just enjoy the lovely aromas that waft in from the kitchen and relax knowing that he usually cleans up the mess once he has finished.

He has experimented with this curry over the years using different cuts of meat and spices and now cooks what he calls a genuine “Durban” curry – I have to admit it is really good.

This brings back memories of the time we had just returned from Paris to our daughter’s apartment in London and we had less than 1 hour to get a music concert at the O2 arena in North Greenwich – it was Ne Yo’s “The Year of the Gentleman “ concert – my youngest daughter is a big fan – so there was no way that we were going to miss the concert. We got back from the concert around 4.00am on quite a high buzz and Rajen had cooked his beef curry for us – so there we were, tucking into this curry, at that part of the morning – it was heaven!!!! – makes some good memories.

Rajen’s beef curry

 500 gr rump steak – diced

3 Tbsp sunflower oil

1 onion – peeled and chopped

1 Tblsp biryani mix spice (not powdered)

1 tsp crushed garlic

2 Tbslp chilli powder (can be adjusted according to taste)

1 tsp salt

3 potatoes – peeled and cut into quarters

1/2cup frozen peas

Fresh coriander

Heat the sunflower oil in a pot and add the biryani mix and the chopped onion. Cook until the onion starts to brown – then add the garlic, chilli powder and the meat. Stir until well mixed. Add the salt. Braise the curry for approximately 3-5 minutes – stirring the mixture occasionally to avoid singeing the curry. Add enough hot water to just cover the meat. Put the lid on the pot and lower the heat to medium and cook for approximately 45 minutes until the meat is tender.

Add the potatoes and enough hot water to just cover the potatoes. Cook for approx. 15 minutes and then add the peas. Mix well and simmer until the potatoes are fully cooked.

Garnish with fresh coriander.

Serve with rice and sambals.