A good curry would have to be one of the favourite dishes in my family home. When it has all the right flavours, it can be such a comforting and tasty dish and when you have the perfect recipe it can put most take away curries to shame in both flavour and cost and let’s not forget the bad fats and unknown ingredients of take away.
I love the herbs and spices used in this curry as they have wonderful health benefits to help improve circulation, stimulate digestion, reduce inflammation and support healthy liver detoxification.
Fresh garlic, ginger and turmeric are three of my favourite super herbs and they stand tall in this recipe.
Our house commits to a flexitarian way of eating. This means that whilst we still eat meat, we have significantly reduced our consumption and increased our plant-based protein meals instead. There is no denying, however that when this dish is on the menu, the excitement in our house can be cut by a knife.
So, every fortnight on a Friday morning, I start preparing this curry at 6.30am so it’s got 12 hours to simmer on low in my beloved slow cooker and is ready and waiting as the busy work week comes to an end.
My dear friend Di first introduced me to this wonderful curry as we devoured it around the table at her dinner party. I knew then that I would have to beg her for the recipe. My begging worked and this recipe is dedicated to Di.
The original recipe was not put in a slow cooker, and I do tend to experiment by adding more veggies every time I cook this dish. Sometimes I add pumpkin, sometimes I add eggplant, red capsicum, and silver beat. Once you get the hang of the core ingredients and spices, you can do the same.
I cook all of my curries and many of my meals in a slow cooker. I find it a huge support in being able to eat healthy meals and reduce the anxiety of having to prepare dinner after a busy day at work. For me and many of my clients, it helps overall happiness to form a loving relationship with a slow cooker and come up with a number of “party pleaser” recipes that you can rely on. This curry is certainly a party pleaser.
This slow cooker beef curry is bursting with flavour and so easy to prepare. It is also gluten free, dairy free and sugar free plus it tastes even better the next night for leftovers and freezes beautifully.
Ingredients
- 1 kg grass fed chuck steak cut in 2 cm pieces
- 1 onion diced
- 2 large ripe tomatoes diced or a punnet of cherry tomatoes
- 2 potatoes quartered or 1 sweet potato peeled and cut in chunks
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil
Spices
- 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
- 3 cloves of garlic
- 6 Cardamon pods
- 2 – 3 tablespoons good quality curry powder
- 1 tablespoon coriander powder
- 1 tablespoon cumin powder
- 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
- Ginger 2×2 cm piece
- 1 teaspoon of chilli (add amount to your own preference)
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
Place all the spices in a mortar & pestle or electric spice grinder and grind.
Place the coconut oil in a large pot, turn on to a mid-heat.
Add diced onion and spice mix and stir for approximately 2-3 minutes.
Now add the meat cubes and fry until meat is lightly browned.
Add the tomatoes, potatoes and vegetables to the beef mix and stir well so spices cover.
Transfer the mix to your slow cooker and cook on low for 12 hours.
To serve
Serve with rice, pappadums and some mango chutney or pickle.
So much healthier for you than a takeaway and full of flavour!
Enjoy!
