Dish of South African Beef Curry
(click to enlarge)

Beef Curry Durban


South Africa   -   Hot Beef Curry
Makes:
Effort:
Sched:
DoAhead:  		 2-1/2 #
***
2-1/3 hrs
Best		 Curries like this originated in Indian communities of South Africa, and are now popular throughout the country. Serve with Rice or Roti, or use as filler for Bunny Chow.

1
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8
6
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4
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1-1/2
8
1/2
2/3
1/2
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oz
oz
cl
in
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T
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Beef meat (1)
-- Vegies, etc.
Potatoes (2)
Carrots
Onions
Garlic
Ginger
-- Spices
Cumin Seeds
Curry Powder (3)
Chili Powder (4)
-- Seasonings
Cinnamon Stick
Apricot Jam
---------
Oil
Water
Tomato Sauce (5)
Vinegar
Garam Masala (6)  
Salt
Pepper
-- Garnish
Cilantro
-- Serving

PREP   -   (35 min)
  1. Cut Beef into smallish bite size pieces, about 3/4 inch on a side.
  2. Peel POTATOES and cut into about 3/4 inch cubes, a little smaller for Bunny Chow. Hold in cold water until needed.
  3. Peel CARROTS and cut into rounds 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick. For large carrots cut the rounds in halves or quarters, especially if using for Bunny Chow.
  4. Quarter ONIONS lengthwise and slice thin. Crush GARLIC and chop small. Slice GINGER thin, cut slices into threads, and chop threads fine. Mix all.
  5. Mix together all Spices items. Cumin seeds remain whole.
  6. Chop CILANTRO Medium.
RUN   -   (1-3/4 hrs)
  1. In a spacious sauté pan, heat OIL and stir in Onion Mix. Fry stirring until Onions are translucent.
  2. Stir in Beef and fry stirring until it has completely lost its raw color and all exuded liquid has evaporated.
  3. Stir in all Spices mix, and fry stirring for another minute.
  4. Stir in Water, Cinnamon Stick and Apricot Jam. Bring to a boil, then simmer covered, stirring now and then, until Beef is about tender. Add Water as necessary to keep everything fairly liquid.
  5. Stir in Carrots for about 3 minutes, then drain Potatoes and stir in. Bring back to a simmer for another 10 minutes minutes - see Acids.
  6. Stir in Tomato sauce and Vinegar. Season with Salt and Pepper and Garam Masala. Simmer until Potatoes are fully cooked and Carrots are tender.
  7. Serve hot, garnished with Cilantro - See Serving.
NOTES:

  1. Beef

      Weight is meat with all bones, thick membranes, and removable fat removed. Any stewing cut can be used. I prefer Chuck because it cooks faster than Round. This curry can also be made with Mutton or Lamb.

  2. Potatoes:

      White Rose or similar work well in recipes of this sort. Avoid Klondike Gold type potatoes - they turn to mush if cooked a little more than the minimum. For details see our Potatoes page.

  3. Chili Flake / Powder:

      This curry is supposed to be pretty chili hot. If you want quite mild, use Korean flake or Allepo. I use Indian Khandella or Reshampatti which are considerably hotter. Use your own best judgement for type and amount. For details see our Chili Powders & Flake page.

  4. Curry Powder:

      Since South Africa was long under British rule, you can use a Madras Curry Powder. Sun and Ship are good brands, but even better is our recipe Madras Curry Powder .

  5. Tomato Sauce:

      This will give better flavor than whole Tomatoes. Use a very simple tomato sauce. My favorite is Faraon Spanish Style, which comes in convenient 8 ounce cans. Other simple sauces will also work - even Goya Spanish Style, if you aren't still boycotting them for enthusiastically endorsing Trump on TV.

  6. Garam Masala:

      This is a "standard" spice mix, but varies a lot from region to region, and some from one household to another within the regions. Here is a recipe for a typical Garam Masala mix for the cuisines of northern India.

  7. Acids:

      The Tomato Sauce and Vinegar are held until the Potatoes are partially cooked, or the acid will harden the outside of the pieces.

  8. Serving:

      Curries of this sort are served all over South Africa with rice, chutney and sambals (tart salads). The Indian communities may serve it with Roti instead of rice. It can also serve as filling for Bunny Chow, as Meat Curries have partially displaced the original Bean and Lentil curries.
  9. U.S. measure: t=teaspoon, T=Tablespoon, c=cup, qt=quart, oz=ounce, #=pound, cl=clove in=inch, ar=as required tt=to taste
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