Recipes from the Maldives: Beef Curry

The only thing about this recipe that might trip you up is the curry leaves. You can't buy them in grocery stores. I heard (though I don't know how true it is) that there are restrictions on selling them in the US because of pests of some kind, which doesn't make a lot of sense because I found them easy enough on Amazon.com. I will say that weird ingredients seem easier to come by now than they did like three years ago when I was still doing these meals regularly. 

The leaves I ordered were still fresh when they arrived and they came in a huge bag. When I opened the package I was like, what the hell am I going to do with all these curry leaves. So I kept some for this recipe, froze some, and then dried the rest of them in the oven.

Don't do that. They smell really ... I can't even describe it. I had to boil potpourri on the stove to get rid of the very weird, chemically odor that made my head feel like it was going to explode. 

Anyway, here's how to make the curry. To start, mix the first eight ingredients together until you have a paste.

Now heat the oil over a high flame. Add the beef and cook until brown.

Here's some beef in a bowl, because evidently I forgot to take pictures of it actually cooking.

Reduce the heat to medium and add the onions, curry leaves, habanero, cardamom, and spice paste. Return the beef to the pan and add the vingear. Stir until well-coated. Add the tomato paste.

Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low. Cover and cook for 30 minutes, or until the beef is tender.

Uncover the pan and keep cooking for 15 minutes, or until any remaining liquid has been absorbed and the sauce is thick.

Here's the printable recipe:

Beef Curry

from maldivescook.com

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp coriander
• 1 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1/4 tsp turmeric
• 1/2 tsp freshly-ground black pepper
• 1/2 tsp chili powder
• 2 cloves garlic, pressed or finely chopped
• 1 tsp grated ginger
• 1 1/2 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 lb chuck steak, cut into about cubes
• 1 cup onion, thinly sliced
• 1/4 cup curry leaves
• 1 habanero pepper, finely chopped
• 1 cardamom pod
• 1 tsp tomato paste
• 1 1/2 tsp curry powder
• 1/4 tsp white vinegar

Instructions

1. Mix the first eight ingredients together until you have a paste.
2. Now heat the oil over a high flame. Add the beef and cook until brown.
3. Reduce the heat to medium and add the onions, curry leaves, habanero, cardamom, and spice paste.
4. Return the beef to the pan and add the vingear. Stir until the beef is well-coated. Add the tomato paste.
5. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low. Cover and cook for 30 minutes, or until the beef is tender.
6. Uncover the pan and keep cooking for 15 minutes, or until any remaining liquid has been absorbed and the sauce is thick.