Inspired by a Malaysian Rendang I have added roasted spice mix and tomatoes. When tasting at the end you are looking for a combination of sweet, sour and salty so use the lime and fish sauce to adjust the seasoning to your liking
Use the spice mix as a base for other curries, including my lamb curry. Kaffir lime leaves can be bought from asian supermarkets and store well in the freezer.
4 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
4 cm ginger, roughly chopped
2 fresh chilli (red or green), roughly chopped
4 tbsp vegetable oil
2 kg beef cheek, cut into chunks (or other slow cook beef)
1 red onion, sliced
8 kaffir lime leaves
2 lemongrass stalks, bruised
400 g tin plum tomatoes
500 ml beef or chicken stock
400 g tin of coconut milk (watch video)
2 tsp fish sauce or to taste
1 tbsp palm or soft brown sugar
1 lime, quartered
Coriander leaves for garnish
SPICE BLEND
2 tbsp coriander seeds
1 tbsp cumin seeds
1 tbsp fenugreek seeds
1 tbsp black mustard seeds
10 cloves
1 stick cinnamon
1 tsp ground cardamom
1 tsp chilli flakes
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1 tbsp tumeric
Make the spice blend (see below)
Place a frying pan over a low heat, add Coriander, cumin, fenugreek and mustard seeds along with cinnamon and cloves to the pan. Cook for a couple of minutes until lightly toasted and fragrant being careful not to burn. Remove from the heat and grind in a spice grinder or mortar and pestle. Add the remaining spice ingredients and set aside.
Blitz the garlic, ginger, chilli in a mini processor with a splash of water to form a paste.
Season the beef generously with salt. Heat half the vegetable oil in a flameproof casserole dish (or pressure cooker) over a medium high heat. Brown the beef on all sides, remove with a slotted spoon.
Turn the heat down and sauté the onions until soft. Add the garlic ginger paste and 4 tbsp of spice blend, cook for a minute. Return beef to the pan and stir to coat the beef with the spices. Add kaffir lime leaves, lemongrass, squeeze plum tomatoes though your hands into the pot (see video) and stock. Bring to the boil then reduce to a simmer. Cook uncovered for 2 hours or until the beef is tender. (If using a pressure cooker, bring to full pressure, reduce the heat and cook for 40 minutes).
When the beef is tender, stir in the coconut milk, sugar and fish sauce. Allow to simmer for 10 more minutes and check the seasoning one last time. Sprinkle with coriander, serve with lime wedges on the side a plenty of rice.
Spice Blend
Place a frying pan over a low heat, add Coriander, cumin, fenugreek and mustard seeds along with cinnamon and cloves to the pan. Cook for a couple of minutes until lightly toasted and fragrant being careful not to burn. Remove from the heat and grind in a spice grinder or mortar and pestle. Add the remaining spice ingredients and set aside.
Beef Cheek Coconut Curry
Ingredients
- 4 cloves garlic roughly chopped
- 4 cm ginger roughly chopped
- 2 red chilli roughly chopped
- 4 tbsp vegetable oil
- 2 kg beef cheek (or other slow cook style beef) cut into chunks
- 1 red onion diced
- 8 kaffir lime leaves
- 2 lemongrass stalks bruised
- 400 g tin plum tomatoes
- 500 ml stock (beef or chicken)
- 400 g coconut milk (see video)
- 2 tsp fish sauce
- 1 tbsp palm or soft brown sugar
- coriander leaves to garnish
- 1 lime quartered
Spice Blent
- 2 tbsp coriander seeds
- 1 tbsp cumin seeds
- 1 tbsp fenugreek seeds
- 1 tbsp black mustard seeds
- 10 cloves
- 1 stick cinnamon
- 1 tsp ground cardamon
- 1 tsp chilli flakes
- ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
- 1 tbsp turmeric
Instructions
- Make the spice blend (see below)Blitz the garlic, ginger, chilli in a mini processor with a splash of water to form a paste.
- Season the beef generously with salt. Heat half the vegetable oil in a flameproof casserole dish (or pressure cooker) over a medium high heat. Brown the beef on all sides, remove with a slotted spoon.
- Turn the heat down and sauté the onions until soft. Add the garlic ginger paste and 4 tbsp of spice blend, cook for a minute. Return beef to the pan and stir to coat the beef with the spices. Add kaffir lime leaves, lemongrass, squeeze plum tomatoes though your hands into the pot (see video) and stock. Bring to the boil then reduce to a simmer. Cook uncovered for 2 hours or until the beef is tender. (If using a pressure cooker, bring to full pressure, reduce the heat and cook for 40 minutes).
- When the beef is tender, stir in the coconut milk, sugar and fish sauce. Allow to simmer for 10 more minutes and check the seasoning one last time. Sprinkle with coriander, serve with lime wedges on the side a plenty of rice.
spice blend
- Place a frying pan over a low heat, add Coriander, cumin, fenugreek and mustard seeds along with cinnamon and cloves to the pan. Cook for a couple of minutes until lightly toasted and fragrant being careful not to burn. Remove from the heat and grind in a spice grinder or mortar and pestle. Add the remaining spice ingredients and set aside.
Video
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