Sticky tamarind curry with beef Recipe

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(138 ratings)

Serves4
SkillEasy
Preparation Time5 mins
Cooking Time2 hours 20 mins
Total Time2 hours 25 mins
Cost RangeCheap
Nutrition Per PortionRDA
Calories617 Kcal31%
Fat19 g27%
Saturated Fat7 g35%
Carbohydrates18 g7%

Our sticky tamarind curry is a real crowd pleaser. It’s worth the time it takes to cook as the tender meat melts in the mouth. This tamarind curry is easy to prepare ahead and can also be frozen.

Make up a bigger batch and then freeze separate portions so you can heat up some tamarind curry in a hurry!

We’ve used beef chuck which comes from the shoulder. It’s relatively cheap to buy and can be quite tough as it is from the part of the animal that has worked the hardest during its life. Beef chuck benefits from a long, gentle cook and is full of flavour. It’s perfect for casseroles, stews and this tamarind curry!

Method

  1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan. Fry the beef in batches to brown and seal, remove and set aside. In the same pot, add the onions, ginger, garlic and chilli and cook for 5 mins.    
  2. Return all the beef to the pan and add the stock, soy sauce, brown sugar and tamarind paste. Simmer for 2 hrs, covered, until the meat is tender.
  3. About 40 mins before the stew is cooked, remove the lid and turn up the heat up to allow the stew to reduce.
  4. Meanwhile, blanch the sugar snaps and mangetout for 2 mins in boiling water. Drain, and stir into the stew with the baby leaf spinach. Cook for a further 5 mins. Top with coriander and sesame seeds, and serve with rice.

Ingredients

  • 1tbsp oil
  • 1.5kg beef chuck, cut into 3cm cubes
  • 3 onions, chopped
  • 1tbsp grated fresh ginger
  • 2 garlic cloves, sliced
  • 1 green chilli, sliced, plus extra to serve
  • 500ml beef stock
  • 2tbsp light soy sauce
  • 45g brown sugar
  • 2½tbsp tamarind paste
  • 200g sugar snaps and mangetout
  • 100g baby leaf spinach
  • handful coriander leaves, to serve
  • black sesame seeds, to serve
Jules Mercer

Jules Mercer is a food writer, stylist and editor.