Fusion Crockpot Curry
Stewing beef can be uneven and tough and it’s important when sourcing and cooking your stewing beef to keep a few key things in mind.
- Use only stewing beef that’s come from the chuck region. Using other cuts can make your stew meat tough. It’s common that butchers will toss all the odds and ends and “left-overs’ together and call it stewing beef. Talk to your butcher or meat source.
- Don’t use your meat ‘raw’. Sear it to seal in the moisture or marinate it.
- Don’t over cook it. Yes, you can over cook stew.
- Don’t be afraid of a brothy stew. I would almost suggest if you’re going to have stew, you need a good crusty bread to accompany it.
I source my meat from Aurora View Farms. Their meat is organically raised and grass fed. Seriously, this was the most tender stewing meat I’ve ever cooked and eaten. My entire family asked for seconds and my dad hates curry.
I’m terrible at following recipes. Terrible. I typically look up what I *think* I want to cook on Pinterest, examine 3-6 recipes and mash ’em all up. Here is a very-not-traditional Indian curry (subbing beef for goat). I just wasn’t in the mood for stew and I think you’ll find this recipe pairs well with basmati rice and garlic naan bread in lieu of potatoes and crusty bread. If you have a rice cooker it will lend to an easy work night dinner.
Ingredients
2 pounds stewing beef
1/2 cup plain yogurt
1 tablespoon curry powder (you can use garam masala as well)
2 small red onions, chopped
1 inch knob fresh ginger, minced
3-5 cloves garlic, minced
2 bay leaves
1 tablespoon ghee
6 cloves (whole)
3 cardamom pods
1 tablespoon coriander powder
1 teaspoon cumin powder
2 teaspoon salt (adjust to taste, use to mince garlic)
1 teaspoon turmeric powder
1 teaspoon kashmiri chili powder
1 teaspoon paprika
1-2 Pablano pepper, minced (if you’re not familiar with these, fret not, they’re not very spicy)
1 (28 ounce) can organic diced tomatoes
1 teaspoon garam masala
½ – 1 cup water, depending on how thick you’d like the curry
Method
- Mix the stewing beef, yogurt, and curry powder together and let sit over night.
- Grind the cloves and cardamom pods in a spice grinder (or you can use a a coffee grinder or bullet blender too) and mix the rest of the spices (except the salt) with this mixture.
- Place the marinated beef into the crockpot along with the spices, onion, garlic, and poblano pepper.
- Cook on high for 4 hours, stirring occasionally.
- Add the tomatoes and garam masala and water and cook on high for one hour more.
