Melt-in-the-mouth beef, slow-cooked in a rich, spicy sauce. The heat cooks out a little in this recipe, so it’s more of a warming heat, rather than a hard-hitting raw heat.
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I love the texture of the sauce in this recipe. It’s thick and sumptuous, and of course it’s rich and flavourful too. Spicy-but-not-too-spicy.
That beautiful texture comes from the blending of the onions, garlic and ginger. It’s such a great way to start a curry sauce as it means no ‘bits’ in the sauce, which some people don’t like.
Quite often I find my youngest picking the cooked onions out of dishes. This method ensures the onion is eaten, and actually enjoyed too! Those minced-up onions provide sweetness and extra richness to the sauce.
📋 Ingredients
📺 Watch how to make it
Full recipe with detailed steps in the recipe card at the end of this post.
👩🍳PRO TIP If you want to reduce the heat level, you can swap the Madras powder for a medium or mild curry powder.
If you do swap out the curry powder, you might find the sauce isn’t quite as red, but you can recifiy that with the addition of a teaspoon of paprika, if you like.
🍽️ What to serve it with
Can I use a different meat?
Yes, you can swap out the chunks of beef for lamb (same cooking time) or pork (reduce the cooking time 60-75 minutes). I also have a recipe for Chicken Madras – which is a lot quicker to cook (about 30 minutes).
🍲 More fantastic Slow-Cooked Curries
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Slow Cooked Beef Madras Recipe
Melt-in-the-mouth beef, slow-cooked in a rich, spicy sauce. The heat cooks out a little in this recipe, so it’s more of a warming heat, rather than a hard-hitting raw heat.
INSTRUCTIONS
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Preheat the oven to 160C/320F (fan).
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Place the onion, garlic and ginger into a food processor and blend to a smooth paste.
1 large onion, 3 cloves garlic, 1 thumb-sized piece of ginger
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Heat the ghee (or oil) in a large casserole pan over a medium-high heat.
2 tbsp ghee or sunflower oil
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Add the beef and cook, stirring a couple of times, until browned. This should take about 7-8 minutes.
500 g (1.1lbs) braising beef
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Remove the beef from the pan with a slotted spoon and place in a bowl. Put to one side.
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Add 1 tbsp of ghee (or oil) to the pan, then add in the onion paste mixture and bay leaves.
1 tbsp ghee or sunflower oil, 2 bay leaves
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Cook for 5-6 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onion starts to brown slightly at the edges of the pan.
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Add in the tomato puree, cinnamon, Madras powder, fenugreek, tamarind paste, salt and pepper.
2 tbsp tomato puree, ½ tsp ground cinnamon, 3 tbsp Madras hot curry powder, ¼ tsp ground fenugreek, ½ tsp tamarind paste, ½ tsp salt, ½ tsp black pepper
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Stir together and cook for 2-3 minutes, until the spices start to release their fragrance.
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Add in the beef stock and passata, stir and bring to the boil, then add the beef (plus any resting juices) back to the pan.
480 ml (2 cups) beef stock, 420 ml (1 + ¾ cups) passata
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Place a lid on the pan and place in the oven for 3 hours, until the beef is tender. Check the beef a couple of times during the last hour of cooking and top up with a splash of boiling water if it’s starting to look dry.
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Once cooked, serve the madras with basmati rice and/or naan bread, and top with fresh coriander and red onion slices.
Boiled basmati rice, Naan bread, Fresh coriander, Finely diced red onion
✎ Notes
If you want to add some vegetables to this curry, I recommend the addition of mushrooms and/or chopped peppers. Add them in right before the curry goes into the oven.
Make Ahead:
This dish can be made ahead, then cooled, covered and refrigerated for up to two days. Reheat in a pan with a lid over a medium heat, for about 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until piping hot throughout.
Freeze:
Yes, make the recipe, then cool, cover and freeze. Defrost overnight in the refrigerator, then reheat, as per the make-ahead instructions above.
Cook in the slow cooker:
Make the recipe as per the instructions, up until the point you would put it in the oven. Then transfer to the bowl of the slow cooker, place your slow cooker lid on and cook for 5-6 hours on high or 7-8 hours on low.
Nutritional information is approximate, per serving (this recipe serves 4), NOT including the rice.
Nutrition
Calories: 359kcalCarbohydrates: 18gProtein: 31gFat: 18gSaturated Fat: 9gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 106mgSodium: 1119mgPotassium: 1099mgFiber: 5gSugar: 8gVitamin A: 657IUVitamin C: 16mgCalcium: 84mgIron: 6mg
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