At a recent dinner party this was the most requested recipe.  I adapted it from a recipe in “The Complete Book of Indian Cooking” by Shehzad Husain and Rafi Fernandez.  The recipes are all in the “Balti style” - a quick and easy style of Indian cooking, similar to Chinese stirfrying. 

When I made the beef and carrot version of the recipe it took longer than stirfrying as I used chunks of beef stew meat and simmered them until tender.  You can also use lamb, pork or more tender cuts of beef to cook a faster version of this curry.  Enjoy …

Beef and Carrot Curry

Ingredients:

2 tbsp vegetable oil

1 large onion, diced

1 piece fresh ginger, 2 inches long, grated or finely chopped

4 cloves garlic, finely minced

6-8 curry leaves (I used dried ones)

3 tbsp hot curry paste (I used Patak’s brand, it comes in a bottle and is available at most grocery stores)

3 tsp cayenne powder

1 tsp turmeric

salt to taste

2 lb lean lamb, beef or pork, cubed

3-4 medium carrots, peeled and cut in stew size chunks

3/4 cup thick coconut milk

chopped tomato and cilantro leaves for garnish

1.  Heat the oil in a large saucepan or wok and fry the onion, ginger, garlic and curry leaves until the onion is soft, stirring occasionally.  Stir in the curry paste, cayenne, turmeric and salt and cook for a few moments, stirring frequently.

2.  Add the meat and stir well over a medium heat to seal and evenly brown the meat pieces.  Keep stirring until the oil separates.  Cover and cook for about 20 minutes - or longer if the meat is not tender.  I simmered the stew meat for a few hours to tenderize it.  Lamb or pork would cook much more quickly. 

3.  Add the coconut milk, mix well.  Add the carrots and simmer until they are tender - 20 to 30 minutes.  Towards the end of cooking, uncover the pan to reduce the excess liquid.  Garnish and serve hot.