Flavourful easy Indian Beef Curry recipe cooked in onion and tomato base curry sauce, infused with a blend of classic Indian spices. Create the best tender beef curry that brings both warmth and traditional home-cooking flavour to your plate. Perfect with a bowl of fluffy basmati rice or plain naan.
In contrast to Chinese beef curry and Japanese beef curry, Indian beef masala curry is spicier and bolder in flavour.
We love both traditional homestyle and takeaway-style curries and they are always in our family's weekly meal rotation. Ground Beef Curry and Garlic Chilli Chicken Curry are my go-to quick curry recipes for the days I couldn't think of what curry to cook.
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Why do we love this recipe
This beef curry is an excellent harmony of meat, spices, and fresh herbs, and is slow-cooked to perfection. Easy to adjust the heat and flavour to your preference by customizing the chilli and spices.
Beef curry is one of our family's specialities and we cook it in many different variations by adding tomatoes, potatoes, carrots, dal, and spices. We love to have it in everyday meals, casual dinners, celebrations, festivals, potlucks, etc. It's great to serve the crowd and is rich in satisfying bold flavour.
In this post, I am sharing the universal curried beef recipe that is made with essential curry ingredients and basic spices that anyone can effortlessly cook at home.
What type of beef to use?
- The choice of beef cut has an impact on both cooking time and flavour of the final dish. Popular beef cut choices are chuck steak, shank, short ribs, flank steak, sirloin, skirt, silverside, etc.
- Leaner beef cut contain less marble fat and need more time to become tender but they are ideal for slow-cooking.
- For this slow-cooked universal beef curry, you don't have to use expensive meat cuts, add your favourite leaner or fatter beef. Slightly adjust the cooking time according to the meat cut and slow-braise to desired tenderness.
- It's important to cut the beef into same-sized medium bite-sized pieces for even cooking and trimming out the excess fat.
Basic curry ingredients and spices
- Onion - I love to use shallot onions which are less in moisture and easy to melt in the curry sauce. Add your choice of brown onions, Asian shallots, baby onions, etc.
- Tomatoes - Fresh vine ripened tomatoes are ideal for making curry sauce base. Cut the tomatoes into slices or small dice. Instead of fresh tomatoes you can also use tomato passata.
- Ginger & Garlic - Use freshly grated ginger and garlic for the best curry flavour.
- Ground Spices - I used turmeric, chilli, garam masala, and coriander powder.
- Whole Spices - Adding whole spices bring signature authentic flavour to the dish. Cumin seeds, bay leaves, and cinnamon are 3 basic spices you will need.
- Cooking oil - Add your choice of sunflower, vegetable, canola, ghee, or unsalted butter.
How to cook this beef curry
First prepare beef and marinade:
- Cut the beef into same-size small cubes.
- Season the beef cubes with salt, turmeric, chilli powder, garam masala, ginger, and cooking oil. Mix it well and marinate for 15 minutes.
Sauté beef and spices:
- Heat the pan to medium heat and add oil. Once the oil is hot, add cumin seeds, cinnamon, and bay leaves. Let them sizzle for a few seconds.
- Next, add onions and cook until translucent. Then add the grated garlic and sauté for a few seconds until light brown. Then add the tomatoes and cook until the tomatoes are soft.
- Add beef and ground spices ( chilli, turmeric, coriander powder, garam masala ).
- Combine everything well and cook for 1-2 minutes.
Slow-cook the beef in heavy-bottom pot:
- Now add water and salt to taste. Stir everything well.
- Bring the heat to low, close the lid and simmer for 1 hour or until the beef is tender. ( Check occasionally and add more water if necessary. )
- Make a taste test and add more salt or spices if needed.
- Once the beef is tender, turn off the heat and add coriander. Transfer to a serving plate and garnish with coriander and serve with plain basmati rice, naan, or chapati.
Cooking Note
- Use a heavy-bottomed pot or pan that helps distribute the heat evenly.
- Add enough water to cover the beef in the pot to prevent it from drying out during the slow-braising process.
- Curry flavours can be intensified over time, so make a taste test and adjust the seasoning if needed.
- Cooking time can be varied according to the beef cut you used and the type of cookware and cooking method. If you are cooking over a stovetop or slow cooker it will take more time and if you cook in a pressure cooker it will be a lot quicker.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, beef curry can be cooked in advance and taste even better the next day as the flavours have more time to infuse.
Absolutely, you can freeze the leftover beef curry in the freezer in a freezer-safe bag or container for future use. It usually lasts in the fridge for up to 3 months and 3-4 days in the fridge. Make sure to store it in the fridge in an air-tight container.
It can be reheated over the stovetop for 4-5 minutes until piping hot. To reheat it in the microwave, place it in the microwave-safe container and reheat it for 2-3 minutes or until hot. To avoid drying out the curry sauce, add a splash of water if needed.
This dish is medium-hot but you can customize the level of spiciness by adding more or less chilli. If you prefer it spicier, add more chilli powder and fresh green chillies and if you prefer milder or kid-friendly curry, you can substitute chilli powder with paprika or reduce the chilli amount.
To create a complete simple meal, pair it with plain basmati or naan bread. Add a side salad, pickles, chutney, and appetizers like Indian Onion Salad, Raita, Butterfly Prawns, Or Chicken Pakora for a wholesome dinner.
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Indian Beef Curry
Equipment
- Heavy bottom pot with lid Cast iron, casserole pan, or slow cooker
Ingredients
- 600 grams Beef Cut into medium-sized chunks
- 2 Onion Shallot or brown onion, finely chopped
- 2 Large tomatoes Vine ripened tomatoes
- 2 tbsp Garlic Finely grated or garlic paste
- handful Coriander Roughly chopped
- 4-5 tbsp Cooking oil Or ghee or unsalted butter
- 1 tsp Salt Or salt to taste
- 2 cup Warm water Or enough water to cover the beef
Beef marinade
- ½ tsp Chilli powder
- ½ tsp Turmeric powder
- ½ tsp Garam masala
- 1 tbsp Ginger finely grated or paste
- 1 tsp Cooking oil
- 1 tsp Salt or salt to taste
Spices
- 1 tsp Chilli powder
- 1 tsp Turmeric powder
- 1 tsp Garam masala
- ½ tsp Coriander powder
- 1 Cinnamon stick
- 3-4 Bay leaves
- 1 tsp Cumin seeds
Instructions
- Cut the beef into same-size small cubes. Season the beef cubes with salt, turmeric, chilli powder, garam masala, ginger, and cooking oil. Mix it well and marinate for 15 minutes.
- Heat the pan to medium heat and add oil. Once the oil is hot, add cumin seeds, cinnamon, and bay leaves. Let them sizzle for a few seconds.
- Next, add onions and cook until translucent. Then add the grated garlic and sauté for a few seconds until light brown. Then add the tomatoes and cook until the tomatoes are soft.
- Add beef and ground spices ( chilli, turmeric, coriander powder, garam masala ). Combine everything well and cook for 1-2 minutes. Then add water and salt to taste.
- Stir everything well. Bring the heat to low, close the lid and simmer for 1 hour or until the beef is tender. ( Check occasionally and add more water if necessary. ) Make a taste test and add more salt or spices if needed.
- Once the beef is tender, turn off the heat and add coriander. Transfer to a serving plate and garnish with coriander and serve with plain basmati rice, naan, or chapati.
Notes
- What type of chilli powder to use? Add regular hot/mild chilli powder or Kashmiri chilli powder for vibrant red colour.
- How to make it spicier? Dried crushed chillies and hot green chillies can be also added if you prefer spicy beef curry.
- Tomatoes - Instead of fresh tomatoes you can use tinned/canned tomato passata.
- Note - It usually takes 1 hour for the beef to get tendered but cooking time can be varied according to the beef cut and the type of cookware that you use.
Olivia says
Very straightforward recipe. We enjoyed all your curries, especially this one. Pls share instant pot and slow cooker beef recipes.
Olivia says
Very straightforward recipe. We enjoyed all your curries, especially this one. Pls share instant pot and slow cooker beef recipes.
Belle says
I made it yesterday. Didn’t use some spices but it was still so good. Thanks for the easy recipe. I’m trying your lamb mince curry next!
Khin says
Glad that you enjoyed this recipe, Belle. I don't usually add all spices. You can customize both ground spices and whole spices to your own taste. Hope you enjoy lamb mince curry too!
Elle M says
I’ve got all the ingredients in hand, except beef. 😂 I’ll try it tomorrow. Just printed out your recipe. Thank you.
Khin says
Hope you enjoy it, Elle. Let me know how your curry turns out.