Indian beef curry. Succulent meat and aromatic spices combine to create the ultimate curry full of flavor and deliciousness. Bring on the cooler weather with a comforting bowl of this curry served with fragrant rice. Clearly, the best way to showcase the unique taste of an authentic curry.
When autumn (fall) arrives, one of my favorite sights are the trees and footpaths covered in pretty leaves. I really love the different shades of yellows and oranges, and diving deep in the beauty of this natural wonder is the best way to unwind and relax.
The slight chill in the air also divert my attention to comfort foods that can warm you inside out. Ending the day with a delicious hearty meal featuring this Indian beef curry is just perfection.
The secret to the perfect beef curry is allowing the beef pieces to cook in a delectable masala sauce and let them absorb the flavors. Not sure how to make the best Indian style beef curry? Come on, let’s start cooking.
I want to share with you two ways of making this curry - in pressure cooker and on stovetop. To be honest, I prefer the first method in which the meat is cooked quickly making them really soft and succulent. If you want to cook slowly, the latter stovetop method is the way to go. Either way, this Indian beef curry is going to be super delicious .
First, quick and easy pressure cooker method. Add the diced beef along with ground spices, ginger, garlic and onions. Don’t forget salt and pepper. Cook for about 5-6 whistles. The meat pieces need to be cooked through with a melt-in-mouth texture. Do not add water as water from the meat will create a very thick sauce.
While meat is getting cooked in the pressure cooker, make a spicy rich sauce comprising of few dried spices, ground spices and onions. I have also added some fresh coconut slices, but it’s totally optional in this recipe. The cooked beef along with the gravy or sauce goes into this spicy rich sauce making the most delicious Indian beef curry.
For stovetop method, make the sauce first and then cook beef in the sauce slowly. This method will require a longer cooking time, but it’s the best option if you don’t own a pressure cooker. Both methods of cooking will give you perfectly cooked and delicious curry with lots of flavor.
I have to say, this Indian beef curry makes for the perfect side dish for your next meal.
MORE BEEF RECIPES
- 4 ingredient beef curry
- Slow Cooker Indian Beef Curry
- Beef Korma
- Beef Vindaloo
- Beef Stroganoff
- Kerala Beef Fry | Beef Ularthiyathu
- Beef Biryani
- Instant Pot Beef Curry
- Beef and Potato Curry
- Beef Madras
- Beef Masala
- Beef Coconut Curry
- Beef Pepper Fry | Beef Kurumulakittathu
- Authentic Beef Bhuna Recipe
Indian Beef Curry
Ingredients
Cook beef:
- ½ cup sliced onion
- 3 garlic cloves chopped
- 1 ” fresh ginger chopped
- ½ teaspoon ground turmeric turmeric powder
- 1 tablespoon ground coriander coriander powder
- 1 tablespoon garam masala
- 1 teaspoon red chili powder
- 1 kg gravy or chuck steak or braising steak cut into 2.5 cm cubes
- ¼ cup coconut slices optional
- Salt to taste
Tempered spices to add to beef curry:
- 2 tablespoon oil
- 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
- 2 dried bay leaves
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 cup chopped onions
- ¼ teaspoon ground turmeric turmeric powder
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander coriander powder
- 2 teaspoon garam masala
- ½ teaspoon red chili powder
- Water
- Salt to taste
- ¼ cup chopped coriander cilantro leaves
Instructions
Cook beef:
- To cook beef over stove top, place diced beef, onions, garlic, ginger, ground turmeric, ground coriander, garam masala and red chili powder in a large frying pan. Season with salt. Cover with water. Cook for 1 hour or until beef is tender
- (To cook in a pressure cooker, place diced beef, sliced onions, garlic, ginger, ground turmeric, ground coriander, garam masala, red chili powder and coconut slices (if using) in a pressure cooker. Season with salt. Stir to combine. Cook, covered, until 5-6 whistles. Remove from heat. Release pressure. Set aside.)
Tempered spices to add to beef curry:
- Heat oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add mustard seeds and allow to splutter. Add bay leaves and cinnamon stick. Sauté, stirring constantly, for few seconds. Add onions. Sauté, stirring occasionally, for 3-4 minutes or until browned.
- Add ground turmeric, ground coriander, garam masala and red chili powder. Sauté, stirring constantly, for a minute. Season with salt. Add water to make thick sauce. Bring to boil. Simmer 2-3 minutes.
- Add cooked beef. Stir to combine. Add chopped coriander (cilantro) leaves. Simmer 5-6 minutes.
- Garnish with more coriander (cilantro) leaves if you like.
Video
Nutrition
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Lucya says
Looking yummy and delicious. Thanks for sharing
diane says
Wow this curry is amazing, just loved it, thank you, I was wondering if I can use the same ingredients and make it with chicken ??
Rose Mary George says
yes, you can, but adjust the cooking time.
Nicole says
Can you make this in advance? And is it able to be frozen?
Thanks
Nicole
Rose Mary George says
Yes, you can make it ahead and store in the freezer.
jasmine chester hill says
This was outstanding! The flavours are amazing. I prepared exactly as directed.
ronnie says
Great recipe! My family loved it and I will be making this for dinner again.
Nicki says
Hi Nish, how much water do you use
Rose Mary George says
About 1 1/2 cups just enough to cover the beef. Hope that helps!
Claire says
Can I put potatoes?
Rose Mary George says
Yes
Olivia says
Hi do you put water in the pressure cooker with the beef? It says to in the cook top, but no mention in the pressure cooker.
Rose Mary George says
yes
Julie says
Hi Nish.
I would love to cook this meal in my pressure cooker, but it is an electric one.
I’m not sure what 5 or 6 whistles means.
Does it mean 5 minutes in my electric pressure cooker?
I have been so excited to find your website. All of your recipes look and sound amazing.
I hope you will be able to clarify the times for my cooker.
Kind regards
Julie
Rose Mary George says
Hi Julie,
If you have an instant pot, cook the beef for about 20-25 minutes. Hope that helps!
Rene says
Thank you! I wondered how to use my instantpot
Jacqueline says
I can’t wait to make this! Can I make this in a crockpot? If so how long?
Thanks!!
Rose Mary George says
Yes, you can. Here's the recipe - https://nishkitchen.com/slow-cooker-indian-beef-curry-video/
Nicole says
Can you make this in advance and freeze? Thanks
Rose Mary George says
yes.
Allen says
Mustard Seeds are listed in the ingredients for the Tempered Spice but are not mentioned in the method. Are they supposed to go in with the Cinnamon Stick and Bay Leaves?
Rose Mary George says
Hi Allen,
You'll need to splutter the mustard seeds before you add in bay leaves & cinnamon stick. Thanks.
Linda says
No water added to beef ? In pressure cooker? How does that work ? How long do you cook for ?
Rose Mary George says
It depends on the type of pressure cooker used. For instant pot, please refer to this recipe: https://nishkitchen.com/instant-pot-beef-curry/. And for Indian style stove top pressure cooker, you don't need any water as water is released from beef during the cooking process.
Rebecca Lockyer says
It doesn’t say anything about water when using the pressure cooker to cook the meat. Do you not add water in this step? Thank you!
Rose Mary George says
You can add 1/4 cup water if you like. However, the beef will release water while cooking.
Rebecca Lockyer says
Thank you :)))
Jane says
Hi Nish
I'd love to cook this but I don't have a slow cooker so I need to do on the stovetop - but I am totally confused !!
You say to cook meat in the sauce - what is the sauce ? Is it the tempered spices ? If not, when do you add the tempered spices ?
Rose Mary George says
Hi Jane,
First, you'll need to cook the beef along with 1/2 cup sliced onion, 3 garlic cloves, chopped, 1” fresh ginger, chopped, 1/2 tsp ground turmeric (turmeric powder), 1 tbsp ground coriander (coriander powder), 1 tbsp garam masala,1 tsp red chili powder, 1/4 cup coconut slices (optional) and salt to taste. You can seal the beef if you like before adding the other ingredients.Keep this aside while you make the tempered spices.
Second, you make the tempered spices with a rich sauce and then add the cooked beef to it.
Hope that helps!
Jane says
Just seen this ... many thanks Rose
Jane says
Ok so I've cooked the tempered spices .mmmmm ... and yes I'm assuming this is the sauce to now cook the beef in ... question is ... do I now add the beef PLUS all the other ingredients listed in the BEEEF CURRY section as well ie
1/2 cup sliced onion (even though it's not sautéed ?)
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1” fresh ginger, chopped
1/2 tsp ground turmeric (turmeric powder)
1 tbsp ground coriander (coriander powder)
1 tbsp garam masala
1 tsp red chili powder
1 kg gravy or chuck steak (or braising steak), cut into 2.5 cm cubes ... again even though it hasn't been sealed ?
1/4 cup coconut slices (optional)
Salt to taste
MANY THANKS NISHI
Sanjay says
Made this tonight and it was excellent! Thanks for the recipe??
Only thing I would maybe adjust next time is adding some tomato or a bit of tomato paste. Have you ever tried making it this way?
Rose Mary George says
Thanks Sanjay. I'll definitely try this with tomatoes next time.
Simon says
This is one good curry. Growing up with parents born in Bombay, I’m no stranger to tasty curries but this is up there. We cooked the Beef in a cast iron dish on the Stove for just shy of 2 hours and added a pinch of tomato purée in the temper stage. Great recipe, will definitely cook again and again!!
Emily says
Brilliant recipe!
Just what I needed n we loved it! Will def make again!
Thanks ?
Brent says
Hi Nisha, in a standard pressure cooker (one that goes on top of our gas stovetop flame burner) are you suggesting 25 mins with NO added water?
Rose Mary George says
Hi Brent,
The instruction given in the recipe is for Indian style pressure cooker that makes whistles. But for stove top pressure cookers that do not whistle, you will need to add about 2 cups water and cook for 20-25 minutes. Don't forget to check the manufacturer's instructions. If the sauce is too thin, simmer, uncovered, until you get a thick sauce. Hope that helps!
Fran says
Hi Nish, when adding the beef to the tempered spice sauce do I include the liquid etc that the beef was cooked in or just the pieces of beef?
Thanks v much,
Rose Mary George says
Hi Fran,
You'll need to add the beef pieces as well as the sauce. Thanks!
Stuart says
Hi Nish, is it ok to add coconut milk to this to cool the spice heat?
Rose Mary George says
Yes, it'll be delicious!
patrick says
The indian beef curry with the sauce, is the best thing i have ever eaten, thanks a lot for this amazing recipe!!!!!
Chloe Millington says
How many does this serve??
Rose Mary George says
4 - 5 people
Chloe says
Hello I’m going to make this tomorrow night.
I think it’s all straight forward but want to clarify
For stove top I do the first steps and then I make the tempered spices it says to add some water, how much would that be? then do I add the whole other pots worth of beef and liquid?
Thank you
Rose Mary George says
Hi Chloe,
You'll need to add enough water to cover the beef. You can add more water later if needed. And yes, beef with liquid goes into the final curry. Hope that helps!
James E Turner says
Great recipes thank you. For the Beef Korma I used top round. I braised the beef separate for 1 hour. Then I cooked it together with the paste for 30 minutes. Very tender and delicious.
Mel says
Am I supposed to remove the mustard seeds and cinnamon stick after heating them?
And how much water is needed for the tempered part?
Rose Mary George says
You can remove the cinnamon stick if you like. And for the tempering part, do not add any water as the spices are tempered in oil. Hope that helps!
Nightfall says
This was an excellent recipe, thank you. I’m not a meat eater, but I cook for a bunch of them - and they were very happy. I think people got confused because they aren’t used to tempering spices in oil (tarka) and adding them to the final dish. As soon as the beef was browned, I added the main “sauce” ingredients and simmered on the stovetop for about an hour. When the beef was cooked well, I made the tarka and added it just before serving.
My only recommendation is to add the cinnamon stick to the beef as it cooks in its sauce. The chemical that creates the cinnamon needs time to release from the spice. Regardless, it was a big hit and was easy to make.
Heather says
This is an amazing recipe, made it for the extended very Italian family and they loved it!! Thank you so much for sharing, can't wait to try your other recipes.
Mesha says
I made this last week. Putting the ingredients on my shopping list for next week. This recipe is so delicious. I cannot say enough good things. Thank you!
Fran says
Hi I am making this now. It smells delicious I'm very excited. I'm just wondering do I cook the beef separately then add to the tempered spices last and cook for few more minutes then? Thank you
Rose Mary George says
Yes! 🙂
Brigid Perras says
I don't have cinnamon sticks can I use ground cinnamon ?
Rose Mary George says
Yes! 🙂
Lis says
I have bought diced beef from supermarket, not gravy beef.is this ok to use or will it be too tough ?
Rose Mary George says
Even though gravy beef is the right cut to make this curry, you can also use other cuts cooked until tender. The beef pieces will absorb the moisture from the sauce making them very soft. 🙂
Tina says
Just made this it was delicious!
Krista Garcia says
Hello Nish! I was wondering, I only have curry powder and garam masala at the moment. Can I use just the curry powder since it already has some of the spices in it? Thank you!
Rose Mary George says
Yes you can:)
Fleur says
Thank you very much for sharing, looks delicious! 🙂
If I want to prep the curry in advance (2/3 hours), should I add the tempered spices later or finish the curry and reheat?
Rose Mary George says
You can add the tempered spices later just before serving to make it more flavorful! 🙂
Jenn says
Still a bit confused with the stove top method….this is what I understand from reading the recipe and the comments.
1. I am basically making the base curry on the stove stop per the intersections in the first section with the addition of enough water to cover the beef…this cooks for about an hour
2. The tempered spices are prepared just before the curry is served and added the the base curry I have just made, correct?
I only have 1lb of stewing beef, so I will need to halve everything in the recipe, correct?
ALSO, I WOULD LIKE TO,ADD POTATOES…WHEN WOULD I DO THAT?
Thanks!
Larissa says
In the tempered spice section how much water is required. Os is it the water from the pressure cooker
Rose Mary George says
It's water from the presure cooker. However, you can add more water if the sauce is too thick. 🙂
MaddieB says
Cooked this delicious beef curry tonight! My brother is not a curry-lover but this one he loved and ate every morsel. Thanks so much Rose for the recipe.
DannyZ says
We made this for dinner and it was one of the most delicious beef curries we've eaten! Thanks for sharing the recipe. It's simple yet extremely flavourful and now part of our repertoire!
Claire says
Hi can I put potatoes in my beef curry?
Kit says
Hi, I'm trying to make this but what heat setting do I use for the stove top?
Rose Mary George says
medium-high
Barry Clay Whittle says
How do you make the sauce thick?
Rose Mary George says
Simmer for a few minutes
Anonymous says
Amy says
What would you serve with this. What are the other items in your picture?
Rose Mary George says
You can serve it with rice (plain or flavored), naan, rotis or parathas.
Anonymous says
Anonymous says
Kate says
So easy and incredibly tasty! This is 100% going into our regular rotation. Thanks a lot!
Eve says
Just finished cooking and now sitting down to eat it and need to leave a 5 star review immediately! It is that good!
Guy Stalter says
Excellent curry. I did add a pack of chopped spinach as well as a cup of diced potatoes. Will be making my naan bread as well. Thanks for sharing this wonderful recipe.
Anonymous says
Lorreen says
Absolutely loved this recipe. Thank you!! It was banging with flavour and the meat was super tender, albeit that I did let it simmer for longer as I used beef brisket. Can’t wait to try it with chicken.
Susan says
Would substituting coconut milk for water work?
Rose Mary George says
Cook beef with a little water and then add coconut milk towards the end of the recipe.