Indian beef stew. The only thing better than beef stew? Spiced stew loaded with fragrant spices, fall-apart beef, tender vegetables and coconut milk. Aromatic, spicy, rich, nutritious and comforting, this stew makes for the ultimate winter meal.
It goes without saying that 2020 has amplified our love for cooking and homemade comfort food, whether it’s a simple avocado toast or a dessert masterpiece. And without a doubt, trends and global cuisine have a major impact on what we eat and cook. However, traditional comfort food never loses its top position on our menu.
Bring on the classic winter staple - beef stew. To be precise, I’m going to introduce you to spiced stew aka Indian beef stew - a quintessential dish of Anglo Indian cuisine. Although this recipe is inspired by the traditional version of the stew, I have made a few changes to adapt it to modern cooking.
Ingredients
Beef - Gravy beef, chuck steak or braising steak is one of the key elements of beef stew.
Dried spices - This includes bay leaf, cinnamon, and cloves.
Spice powders - Apart from the dried spices I mentioned above, you’ll also need to add few powdered spices like ground turmeric, ground coriander and red chili powder.
Vegetables - The best part is you can customize with whatever veggies you have on hand. I really love the addition of potatoes, carrots and green beans in this recipe. Depending on your taste preferences, you can also add sweet potatoes, broccoli, cauliflower and green peas.
Beef stock or broth - Beef broth adds the richness to this stew.
Garlic - It adds that extra flavour
Onions - It makes the sauce rich and flavorful.
Coconut milk - Canned or freshly squeezed coconut milk is ideal in this recipe.
How To Make Indian Beef Stew
Stir fry beef - The first step is to quickly brown the beef pieces in a little oil until they are browned on all sides. It’s the right way to seal in all the deliciousness.
Make the sauce - Heat up a little oil and fry the dried spices. Make sure you stir the spices continuously. When the spices are fragrant, add in onions. Once they are soft and starts to brown, add ginger garlic paste. Give it a quick stir fry until you get the lovely aroma.
Tomato paste goes in next followed by some chopped tomatoes. Now you’ll need to wait until they turn mushy. Pour in the beef broth and simmer.
Add meat- The browned beef goes into the stew next, and then simmer again for about 45 minutes or until the beef pieces are tender.
Add vegetables - The diced vegetables are cooked alongside beef for the next 15 minutes.
Add coconut milk - Before you remove this Indian beef stew from the stove, stir in coconut milk and sprinkle with plenty of coriander leaves.
More Beef Recipes:
Indian Beef Stew | Video
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons oil
- 1 kg beef chuck or gravy beef (or braising steak), cut into 3.5 cm cubes
- 1 tablespoon all purpose flour plain flour
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 cloves
- 2 cm cinnamon stick
- 1 cup chopped onions
- 1 tablespoon minced ginger ginger paste
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic garlic paste
- 1 green chili chopped
- ½ teaspoon ground turmeric turmeric powder
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander coriander powder
- ½ teaspoon red chili powder
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste tomato purée
- 1 medium tomato chopped
- 1 cup beef stock beef broth
- 1 cup water
- 2 cups diced vegetables potatoes, carrots and green beans
- ½ cup water
- ½ cup coconut milk
- 2 tablespoons coriander cilantro leaves
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Chopped coriander leaves to garnish
- Naan paratha, rice or crusty bread to serve
Instructions
- Heat one tablespoon oil in a large casserole or pan over medium-high heat. Season with salt and pepper. Stir fry beef, turning halfway through, for 5-8 minutes or until evenly browned. Sprinkle with flour. Stir fry for one minute. Transfer to a plate. Set aside.
- Heat remaining one tablespoon oil. Add bay leaf, cloves and cinnamon stick. Stir fry for one minute. Add onions. Sauté, stirring occasionally, for 2-3 minutes or until soft and translucent.
- Add ginger, garlic and green chilies. Sauté, stirring, for two minutes or until fragrant. Add ground turmeric, ground coriander and red chili powder. Fry for one minute.
- Add tomato paste and stir fry for two minutes. Add tomatoes, and sauté, stirring occasionally, for 2-3 minutes or until they are soft and mushy.
- Add beef stock (broth) and 1 cup water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 3 minutes.
- Add beef. Season with salt and pepper. Stir to combine. Cover the pot with a lid. Cook over medium-low heat for 45 minutes. Stir occasionally and add more water if needed.
- Add vegetables and ½ cup water. Stir to combine. Cook, covered, for another 15 minutes or until the meat is tender and falling apart and the vegetables are tender. Add more water if needed.
- Stir in coconut milk and coriander (cilantro) leaves. Heat through.
- (Alternatively, you can cook this in a stovetop pressure cooker. After step 6, transfer stew and the remaining ingredients except coconut milk to the cooker. Cover with the lid. Place the whistle on top and cook for about 7-8 whistles. When pressure is released, open the cooker, stir in coconut milk and heat through)
Make this in instant pot:
- Turn on instant pot. In sauté mode, heat 1 tablespoon oil and brown beef with flour following the recipe instructions mentioned above. Transfer beef to a plate and set aside. Heat 1 tablespoon oil and fry bay leaf, cloves and cinnamon stick. Add onions and sauté for 2-3 minutes. Add ginger, garlic and green chilies. Sauté for one minute. Add ground turmeric, ground coriander and red chili powder. Fry for one minute. Add tomato paste and fry for two minutes. Add tomatoes, beef stock, beef and vegetables. Season with salt and pepper. Stir. Put the lid on instant pot. Select manual mode. Set the timer for 20 minutes. When done, let the pressure release naturally. Remove lid. Stir in coconut milk and coriander leaves. On sauté mode, let the stew heat through.
Make this in slow cooker:
- After step 5 , transfer the stew with the remaining ingredients except coconut milk to slow cooker. Cover with lid. Cook for 4 hours on high or 8 hours on low. Open lid, stir in coconut milk and let it heat through.
Notes
- Substitute beef with lamb, mutton or pork. Adjust the cooking time accordingly.
- Customize this stew with your favorite veggies like sweet potatoes, pumpkin, broccoli, cauliflower or green peas
Nutrition
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Anoopa says
Hi Nisha,
Love your recipes. Have a blessed day .
Roshan says
Great for cold weather. Always hits the spot. Love this recipe.