Beef, potato & banana curry with cashew rice
Add to favourite + Print Print

Beef, potato & banana curry with cashew rice

By Sarah Cook

Banana and tamarind add a rich sweetness to this slow-cooked spice pot with nutty basmati and coconut sauce

  • Prep:30 mins
    Cook:2 hrs 30 mins
  • Serves 4
  • Easy

Nutrition per serving

  • kcal 1210
  • fat 55g
  • saturates 24g
  • carbs 118g
  • sugars 30g
  • fibre 7g
  • protein 57g
  • salt 0.3g

Ingredients

  • 2 tbsp sunflower oil
  • 800g stewing beef, cut into chunks
  • 2 onions, chopped
  • 2 lemongrass stalks, bashed
  • 2 tbsp grated ginger
  • 2 tbsp tamarind paste
  • 3 garlic cloves, crushed
  • 1 tsp ground turmeric
  • 2 tbsp medium curry powder
  • 2 tsp brown sugar
  • 400ml can coconut milk
  • 500g bag new potatoes, halved
  • 3 small or 2 large slightly underripe bananas, cut into 2cm-thick slices
  • 2 tsp garam masala
  • small pack coriander, leaves only
  • squeeze of lemon juice (optional)
  • 140g cashews, lightly bashed
  • 300g basmati rice
  • 4 tbsp crispy onions - make your own (see tip, below), or find them in tubs, alongside croutons, in supermarkets

Tip

How to make crispy onions

Heat enough vegetable oil to come about 5cm up the side of a deep saucepan, about 500ml. Once hot, fry 1 onion, thinly sliced, for 1-2 mins until golden and crisp. Drain on kitchen paper and sprinkle with salt.

Method

  1. Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4 and heat half the oil in a large frying pan. Brown the beef in batches, and transfer to a flameproof casserole dish. Add the remaining oil to the pan with the onions, and fry gently until softened. Stir in the lemongrass, ginger, tamarind, garlic, turmeric, curry powder and sugar, and fry for a few mins until fragrant. Add the coconut milk with 1 can of water, stir into the beef and bring to a simmer. Cover and bake for 1 hr. Meanwhile, toast the cashews in a dry frying pan until golden.

  2. After 1 hr, stir in the new potatoes and cook for 1 hr more until the potatoes are tender, removing the lid halfway. The casserole can now be cooled and chilled, or frozen, if preparing ahead.

  3. Put the casserole back onto the hob. Stir in the bananas and garam masala and simmer, uncovered, for 10 mins until the sauce has thickened.

  4. Cook the rice following pack instructions, then mix with the cashews, crispy onions and some salt. Scatter the curry with coriander, season well, then taste – it may need a squeeze of lemon to finish it off.

Suggested recipes from this collection...