1 1/2 lb beef round steak
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 large onion, finely sliced
4 whole cloves
4 green cardamom pods, bruised
3 green chiles, seeded, finely choppe, d
2 dry red chiles, seeded, crushed
1 inch piece fresh gingerroot, grated
2 garlic cloves, crushed
2 tsp ground coriander
2 tsp ground turmeric
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup tamarind nectar, see note below
1 salt to taste
1 lettuce leaves to garnish
Directions
Cut beef into 1-ich cubes. Heat oil in a large heavy saucepan, add
beef and cook until browned all over. Remove with a slotted spoon and
set aside. Add onion, cloves and cardamom to pan; cook, stirring,
about 8 minutes, until onion is soft and golden brown. Stir in
chiles, gingerroot, garlice, corinder and turmeric; cook 2 minutes.
Return beef to pan, add water and cover. Simmer 1 hour.
Stir in tamarind nectar and salt; simmer another 20 to 30 minutes,
until beef is tender. Serve, garnished with lettuce leaves. Serves 4.
Note: Tamarind nectar: Soak a walnut-sized piece of tamarind paste in
one cup boiling water about 20 minutes, then squeeze in cheesecloth
to extract liquid; discard pulp. Store in refrigerator up to 1 week.
Tamarind nectar is also available commercially.
From: Steve Herrick Source: [The Book of Curries and Indian Foods by
Linda Fraser]
Servings: 4 servings
Madras Meat Curry Recipe brought to you by Recipe Ideas
Categories: Meat
The History of Recipes
It is possible to read the history of `recipes` far back into ancient history, certainly as far back into history as the Egypt of the Pharoahs, and maybe even further. However, sadly, these early cook books were just primitive hieroglyphic or cunieform instructions for food preparation.
Interestingly, the oldest recipe found, according to academics are a few tablets in ancient Sumerian which describe the making of bread which is then used to make a drink, quite possibly a form of beer as it is recorded as having made drinkers feel exhilarated and blissful. Later on, in Roman times 25BC a roman called Apicius assembled a collection of scripts describing recipes enjoyed by his fellow Romans. He describes how the meals were divided into starters, main meal and afters, something we still use today. This early Roman chef informs us how the ancient Romans made use of many aromatic flavors, including many that are still in use today for example thyme, rue and parsley. In the fifteenth century, knights returning from the crusades brought back many foods and spices from the Middle-East, including spices like coriander, parsley, and rosemary. The introduction of these new tastes led to an explosion in manuscripts on cooking, most of which are kept safe in academic collections. During the succeeding few hundred years, the upper-class families of Wesstern Europe competed with each other to serve the most extravagent banquests, and as a result the best chefs and their recipes were much in demand. Notwithstanding that, it was during the 19th century that cooking and recipe books became popular. Mrs Isabella Beeton in the UK, and the equally well-known Fannie Farmer in the USA, dedicated the best years of their lives to collecting, trying out, and recording the recipes of their peers. By the arrival of the 1900s, cooking books are in high demand, as a result of increased literacy, people having increased free time and having more disposable income. |
We hope you enjoy this Madras Meat Curry recipe.
