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MR PIANIM’S BEEF CURRY

Curry is a big part of the British culinary psyche and I have not been immune. I love grinding my own spices—there seems to be something very satisfying on a primitive level about pounding a few sticks and seeds together to produce some wonderful aromatic flavouring.

TO SERVE FOUR

2 tbsp olive oil

600g/1lb 5oz chuck steak trimmed and cut into 3cm/11/4 inch cubes

50g/2oz butter

1 large Spanish onion peeled and sliced

1 walnut-sized piece of fresh root ginger peeled and chopped

300ml/10fl oz tomato passata

500ml-1 litre/18fl oz-1³/₄ pints beef or chicken

stock (see pages 184 and 185) or water

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the curry paste

1 medium-hot dried smoked chilli

3 cardamom pods crushed and with husks removed

1 heaped tsp coriander seeds

¹/₂ tsp each ground turmeric and cumin

1 pinch of sea salt

3 cloves of garlic peeled and roughly chopped

1 pinch of dried curry leaves a few grinds of black pepper

Grind all the ingredients for the curry paste together in a pestle and mortar or spice grinder. Heat the oil in a large pan over a high heat. Season the steak with salt and pepper, drop into the pan and cook until browned on all sides. Remove with a slotted spoon and keep aside. Reduce the heat, drop the butter into the pan and gently fry the onion and ginger together until the onion is soft. Stir in the curry paste and fry for about 10 minutes, giving it a gentle poke and stir around from time to time.

Glug in the passata and 500ml/18fl oz of stock or water. Return the meat to the pan, stir through and leave to gently simmer for 2 hours. Check that it isn’t burning or sticking from time to time and add a little more stock or water if it looks like it is drying out.

I like to serve this curry with basmati rice cooked in stock and tossed with butter, and a dish of spinach that has been briefly boiled then tossed in a pan with cream and a little nutmeg.