Potatoes and beef were considered the best ingredients for food, and they have a strong affinity with communism.
The origins go deep: in early 1964 the chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Soviet Union, Prime Minister Khrushchev, was noted for saying: “If we could promise people nothing better than a revolution, they would scratch their heads and say, ‘Isn’t it better to have a good goulash?'”.
This comment implied that he did not support the continuation of the revolution.
Another competitor who was advocating the theory of “continuing the revolution” in the international communist movement was, of course, very clear-minded on the matter. Unfortunately, due to the pressure he was under from Khrushchev, he had to bear it.
There are many ways to stew potatoes and beef. Goulash, mentioned by Khrushchev, is regarded as the “national dish” of Hungary with potatoes being optional ingredients.
Today we will be making Potato Curry Beef. As long as this dish brings warmth to the people on a cold and stormy winter’s night and it brings a sense of contentment, then it is a good dish, isn’t it?
The ingredients you will need are pictured below.
Ingredients:
- 800g beef. Beef stew is different from stir-fried beef stew. In the case of a beef stew, you need to choose the beef that has more meat on it such as that found on the leg. The beef tendon is rich in collagen and we will be using this later. It will permeate throughout the stew making it thick and smooth. The beef tastes better when cooked slowly this way.
- 2 medium-sized potatoes
- 3 teaspoons curry powder (Choose the best quality/brands of curry powder you can buy.)
- salt
- 2 star anise
- 2 teaspoons coriander seeds
There are many ways to cook beef and potato curry, and it’s hard to say which one is the most authentic.
However, for any successful beef stew, the judging criteria are the same. The beef must be soft as well as tasty. To achieve this, any suitable method can be used.
The approach described here uses two stages of cooking: first in a pressure cooker and second stage in an ordinary pot. The process is as follows:
Method:
Step 1
First, place 800ml of water into a pressure cooker on the stove and bring to the boil. Add the star anise, coriander seeds and the beef.
At this stage, do not put any salt in the pot and don’t cut up the beef.
The purpose of this is to make sure that the stewed beef is soft because salt will make the beef shrink tight and harden.
When the water in the pan is boiling, and the pressure valve starts to vent, turn down the heat on the stove and then turn the timer on for 1 hour. After one hour, the beef will be cooked.
Step 2
While you are waiting for the beef to cook, wash and peel the potatoes, and cut into 2 cm pieces.
Step 3
When the timer goes off, open the pressure cooker (you can pour cold water over the lid to cool it down or you can wait until it cools naturally), remove the beef and cut into small pieces of about 1.5 cm.
When you cut it, you will notice that the beef is loose and falling apart. This will help absorb the seasoning in the next cooking stage, ensuring that the beef is tasty.
Step 4
Place the beef pieces in a small pot and pour the water mixture from the pressure cooker in, too.
If you do not want the star anise and coriander seeds, you can use a sieve to remove them.
Step 5
Next, add the curry powder and mix it with the desired amount of salt to suit your taste.
Step 6
Place the potato pieces into the pot, put the lid on and bring to the boil. Lower the heat, and cook until the potatoes are soft. This process will take about 30 minutes.
At this point, the stew is already a little sticky, but you will still need to thicken it. Take 30g of starch, with a small amount of cold water and pour it into the pot, stirring while pouring.
The stew is now finished, and it can be served up.
Tips:
1. Do not put salt in while the beef is boiling in the pressure cooker.
2. The beef is cooked in a pressure cooker and then cut into small pieces when you take it out. This ensures that the beef can absorb the flavors, making it tastier.
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Ingredients
- 800 g beef. Beef stew is different from stir-fried beef stew. In the case of a beef stew you need to choose the beef that has more meat on it such as that found on the leg. The beef tendon is rich in collagen and we will be using this later. It will permeate throughout the stew making it thick and smooth. The beef tastes better when cooked slowly this way.
- 2 medium-sized potatoes
- 3 teaspoons curry powder Choose the best quality/brands of curry powder you can buy.
- salt
- 2 star anise
- 2 teaspoons coriander seeds
Instructions
- First, place 800ml of water into a pressure cooker on the stove and bring to the boil. Add the star anise, coriander seeds and the beef. At this stage, do not put any salt in the pot and don’t cut up the beef. The purpose of this is to make sure that the stewed beef is soft because salt will make the beef shrink tight and harden.
- While you are waiting for the beef to cook, wash and peel the potatoes, and cut into 2 cm pieces.
- When the timer goes off, open the pressure cooker (you can pour cold water over the lid to cool it down or you can wait until it cools naturally), remove the beef and cut into small pieces of about 1.5 cm. When you cut it, you will notice that the beef is loose and falling apart. This will help absorb the seasoning in the next cooking stage, ensuring that the beef is tasty.
- Place the beef pieces in a small pot and pour the water mixture from the pressure cooker in, too. If you do not want the star anise and coriander seeds, you can use a sieve to remove them.
- Next, add the curry powder and mix it with the desired amount of salt to suit your taste.
- Place the potato pieces into the pot, put the lid on and bring to the boil. Lower the heat, and cook until the potatoes are soft. This process will take about 30 minutes.