Beef Curry food

8 Ingredients that Make Mouth-watering Malaysian Beef Curry

Typical Malaysian beef curry is creamy and rich thanks to the addition of coconut milk and the choicest aromatic spices. This slow-cooked stew is quite a royal delicacy as it is traditionally served to honor guests on ceremonial occasions. It is best to pair this beef curry with the very famous Malaysian coconut milk rice. Together they are a match made in heaven as the rice soaks up all the goodness of this curry.

Sometimes rice noodles replace the staple rice and create magic too. Cook this hearty dish in bulk so you can freeze some leftovers to relish at a later date. This delectable curry keeps well while retaining all its complex flavors, given its lengthy cooking process. The eight-core ingredients which make a Malaysian beef curry recipe simply irresistible are:

8 Malaysian Beef Curry

  • Boneless Beef
  • Toasted Coconut
  • Fragrant Curry Powder
  • Flavorful Curry Paste
  • Sliced Onions
  • Thick Coconut Milk
  • Tamarind Pulp
  • Sugar And Soy Sauce

Boneless Beef

Boneless Beef food

Using boneless chunks of equally cut beef ensures it cooks evenly till tender. The chunks of beef must be bite-sized, not too small, or else the long cook will disintegrate the meat. At the same time, huge pieces of beef will not sufficiently absorb all the intoxicating flavors rendered by the aromatic spices incorporated. To cook the beef to perfection time is of the essence, and this recipe caters to just that, allowing the meat to soften slowly.

Toasted Coconut

Also referred to as Kerisik, toasted coconut adds a textural element, attractive brown color and appealing aroma to an authentic Malaysian beef curry. To make Kerisik, you can use frozen packs of unsweetened grated coconut. Thaw the frozen coconut and fry it over medium heat in a dry pan till its color changes from white to brown. Stay clear of burning the coconut as then it emits an unappetizing bitter taste.

Another indicator that the coconut has roasted beautifully is when it releases a lovely fragrance and appears drier. After that, blend the roasted coconut until it becomes a coarse powder. For it to last the longest, seal it in a container and store it in the freezer.

Fragrant Curry Powder

For the curry powder, lightly toast whole dry spices until they release their intoxicating aromas. The spices include cloves, cardamom pods, black peppercorns, cinnamon sticks, cumin, and coriander seeds. Once roasted, add turmeric and chili powder and grind this mixture till fine in a spice blender. Alternately, you can crush all these ingredients using a mortar and pestle for authentic Malaysian beef curry recipe.

Flavorful Curry Paste

To prepare this paste, peel and finely slice galangal, garlic, ginger, and lemongrass, after removing its tough outer leaves. Blend it all in a food processor along with a generous amount of dried red chilies and some oil.

Have no fear of excess heat owing to the number of chilies incorporated. The slow cooking process of this curry reduces the spicy quotient of these chilies. You must toss the beef in this wet and above mentioned dry marinade, till well coated. Rest the meat in this marination to enable all the heavenly flavors to seep through.

Sliced Onions

In a little oil, cook the sliced onions gently over low heat. They must start sweating and turn translucent, not caramelize and turn brown. A classic recipe like this Malaysian beef curry is built on this very foundation as onions are added to your cooking pot at the very start. Once you master the initial stage, the result is bound to be a desirable one.

Thick Coconut Milk

To give body, richness, and creaminess to this celebratory recipe, add a fair amount of coconut milk. This ingredient acts as a thickening agent and binds all the mouth-watering flavors together.

Tamarind Pulp

For a contrasting touch of sourness, soak tamarind in warm water.  Discard the seeds, squeeze out the juice and use around two teaspoons of the pulp for this recipe. The addition of tamarind juice helps balance out all the different flavor elements in your cooking pot.

Sugar and Soy Sauce

Finish this culinary creation by bringing it to flavor. A touch of sugar and a dash of soy sauce do wonders by lending an appealing sweet and tangy twist to this recipe. For this very purpose many a time, even a few lime leaves are thrown in.

An intricate dish like this Malaysian beef curry requires to be put together at leisure. Only when you have ample time as a chef to devote to each stage of the lengthy cooking process, do you get the best results. Such meat dishes mature with time, so ideally prepare it a day or two in advance. Since it needs hours to tenderize the beef, cook this curry either in a slow cooker, heavy-bottomed pot with a lid, or your reliable oven.

Tickle your taste buds with this richly spiced gastronomic delight. Though it is painstaking to make, you are bound to wow your diners as they tuck into your complex culinary creation.

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