Curried Beef Stew

I am sure you are so sick of seeing curried dishes on our blog. I'm sorry, but I guess I'm on a roll. We probably stink, and are sweating curry lately. This family adores Indian food, though, for many reasons, so I keep making more and more. You see, the ingredient lists for curried dishes always boast our favorites:

Rice
Sweet Potatoes
Beans (chickpeas, lentils)
Chicken/tofu/beef
Vegetables

The flavors are also quite outstanding in curried dishes. Rarely do you find that a recipe comes out bland. So, those are my reasons. Good enough? I haven't cooked with beef in a while , and we had a pound of stew meat in the freezer, so I whipped up the bad boy last night. The upside of the recipe, is that it is easy to make, my family loved it, and my kitchen smelled heavenly. The downside to this recipe, is that it cooked for a whopping 2 hours on the stove top. Yikes. Anyway, the big boss (Maya) loved this dish. After she took her first bite, she said, "Mommy! This is good beef!" Gotta love it. Kevin was also a big fan. The dish has a well rounded blend of spice curry and sweet, fruity flavors. Anyway, this is a nice way to use up your extra soup veggies that are wilting in the fridge - carrots, celery, mushrooms, green onions...




You should make this (when you have 2 hours to spare). Kevin gives it 4 bowls, plus a cup (so, is that 4.5 bowls?).

Curried Beef Stew

Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1 1/2 cups)

Paste:
1/2 cup chopped green onions
3 tablespoons fresh orange juice
2 tablespoons minced peeled fresh ginger
1 tablespoon Thai chile sauce
4 garlic cloves, peeled
2 serrano chiles, seeded and finely chopped
Stew:
Cooking spray
1 pound beef stew meat
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
1 tablespoon curry powder
1 (3-inch) cinnamon stick
1 bay leaf
3 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
1 (14 1/4-ounce) can low-salt beef broth
2 cups (1-inch) cubed peeled sweet potato
1 1/2 cups (1-inch-thick) sliced carrot
1 cup (1-inch-thick) sliced celery
1 (8-ounce) package presliced mushrooms
1/2 cup light coconut milk

To prepare paste, combine first 6 ingredients in a blender; process until smooth. Spoon into a bowl.

To prepare stew, heat a Dutch oven coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat. Add beef; cook 5 minutes, browning on all sides. Remove from pan.

Reduce heat to low; add oil to pan. Add paste; cook 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Add curry, cinnamon, and bay leaf; cook 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Stir in beef, soy sauce, and broth. Increase heat to medium-high. Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat, and simmer 1 hour.

Add sweet potato, carrot, celery, and mushrooms. Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat, and simmer 50 minutes or until beef and vegetables are tender. Remove from heat; stir in coconut milk. Discard cinnamon stick and bay leaf.


CALORIES 358 (30% from fat); FAT 11.8g (sat 4.4g,mono 4.4g,poly 1g); IRON 5mg; CHOLESTEROL 71mg; CALCIUM 74mg; CARBOHYDRATE 34.6g; SODIUM 556mg; PROTEIN 28.5g; FIBER 6.1g

Cooking Light, JULY 2002