Friday, February 20, 2015

Quick Curried Beef- In the pressure cooker



I really liked this recipe for a quick curried beef  it was meant to be a recipe for a hand pie filling, and I can no longer find the source.....but it worked very well to serve on rice as well.  Quick and made with what was on hand.

Curried Beef

2 lbs stewing beef cut in 1 inch cubes
2 cups water
2 Tbsp oil
1 1/2 Tbsp beef soup base powder
1 1/2 Tbsp brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp basil
1 1/2 tsp parsley
1 1/2 tsp oregano
1 1/2 tsp paprika
1 1/2 tsp cumin
1 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp Vindaloo curry paste
2 tsp soy sauce

1 cup mixed vegetables (I used frozen peas and fresh carrots)

2 Tbsp corn starch and water to thicken

Cut meat into 1 inch cubes and dry well with paper towel.  Season meat with salt and pepper and brown in batches in the oil over medium high heat.  Remove browned meat to a plate while doing the remaining batches and adding extra oil if needed.  Once all meat is browned, return it to the pot with all remaining seasonings. and a few Tbsp of the water.  Stir to scrape up any browned bits off the bottom.  Add in remaining water so that you have 2 cup in total added.  Put on the lid to your pressure cooker and bring up to 15 lb pressure over a high heat setting (around 8 on my stove)....or high setting.  Once the pressure button has indicated you are up to pressure, and there is a steady stream of steam escaping the pot...turn down the heat on the stove to medium (enough so that steam continues to stream out steadily, but not forcefully.  Begin timing for 20 minutes.  At the end of 20 minutes remove pot from element and let the pot depressurize naturally.  If you are in a rush, you can depressurize quickly.  Open the pot, return to heat and bring to simmer.  Adjust heat to keep at a simmer and add in your vegetables.  Cook until vegetables are tender, stirring periodically.  Once veggies are ready, mix cornstarch with cold water and stir into the pot to thicken.  You can add only half of the corn starch mixture and see if it is enough....you may not need it all...or you may want to add more depending on the thickness you like.