A simple and versatile beef curry that was a firm favourite in my house and it still is. This Mangalorean Spicy Beef Curry can be prepared with or without coconut. It is packed with flavour from a delicious Mangalorean flavour base of heady roasted spices, fresh green chillies, fragrant fresh ginger and just a dash of coconut (adding coconut is optional). An ultimate Mangalorean beef curry when served with hot steamed rice, or any variety of Indian breads, including Mutlim (round rice bread) or bhakri (rice flat bread). If all fails, you may serve it with white bread as white bread soaks up this spicy curry perfectly!!

I was not a fan of beef when I was growing up however, my parents and grandma loved beef and this spicy beef curry frequented on the COELHO dining table along with bhakri or boiled rice, both of which are great combinations with this curry.

The only time we bought beef was, when a Muslim beef seller came to doors with a few different cuts of beef in a little metal box that was layered with ice. My mother’s favourite cut of beef was what he called ‘halva’, which essentially means boneless beef. I am not terribly certain of the equivalent of that cut over here, I have therefore used Blade Steak, which works well for this curry.

My mother cooked beef only in a handful of ways. Some of her favourite beef curries included, Beef Green Masala, Beef Sukka, Beef Cutlets (these recipes appear in my first ever cookbook, Deliciously Indian, available to buy on Amazon), Beef Jeere Miri and this Spicy Beef Curry, which she simply called “Beef Curry”. I recall this curry to be spicy, slightly tangy (all credit to a combo of tamarind and white vinegar), had a deep earthy colour (from dry roasted whole spices) and very flavoursome. She would add very little coconut from time to time however, on most occasions this curry was prepared without coconut.

She also made Beef Tongue on rare occasions however, as it involved a lot of prep time, this was only as a treat! The tongue tasted rich with a delightful texture. It was cooked first, marinated and finished off in a shallow frying pan. The depth of flavour from the marinade brought out the earthy flavours of the tongue, which was loved by all at home, but particularly by my grandma Alice Coelho.

My taste buds were craving for a taste of this Spicy Beef Curry from a very long time and when I spoke to my hubby about this curry, he seemed to also recall his mother making a similar curry in his house. It sounds like a recipe that many Mangalorean households used to prepare as it was simple enough to be cooked in all kitchens.

As I had not made this curry for several years, I simply could not recollect all the ingredients that went into this curry. I was determined to recreate this curry as the taste of my mum’s curry was still lingering on my tastebuds. So, a few days back, I tried this curry with a combination of different spices but failed to match the exact taste of my mum’s curry. My tasting team reluctantly gave me the go ahead subject to me fine tuning the recipe.

My hubby suggested to ring his sister and check out the ingredients. What a great idea that was!!

Bingo! She mentioned she makes this curry quite regularly in Mumbai. Thank you Thelma for enlightening me with the necessary spices and method to make this curry. I followed the ingredients and method to the ‘T” and was thrilled to achieve close enough taste to my mum’s Spicy Beef Curry. I have made this curry several times since then to ensure its authentic taste and I am thrilled to share this recipe with you and I hope you will enjoy preparing it. Sharing is caring, right guys!!

There’s a decent amount of spices called for in this Spicy Beef Curry, given the flavour of this delicious curry but it does not call for any hard to find ingredients. In fact, most of these ingredients are commonly used in an Indian pantry.

If you do not have the whole spices mentioned in the recipe, you will be able to find them at your local Indian supermarket. Although you can buy coriander and cumin powders at your local Coles stores in Australia, the real flavour for this curry comes from a blend of dry roasted coriander seeds, cumin seeds and roasted Kashmiri and long red chillies.

You may serve this curry straight from the stove to the table, however, this curry tastes better if served after a day of two as the flavours of the spices permeate through the meat.

If you like beef and want to try out an authentic Mangalorean style spicy beef curry, this is the perfect recipe just for you! And when you prepare it, please leave a comment right at the bottom of this page, as it keeps me motivated and helps me a lot!!

If you like red meats, feel free to try out the following recipes:

Indo-Chinese Beef Chilli (Indian and Chinese fusion beef dish), Beef with Vegemite (umami rich beef dish) and Aussie Steak with Creamy Chimichurri (an Australian classic pan fried beef steak with chimichurri).