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Coconut Curry Beef

For an easy, dry-style curry inspired by those of southern India, we bloom whole spices in oil, then toss in a ready-made spice blend. Fresh ginger adds warm, punchy heat, while scallions contribute bright allium notes. To finish, thinly sliced beef is cooked quickly in the fragrant, flavor-packed oil and combined with toasty wide-flaked coconut. Serve over a bowl of steamed basmati rice and garnish as you like; we love this topped with a handful of fresh herbs and yogurt.
Servings: 4
Author: Milk Street

Ingredients

  • 1 cup dried unsweetened wide-flaked coconut or ¾ cup unsweetened shredded coconut
  • 3 tablespoons canola oil
  • 1 teaspoon coriander seeds
  • 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
  • 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
  • 2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger
  • 1 bunch scallions thinly sliced, whites and greens reserved separately
  • 1 teaspoons garam masala
  • 1 teaspoon curry powder
  • 1 pound beef sirloin tips or tri-tip, cut with the grain into 2- to 3-inch pieces, then thinly sliced against the grain
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
  • ⅓ cup water

Instructions

Toast the coconut:

  • In a 12-inch skillet over medium, toast the coconut, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned and fragrant, 3 to 5 minutes.
  • Transfer to a small bowl and set aside.

Cook the aromatics and beef:

  • Return the skillet to medium-high and add the oil, coriander, cumin, and mustard seeds.
  • Cook, occasionally stirring and swirling, until sizzling and fragrant, 30 to 60 seconds.
  • Add the ginger and scallion whites; cook, stirring, until browned and fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes.
  • Add the garam masala and curry powder and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 20 seconds.
  • Add the beef; cook, stirring, until mostly browned but some pink still remains, 1½ to 2 minutes.

Finish and serve:

  • Add half of the toasted coconut, 1 teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon pepper and ⅓ cup water, stirring to scrape up any browned bits.
  • Cook until the liquid has evaporated and the beef is fully browned and tender, 2 to 4 minutes.
  • Off heat, stir in the scallion greens, then taste and season with salt and pepper.
  • Serve sprinkled with the remaining toasted coconut.

Notes

  • I used ghee instead of canola oil and I added 1 tablespoon of virgin coconut oil at the end of the browning of the meat.
  • I didn't read the part about adding in a teaspoon of salt and ended up over-salting the dish when I just seasoned to taste.
  • I think using coconut milk instead of water would work out well to increase the sweetness and balance the dish a bit more.
  • I used just under a pound of tri tip steak meat and two teaspoons of curry power was plenty, no need to use heaping teaspoons here.
  • Original recipe calls for 1 tablespoon coriander seeds OR cumin seeds OR mustard seeds OR a combination AND 2 teaspoons garam masala OR curry powder.
  • Optional garnish: Minced fresh chilies OR chopped cilantro OR plain whole-milk yogurt OR lime wedges OR a combination