Looking for an old fashioned recipe for beef curry

korbo, Feb 10, 8:06am
my late mum used to make up a really nice kinda sweet beef curry, think it had sultanas and onions it in. it was done in a pot of the top of stove. cant find it in her recipe book.
I am talking of maybe the 50's, when curry and rice were the in thing.
thanks.
margyr, Feb 10, 8:25am
x1
curry powder, tumeric, tomato relish, tomato sauce, soya sauce, worcester sauce, onion, carrot/mixed vege, meat, tsp of sugar, sultanas, mix altogether, cover with water and bring to the boil then turn heat down and simmer for a couple of hours. i use any sort of relish really, piccallili, sweet fruit chutney, anything tasty. Had mince done this way tonight i put kumera and spuds in as well. But no sultanas blerk.
vida1, Feb 11, 7:58am
x1
how much of each ingredients would you have put in ? ? ? I would like to give this a try , not that I;m allowed back into the kitchen till next week after this weeks disaster, thanks
korbo, Feb 11, 8:47am
oh vida, what happened. ? ? ?
vida1, Feb 12, 12:48am
well I deviated from the recipe and used a chinese marinade instead and then spilt half of it down the kitchen cupboards, then when i took it out of the oven I dropped it , pan and all , all over the floor. So I'm banned till next week so I thought that the recipe above looks good and I might give it ago but unless someone post the quantities its a good chance it will be uneatable . story of my cooking life unfortunatley
valentino, Feb 12, 1:01am
Back in the 50's can remember going to a neighbour's place after catching some fish and getting some shellfish. They were Portuguese and had this pan on the stove and simply put dashes of ingredients in addtion to the shellfish (deshelled) plus sultanas and some fresh bananas of all things, allowed to simmer and then served, it was demolished and was a curry based.

Your thought bought back this memory and now thinking back was done purely by taste, no recipe, just off the cuff or cuft sort of thing.

Cheers.
cgvl, Feb 12, 3:06am
my mothers '60's curry recipe.
Saute onion (in dripping) in oil, cut beef or use any meat into bit size pieces (she used mince a lot). Fry for a few minutes. Add water or sock to cover meat and any vegies she happened to have on hand.
Peel and chop 1-2 apples and add a good handful of sultanas. Curry powder to taste anywhere between 1-3tsp (I use a lot more). Simmer for a hour or 2 (yuck). Thicken with cornflour or flour. I think she used to add tomatoes and worcestershire sauce as well. Salt and pepper to taste.
My version is to pan fry onions, 1-3Tbsp good curry powder, garlic and ginger, then add the meat/mince, add celery, carrots and apple then a small amount of stock, a good Tbsp of a sweet relish/chutney, tin of tomatos or fresh/frozen and a good handful of sultana's. Simmer until vegies are cooked. Thicken if needed and season to taste. I serve it over rice, generally with yoghurt on the side.
glenleigh, Feb 12, 3:08am
Sounds like a good recipe cgvl but I think I would leave the sock out or korbo will be banned from the kitchen for life. Hehehe
cgvl, Feb 12, 3:11am
lol glenleigh, I sometimes wonder if she did use a sock ... looking back at some of her recipes I'm surprised we survived.
Whenever I visit I always check what vegies are for tea and have been known to grab a plate and remove my serving before they are cooked to death. Prefer my cabbage, cauli and broccoli on the undercooked side.
dezzie, Feb 12, 3:49am
lol korbo, I still use that old one

saute 2 apples and 1 large onion in about 50 grms of butter, when soft add about 3/4 cup of flour and mix until the flour is coating the onion and apple (you can mix the curry into the flour at this stage as well).
Stir in beef stock, and keep stirring until desired thickness.
Add meat, a handful of sultana's, salt and pepper and simmer.

To speed this up, I've boiled the meat (I frequently use mince for this), then used the hot stock from that for the stock, and the meat is already basically cooked, so its quicker.
margyr, Feb 12, 4:41am
mine is not any set quantities, probably 1/2 pudding spoon of curry powder, pudding spoon full of whatever pickle i am adding a pour of tomato sauce, the other ingredients just a pour or 2, the apples chopped up is a good idea also, if i am doing devilled sausages i usually use an apple so would be ok in a curry, and a handful of sultanas. the meat is usually around 500 grams. and if i use more meat i just add more flavour. and yeah at the end thicken with flour and water, i whisk my flour and water so there are no lumps, make sure curry is not boiling and pour it in quite thick so just do abit at a time and stir. If any lumps form just say they are mini dumplings. Good luck, have fun.
nickyd, Feb 12, 5:52am
Here is the one I still make from around that era. I know it would horrify "real" chefs, but I've hardly met a person that doesn't love it

Beef Curry ( Best flavour if made day before)

500g Blade Steak chopped
1 clove garlic
1 onion chopped
2 T (or more) sultanas
1 t ground ginger (optional)
1 T curry powder
1Granny Smith apple
either2 T brown sugar & 2 T chutney or 2 T apricot jam
600ml - 1litre beef stock
1 t mixed herbs
salt and pepper

Peel and chop garlic and apple.
Fry onion lightly, add apple and garlic and cook until soft.
Add curry powder and stir until well mixed.
Add meat, then stock, then other ingredients.
Simmer 2 - 2 ½ hours.
Add additional water through cooking if necessary.

Can be frozen and reheated.
vida1, Feb 12, 7:48am
thankyou girls , I;m trying the abovenext week, stand by for the results next week ( if I live to tell the tail ) cheers
cgvl, Feb 12, 8:14am
vida1 I have an easy no fail casserole recipe as well you can use neck chops or stewing steak and cook in a slow cooker (crockpot), oven, or on stove top.
6 neck chops or 500g stewing steak (can use most types of steak for this, and can do a larger amount without having to increase other ingredients)
1 onion chopped,
1Tbsp flour,
1Tbsp sugar,
1Tbsp vinegar,
1Tbsp Tomato Sauce,
½ tsp curry powder,
½ tsp mustard powder,
salt and pepper to taste,
½-1cup water or stock.
Put all ingredients into a casserole dish and cook at 160C for 2hours.
If using crockpot/slow cooker use less water/stock and cook longer.
On the stove top cook for about 2 hours at a slow simmer.
korbo, Feb 13, 9:57am
wowee, thanks peeps, it sounds like you have the recipes i like. Tho in this heat we are having, i think, i will put them aside until it gets a bit cooler.
the sock... . yes if it was one of my hubbys best ones, i would be dismissed.
so hot here, can hear the mission concert loud and clear.
Pity we all live in different places, it would be great to get together and have a good ole natter on FOOD>>>>... ... ...
cgvl, Feb 13, 11:53pm
korbo I grabbed a few of my grandmothers tried and true recipes from her before she passed. The neck chop/stewing steak was one of them and I use it regularly especially in winter.
Agree this heat is a killer.
nickyd, Feb 15, 9:32am
It's certainly curry weather in CHCH. I've never been so cold as this summer . Casseroles and curries looking very appealing already!
rarogal, Feb 19, 2:29am
Along with sultanas and bananas, I also recall a coconut flavour in our curry, but not sure if it was dessicated coconut or coconut milk. And yes, CGVL I still make the neck chop casserole also, my kids, grandies and hubby lovethe deliciously tender meat off them! !
lady_p, Jun 3, 1:57pm
We were looking for a sweet beef curry recipe that was similar to one we used to make from my husband's old army cookbook which is not available any more. As I am allergic to tomatoes, we are going to try nickyd's recipe. It also seems close to what we remember. I think that dessicated coconut was mostly used in the sixties. My child hood memories are faded for the moment.