Easy Ground Beef Curry

I have been on an Asian kick lately. Asian flavors have been dominating my taste buds for some reason and the best part about it is that Asian cooking is generally very easy, quick food to make. This beef curry I made in about 45 minutes; another good weeknight dinner without sacrificing flavor. Asian food, for some reason, reminds me of my grandmother. I am always mentioning her, but I can't help it because she was she a huge role model in my life. She and I would order Chinese food on Saturday nights when I came to sleep over while the parents were out to play. We would drive to Canton Chinese food, order the food (she did not believe in phoning the order ahead of time), sit and wait for the order to be ready, pay and take it home. The beginning to a series of fun Saturday nights was always with Chinese food. We would always order the same thing; me the chicken with broccoli and her I believe was the special friend rice and chicken wings.

Wednesdays with Eryka

It was our tradition; we would eat then play Bingo or Parcheesi, watch her favorite Saturday night variety show and we'd end the night with my favorite show: I Love Lucy or The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour! I'm happy for these memories as well as for the developed taste for Asian food that start for me at a local Chinese restaurant and now that expanded beyond that. I hope you enjoy this recipe on Wednesdays with Eryka!





Recipe
2 tablespoons oil
1 lb ground beef
1 onion, finely chopped
1 green pepper, diced
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
2 bay leaves
4 tomatoes, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons ground coriander
2 teaspoons ground turmeric
1 teaspoon chili powder
2 1/2 cups stock

1. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a saute pan. Over low-medium heat, cook the onion, pepper, cumin seeds and bay leaves. Stir and cook for about 2-3 minutes until the spices are fragrant. Add the tomatoes and cook and stir for about 10 minutes.

2. In the same saute pan, add the garlic and cook for about 1 minute then add the ground beef, coriander, turmeric and chili powder. Cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes until the meat is browned.

3. Pour the stock into the pan and bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer , stir occasionally for about 20-25 minutes. Season with salt when done and discard the bay leaves. Serve with steamed rice. Enjoy!