Pepper beef curry, tender beef cooked in a coconut milk-based gravy with pepper being the dominant flavour.

The coconut beef curry is ideal for a cold day to warm you inside out.

A perfect balance of pepper, coconut milk and various spices gives you this pepper beef recipe which makes a simple yet wholesome meal.

What to serve with black pepper beef curry.

• Serve with any type of rice dish. here are a few you can try.
  • Easy lemon rice recipe.
  • Sri Lankan Yellow Rice(turmeric rice)
  • Regular plain white rice
  • garlic and egg fried rice(in 30 minutes).
  • Indian fragrant ghee rice(nei choru).

• Serve with any type of flatbread or roti.
  • How to make Sri Lankan egg roti/paratha.
  • Sri Lankan paratha(godamba)roti
  • How to make poori(deep-fried Indian bread).
  • Sri Lankan pol roti(coconut roti, flatbread).
• Here are some vegetarian curries and salads to pair with the black pepper beef dish.
  • green beans-garlic stir-fried in browned butter.
  • spicy green beans stir fry(bonchi thel dala).
  • Sri Lankan spicy potato, green bean stir-fry.
  • cabbage curry with coconut milk
  • Sri Lankan fried eggplant/brinjal salad.
  • Easy eggplant stir fry
  • Parsley salad(sambol)with coconut.
  • Sri Lankan carrot-grated coconut stir-fry(mallum).
  • Chicken and Potato curry

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Tips to make the black pepper beef curry

The best beef cut for black pepper beef is chuck steak or top side. if these cuts are too expensive then choose a beef cut or pre-cut beef cubes that don’t have a lot of fat in them.

I would recommend using boneless beef cubes to really taste the flavours of the pepper beef.

• Pepper
  • Use the recommended amount of pepper mentioned to the amount of beef.
  • pepper can be wonderful to enhance flavours but adding too much pepper can overwhelm every other flavour.
  • I also find that consuming too many peppery-flavoured curries makes me thirsty the whole day.
  • Always use fresh pepper powder, if you are unable to find pepper powder, grind a few spoons of peppercorns.

• Coriander, cumin, fennel.
  • you can use both seeds or store-bought. I have given instructions to prepare both below.

• The Use of thin and thick coconut milk or using water.
  • The amount of coconut milk you use and the thickness of the milk will have a direct impact on the pepper beef.
  • Thin milk can be substituted with water if you are under instructions to use less coconut milk in your food.
  • And even thick milk can be diluted with water for health reasons.it’s completely up to you to adjust the amount of milk you add to suit your needs.
  • Doing the above will give you a somewhat thinner pepper beef curry.

Utensils and appliances needed.

• Chopping board and knife.
• If grounding fresh spices, use a small coffee grinder.
• A small frying pan to roast the spices.
• Medium to large cooking pan to make the pepper beef.

More beef curry recipes.

Slow-cooked beef curry(like my grandmother makes).

beef korma curry(slow-cooked Indian beef curry).

Beef coconut curry- Sri Lankan style(village-style, naattu aviyal).

Slow-cooked Indian beef and potato curry(aloo gosht)

RECIPE DIFFICULTY-LITTLE CARE IS NEEDED.

Ingredients to cook black pepper beef curry

The ingredients mentioned below use standard measuring cups and spoons

500g of good beef(chuck steak, top side)

3 teaspoons of freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons of white vinegar(any type of white vinegar will do except apple cider)

2 tablespoons of freshly ground coriander(can use store-bought coriander powder)

1 tablespoon of freshly ground cumin powder(substitute with store-bought cumin powder)

1/2 a teaspoon of turmeric

1 large onion sliced fine

2 green chillies sliced(deseed if you need to reduce spiciness)

1 tablespoon of minced ginger( about 1″ of garlic minced)

1 tablespoon of minced garlic(about 3 cloves of garlic)

1 lemon grass stalk with the stem bruised

A sprig of curry leaves(substitute with 2 bay leaves)

A long piece of pandan leaf(about 3″- 4″, if you are unable to find pandan then cook without it)

2 and 1/2 cup of thin coconut(substitute with water if you want to reduce the amount of coconut milk)

3 tablespoons of oil

1 teaspoon of ground fennel

1 cup of coconut milk(refer to tips to reduce the amount of coconut milk used)

1 tablespoon of sugar(optional)

How to cook black pepper beef curry

PREP WORK

Cut the beef into the desired size.
Take each piece of beef, and use a mallet to pound each piece a few times to tenderise it.

You can also use the blunt side of a heavy cleaver.

The curry powders.

• If using coriander, cumin, or fennel seeds.
  • gently roast them separately for 60 seconds or until they release their aroma.
  • Let the spice seeds cool for 10 minutes.
  • Use a spice grinder or coffee grinder to powder them. place in individual bowls.

• If using store-bought coriander, cumin, and fennel powder.
  • gently roast them over a very low fire for 60 seconds, separately.
  • Place in separate bowls.

How to marinate the beef.

Wash and drain excess water from the beef cubes and place them in a bowl.

Season with salt(about 1/2 to a little less than a teaspoon).

Add pepper, coriander powder and vinegar to the beef.

If you are sensitive to spices, wear disposable gloves and mix all the spices with the beef.

Set aside for 10 minutes.

How to cook the pepper beef

Add the marinated beef to a medium-sized cooking pan.

Add turmeric powder, sliced onions, green chillies, minced ginger, garlic, bruised lemon grass, curry leaves, and pandan leaf.

Pour in the thin coconut milk(refer to tips above), and gently stir all the added ingredients with the marinated beef.

Taste the flavoured coconut milk and season with salt.

Add an extra teaspoon of pepper powder if you feel the amount added is not enough.

Cook over medium heat, until the coconut milk, is completely absorbed and the beef is tender.

Check the beef, if it’s still a little hard, add a cup of water(not thin coconut milk) to cook for a longer time and soften the beef.

Once you notice the water is completely reduced and the beef is frying with the spices, reduce the heat and add the oil.

Fry the beef in oil, keep the heat very low and move the meat and thick gravy around to avoid them sticking to the pan. 3-5 minutes.

Avoid frying the beef for too long or over high heat or you might taste a light bitterness once the beef curry is cooked.

Once the beef is fried, add the thick coconut milk, followed by the cumin powder and fennel powder.

Stir the spices with the thick coconut milk.

Gently scrape the bottom to remove any spices stuck on the pan.

Slow simmer over low heat until the black pepper beef gravy changes colour and slightly thickens.

Cook for 10-12 minutes.

Taste and season with salt if necessary, to add a sweeter note to the beef, add a tablespoon of sugar at the end.

Remove from heat and serve with any of the side dishes ideas given above.

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