Keto Beef Curry
This Keto Beef Curry is a rich, flavorful South Indian-style dish that’s perfect for a hearty, low-carb meal. It uses traditional southern Indian flavors like coconut milk, spices and curry leaves paired with tender beef and a rich and creamy spiced sauce.
Step by Step Video Instructions
Ingredients
- Beef Chuck: Beef chuck is ideal for slow cooking because it becomes tender and absorbs the flavors of the spices. You can also substitute with other slow-cooking cuts like brisket or stewing beef if you prefer.
- Coconut Milk: Coconut milk adds richness and creaminess to the curry, along with a good dose of healthy fats. It’s a key ingredient in South Indian curries, balancing the heat of the spices while adding richness.
- Spices: The blend of Kashmiri chili powder, turmeric, cumin, coriander, and garam masala forms the flavor base of this curry. These spices add warmth, depth, and complexity, making the dish aromatic and flavorful.
- Ginger and Garlic: Freshly minced ginger and garlic provide a strong, fragrant base for the curry.
- Tomatoes: Fresh tomatoes are blended into a paste for the curry. They add acidity and sweetness, helping to balance the richness of the beef and coconut milk.
- Curry Leaves: Fresh curry leaves add a distinctive, citrusy flavor that’s characteristic of South Indian curries. If fresh ones aren’t available, frozen curry leaves can be used, though fresh ones will give a more robust taste.
- Mustard Seeds: Mustard seeds are toasted at the start of the cooking process to release their nutty, slightly tangy flavor.
- Olive Oil, Ghee, or Coconut Oil: Any of these oils will work for cooking the curry. Olive oil is a great neutral choice, while ghee or coconut oil can add a bit more richness.
Expert Tips
Adjust the Heat to Your Taste: If you like more heat, you can add a fresh green chili when blending the tomatoes, garlic, and ginger into the curry paste. This allows the chili’s heat to blend into the sauce evenly. You can also throw in extra dried red chilies while toasting the spices too if you like.
Adjusting Consistency: The thickness of the curry can be adjusted depending on your preference. If the sauce becomes too thick during simmering, add a little water or extra coconut milk to thin it out. If you like a thicker, more concentrated sauce, simmer the curry uncovered to allow it to reduce.
Storage and Leftovers
Refrigerator: Allow the curry to cool completely before transferring it to an airtight container. You can store it in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Freezer: This curry freezes well for up to 3 months. Once the curry has cooled, place it in a freezer-safe container or bag. Thaw it overnight in the refrigerator before reheating on the stove.
Reheating: You can reheat the curry on the stovetop over low to medium heat, stirring occasionally and adding liquid as needed. Alternatively, reheat it in the microwave. Place the curry in a microwave-safe dish and reheat until hot throughout.
FAQs
Serve the curry with keto-friendly sides like cauliflower rice or keto naan. It’s filling on its own but pairs well with low-carb alternatives.
This curry has a moderate to mild level of spice from the dried red chilies. If you prefer less heat, you can reduce the number of dried chilies or even remove them altogether. For extra heat, you can add fresh green chilies when blending the curry paste or toss in additional dried chilies during cooking.
Yes, you can. Simply sear the beef in a pot, then slowly simmer it in the curry with the lid on for 1.5 to 2 hours, or until the meat becomes soft and tender. Just add more liquid if needed.
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Keto Beef Curry
Ingredients
- 600 g beef chuck or any slow-cooking cut, cut into bite-sized pieces
- 100 g onion roughly chopped (about 1/2 cup)
- 100 g tomato roughly chopped (about 1/2 cup)
- 10 g ginger minced
- 10 g garlic minced (about 5 cloves)
- 300 ml water about 1 1/4 cups
- 100 ml coconut milk
- 1 teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
- 1 teaspoon coriander powder
- 1/2 teaspoon garam masala powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin powder
- 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
- 2 dried Kashmiri red chilies
- 1 pinch hing asafoetida, optional
- 1 handful curry leaves
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 2 bay leaves
- 4 cardamom pods
- 8 whole black peppercorns
- 2 tablespoons olive oil can use coconut oil or ghee instead
- Salt to taste
- Fresh coriander chopped, for garnish
Instructions
Prepare the Beef:
- In a pressure cooker, add the beef, salt, cinnamon stick, bay leaves, cardamom pods, peppercorns, and water. Pressure cook for 30 minutes or until the beef is tender.
- Once cooked, use a slotted spoon to remove the beef and set it aside. Strain the liquid from the pressure cooker and set it aside as well.
Make the Curry Paste:
- In a food processor or blender, combine the onion, tomato, ginger, garlic, and 1 tablespoon of water. Blend into a smooth paste.
Cook the Curry:
- In a large frying pan or heavy-bottomed saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the mustard seeds and dried red chilies. Once the mustard seeds start popping, add the curry leaves and a pinch of hing. Stir for a few seconds until fragrant.
- Add the blended curry paste to the pan. Stir well and season with salt. Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the paste begins to thicken and releases the oil.
- Stir in the Kashmiri chili powder, turmeric powder, garam masala, cumin powder, and coriander powder. Mix well and cook for another 3-4 minutes, allowing the spices to toast and the paste to become more fragrant.
Combine the Beef and Simmer:
- Add the cooked beef into the pan, stirring to coat the meat in the spice mixture.
- Pour in the reserved stock (from the pressure-cooked beef) and stir. Allow the curry to simmer for 15-20 minutes, or until the sauce has reduced and thickened to your desired consistency.
Finish with Coconut Milk:
- Stir in the coconut milk and let the curry cook for another 5 minutes. Once done, turn off the heat and garnish with freshly chopped coriander.
Serve:
- Serve the keto beef curry hot with cauliflower rice, keto naan, or keto dosa for a complete low-carb meal.
Yum! Made this with pork tenderloin and cooked it in a pot rather than pressure cooking it (didn’t need it), easy peasy ? I also happened to have coconut cream at home (I never do), so that went straight in as well. Oddly enough, it tasted rather like a mix of North and South Indian curries actually, but still 100% delicious. Thank you!
awesome!! đŸ™‚
Hey Sahil,
What program do you use to calculate the nutritional panel on your recipes?
I use the recipe maker in Myfitnesspal.
Tasted GREAT! Thanks so much đŸ™‚
Hey man,
How long would you cook the beef for if you dont have a pressure cooker?
Till it’s fork tender. Should take 45-60 minutes on the stove top I think. Otherwise slow cook for 3 hours in the oven at 180C-190C should also work.
Great, is that after all the ingredients are added or in place of the pressure cooking stage?
So you would cook the beef first for 40-60 minutes on the stove top till it’s tender and then proceed to phase 2. So yeah that is in place of the pressure cooking stage.
I made this at the weekend – absolutely delicious! I don’t have a pressure cooker so cooked the meat in a pan, took about 2.5 hours, and the stock was AMAZING! I didn’t have whole Kashmiri dried chillies so just used some regular chilli flakes instead. It was so, so good. Will definitely make it again.
Hey Sahil, just made this recipe today in the Instant Pot. It may be the best curry I’ve ever had! I did have to substitute some things (had to use dried kashmiri chilli flakes, and dried curry leaves) but it was still a winner. Thanks for sharing. I look forward to trying this with other meats such as chicken thighs.
That’s awesome Jenny! Am so glad to hear that!!!
Hello Sahil,
please could you make a Rogan Josh recipe? It is my favorite indian food that I would love to learn and I guess it should be keto friendly. Plus if you make it I know it will taste great. đŸ™‚
Thank you very much for consideration!
With kind regards,
DM
It’s on my list!
Sensational Keto Beef Curry Sahil ! I didn’t have Curry leaves so I used curry powder instead I also added a bay leaf and Crushed lime leaf. Served it on a bed of steamed Green beans Yum I lost count how many times I gave it a Gooood Mix!
Is it normal to pick out the curry leaves when you eat the curry? I made it last night and it was might tasty but I want keen on the leaves to eat.
Just wondering if its the norm to just set them aside as you devour it mmmmmm?
Completely personal preference. Some people remove every curry leaf. I eat them most times but then again I also swallow orange seeds, watermelon seeds when I eat fruit. But whatever makes it most enjoyable for you.
Great curry-cooked in slow cooker with slight adjustments for this cooking method. My husband is not on keto & is asking when we can have it again!
So glad to hear that!
Hi sahil, I would like to make this curry for Boxing Day, can I freeze it please
Yes absolutely! You can freeze it.