Slow Cooker Beef Madras
Slow Cooker Beef Madras is a bold, deeply spiced curry made with tender beef, tomatoes, yogurt, and warm Indian spices. Everything cooks together low and slow for a rich, flavorful sauce with minimal effort and maximum payoff.
Servings: 6
Calories: 463kcal
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 large onion roughly chopped
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 1 tablespoon garlic and ginger paste
- 1 small cinnamon stick
- 4 cardamom pods
- 3 dried red chilies
- 1 large tomato diced
- 1 tablespoon garam masala
- 2 teaspoons Kashmiri chili powder mild heat
- 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste mixed with ½ cup water
- 1 tablespoon tamarind sauce
- 1½ cups curry sauce mild, homemade or store-bought
- ½ cup plain yogurt
- 1½ pounds beef chuck cut into 1 inch pieces
Instructions
- Add the diced beef, chopped onion, garlic and ginger paste, butter, cinnamon stick, cardamom pods, dried red chilies, diced tomato, garam masala, Kashmiri chili powder, turmeric, tomato puree mixed with water, tamarind sauce, curry sauce, and yogurt into your slow cooker.
- Stir everything gently to combine, then cover the slow cooker. Cook on low for 6-8 hours or high for 4-5 hours, until the beef is tender and the sauce is rich and flavorful.
- Once the beef is fall-apart tender, remove the cinnamon stick and cardamom pods. Give the curry a final stir. Serve with basmati rice or warm naan.
Video
Notes
- Beef choice. Beef chuck is ideal here because it becomes tender and juicy during slow cooking. Lean cuts tend to dry out and aren’t the best fit for this recipe.
- Adjust the heat to your taste. Kashmiri chili powder gives color and mild warmth. For more heat, add extra dried chilies. For less, reduce or skip them entirely.
- No browning required. You can sear the beef first if you want extra depth, but this recipe is designed to work beautifully without that extra step.
- Don’t skip the tang. Tamarind adds balance and keeps the sauce from tasting heavy. If substituting, a mix of lemon juice and a pinch of sugar works best.
- Even better the next day. The flavors deepen as it sits, making this a great make-ahead or leftover-friendly meal.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 463kcal | Carbohydrates: 23g | Protein: 29g | Fat: 28g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 94mg | Sodium: 972mg | Potassium: 649mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 15g | Vitamin A: 898IU | Vitamin C: 39mg | Calcium: 66mg | Iron: 3mg
