Name: Beef Tikka Masala
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 1 h
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Indian/Pakistani
Ingredients: 2 medium onions, roughly chopped; 2 tbsp garlic and ginger paste; 2 to 5 green bird's eye chillies, roughly chopped; 70ml (1/4 cup) ghee or rapeseed (canola) oil; 8 black peppercorns; 1 x 2.5cm (1 inch) cinnamon stick; 2 green cardamom pods, lightly bruised; 800g (28 oz) beef cut into bite sized pieces; 1 tbsp ground cumin; 1 tbsp ground coriander; 1 tbsp tandoori masala; 1 tsp garam masala; 1/2 tsp ground turmeric; 1 tbsp Kashmiri chilli powder (more or less to taste); 1 tbsp mango chuteny; 400g (1 1/2 cups) chopped tomatoes or unseasoned passata; 125ml (1/2 cup) beef or chicken stock or water; 125g (1/2 cup) plain natural yoghurt; Salt to taste; 1 tbsp kasoori methi (dried fenugreek leaves); 3 tbsp single cream (optional); Juice of 1 to 2 limes; 3 tbsp fresh coriander, finely chopped

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Beef tikka masala is a thing and it's a curry you need to try soon.

Everyone has heard of chicken. tikka masala. My local curry house does a nice lamb tikka masala too but beef tikka masala? Using flavourful beef with this lightly spiced sauce is incredible.

Following you will learn everything you need to know to make this authentic Pakistani beef tikka masala recipe.

What is beef tikka masala?

You should not confuse this beef tikka masala with the bright red chicken tikka masala you find at most curry houses. Yes it is made with beef but there are other differences too. You prepare this beef tikka masala completely from scratch without the need for the base curry sauce you need for curry house curries.

It is also spicier than the more famous curry but the texture is really quite similar. For your information, 'tikka' means 'pieces' in Urdu and Hindi and 'masala' means mixture.

So what you are getting here is beef pieces that are cooked in a mixture of spices and fresh ingredients. I guess you could say that all beef curries are exactly that but with beef tikka masala you normally cook the meat off the bone and the sauce is different to other beef curries.

Which cut of beef should you use for this recipe?

When you make curries with beef, it is best to use cheaper cuts of beef like chuck and topside (top round). These cuts need to cook for longer to become tender but as they simmer, they release their flavour into the sauce.

You could also use more expensive cuts such as ribeye and sirloin. These cuts to not need to cook as long to become tender. Using these cuts, you will be able to cook your beef tikka masala in less than 30 minutes but you will not achieve the same depth of flavour as using the cheaper cuts.

Although it is not common to find marrow in a beef tikka masala, if you can find marrow bones to add to your curry, do it! The marrow oozes flavour and is a great addition.

Are there any other variations of beef tikka masala?

Beef is of course important if you want to make beef tikka masala. The sauce, however is amazing with other proteins.

You could make this same beef tikka masala recipe using other proteins. For example, try it with mutton or lamb and the sauce will taste amazing.

You could even use paneer to make a paneer tikka masala. Use paneer or lamb and use this beef tikka masala recipe or try the same proteins in this curry house style tikka masala sauce.

How long can you store beef tikka masala in the fridge?

If you happen to have leftovers, I rarely do, you can store them in your fridge for 3 to 4 days. In fact, curries taste better with time as the flavours develop.

This means that you can also work ahead if you like. Go ahead and prepare you beef tikka masala a day or two before serving. Then just heat it up on your stove to serve.

Can you freeze this curry?

Yes and it freezes really well too. If it's not too late, I recommend freezing it before adding the yoghurt and cream as dairy products like these don't freeze well.

If it's too late and you have already added them, go ahead and freeze it anyway. You might notice a texture difference when you heat it back up but it will still be very good.

Step by step photographs.

The ingredients for the recipe laid out on a countertop and ready. — Get all of your ingredients together and prepared before you start cooking.

The chopped onions and chillies in a blender ready to blend. — Place your chopped onions and chillies in a blender. You can add a drop of water if needed to assist blending.

Blending the onions and chillies in a blender until smooth. — Blend the onions and chillies in your blender until smooth. Set aside.

Infusing the spices into the oil and ghee over a medium heat. — Pour the oil or ghee into a pan over a medium-high heat. Infuse the whole spices for about 30 seconds.

Adding the cubed beef to the pan. — Add the beef tikka (cubes) to the pan in one layer. You might need to do this in two batches.

Browing the meat and then adding the garlic and ginger paste. — Brown the meat all over for a few minutes and then stir in the garlic and ginger paste.

Adding the spices, chopped tomatoes and blended onions and chillies to the pan. — Stir in the ground spices, chopped tomatoes and the blended onions and chillies. Stir well to combine and coat the meat and fry for about 5 minutes, stirring regularly.

Adding the stock and mango chutney to the pan. — Pour in the stock or water and add the mango chutney. Stir well to combine.

Covering the pan to simmer until the beef is tender. — Cover the pan and simmer over a medium heat until the beef is tender. This could take up to 30 or 40 minutes with some cuts of beef. But watch it! Do not over or under cook the meat.

Cooking the curry down and adding the yoghurt. — When the meat is tender, remove the lid and cook the sauce down to your preferred consistency. Then whisk in the yoghurt one tablespoon at a time.

Pouring the cream into the curry. — Now add the cream and whisk it in too.

Finishing the curry off by adding the kasoori methi, salt to taste and the lemon juice to taste — To finish, add the kasoori methi by rubbing it between your fingers over the curry. Season with salt and the lemon juice to taste.

The beef tikka masala served over rice and garnished with chopped coriander. — Serve the curry over hot rice, garnished with the coriander (cilantro).

Serving the curry wrapped in a chapatti. — You can also wrap the curry up in a chapatti. Very good.

Beef tikka masala on a serving plate with a lemon wedge. — Enjoy!

If you like this beef tikka masala recipe, you might like to try some of these delicious beef recipes too.

Have you tried this beef tikka masala recipe?

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Yield: 4

Beef Tikka Masala

This beef tikka masala is creamy and similar to the chicken tikka masala you find at many curry houses. This, however is an authentic Pakistani beef tikka masala made from scratch without the need for a base sauce. It is spicier than chicken tikka masala but you can easily adjust the spicy heat by adding fewer chillies or less chilli powder.

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 45 minutes

Total Time 1 hour

Ingredients

2 medium onions, roughly chopped
2 tbsp garlic and ginger paste
2 to 5 green bird's eye chillies, roughly chopped
70ml (1/4 cup) ghee or rapeseed (canola) oil
8 black peppercorns
1 x 2.5cm (1 inch) cinnamon stick
2 green cardamom pods, lightly bruised
800g (28 oz) beef cut into bite sized pieces
1 tbsp ground cumin
1 tbsp ground coriander
1 tbsp tandoori masala
1 tsp garam masala
1/2 tsp ground turmeric
1 tbsp Kashmiri chilli powder (more or less to taste)
1 tbsp mango chuteny
400g (1 1/2 cups) chopped tomatoes or unseasoned passata
125ml (1/2 cup) beef or chicken stock or water
125g (1/2 cup) plain natural yoghurt
Salt to taste
1 tbsp kasoori methi (dried fenugreek leaves)
3 tbsp single cream (optional)
Juice of 1 to 2 limes
3 tbsp fresh coriander, finely chopped

Instructions

Place the chopped onion and green chillies in a blender and blend to a smooth paste. You can add a drop of water or stock if needed to blend. Set aside.
Heat the ghee or oil in a frying pan over a medium-high heat. When visibly hot and bubbly, stir in the peppercorns, cinnamon stick and cardamom pods. Be careful not to burn these spices. Allow the spices to infuse into the oil/ghee for about 30 seconds and then add the cubed beef.
Fry the beef over this medium-high heat, stirring regularly to brown it all over. Then add the garlic and ginger paste and stir it in. Add the ground spices and blended onions and chillies followed by the chopped tomatoes, mango chutney and stock.
Bring to a simmer and then cover to cook until tender. This could take a while and the curry is ready when it's ready so don't rush things. Wait for that beef to be succulently tender which could take 30 to 40 minutes.
When tender, remove the lid and continue simmering to thicken the sauce to your preferred consistency. Then stir in the yoghurt one tablespoon at a time.
Season with salt to taste and stir in the kasoori methi. Swirl a little cream over the top (optional). Garnish with the chopped coriander (cilantro) and serve with the lemon or lime wedges that can be squeezed over the top of the curry at the table to taste.