How to Make Beef Curry With Just Onions Curry Powder and Paprika

This easy Beef Masala is made in the pressure cooker or slow cooker using a fragrant dried spice combination and pantry staples.  It makes tender melt in your mouth chunky beef pieces coated in a rich dark aromatic, lightly spiced Indian curry sauce just like my Kerala Beef Curry.

Its warming, comforting, hearty food that is freezer friendly, and a great alternative to coconut cream curries.

Jump to:

• Why Make This Recipe
• What's In Beef Masala
• What is Masala?
• How To Make In the Pressure Cooker
• Expert Tips
• Meat Substitutions
• Serving Suggestions
• Flavour Boosters
• Freezing Tips
• More Curry Recipes
• Beef Masala

Why Make This Recipe

Beef masala is one of those home cooked dishes that is deceivingly simple to make, but it so packed with flavour.  Whichever way you make it, this dish has many benefits:

• Its Freezer friendly and easy to make
• Tender chunks of soft beef
• Its has rich, thick delicious curry sauce
• Its low carb
• Its packed with flavour
• Perfect all year round
• Its full on comfort food
• Add in veges or leave them out

Also check out my Chicken Tikka Masala made in the Slow Cooker!

What's In Beef Masala

The Base

• Stewing beef or chuck steak
• Garlic and Ginger
• Tomato paste and canned  crushed tomatoes
• Brown onion and Green chillies
• Beef stock/broth
• Coconut oil

The Spices

Whilst Masala is a dried spice on its own, to make a Beef Masala, more often than not a combination of dried spices are used to get the perfect balance of flavours.  In this recipe the spices I used are: Garam  Masala, Tummeric, Ground Cumin, Ground Corriander, Hot Paprika and Smoked Paprika.  Along with sea salt and ground black pepper.

This might sound like a lot of spices but all are necessary to achieve a good well rounded curry flavour that hits all the right notes.

What is Masala?

• Masala refers to a warming fragrant spice blend used in many Indian curry dishes.
• The combination of spices produces a warming and comforting bowl of deliciousness with a mouth watering aroma that will fill the entire house.
• Masala is a curry that can be eaten year round, especially in the cooler months and also in the warmer months.

How To Make In the Pressure Cooker

Slow Cooker Instructions also included below in the Recipe Card.

1. Preheat Pressure Cooker: Set pressure cooker to the "Saute/Sear" HIGH TEMP and set time to 10 minutes.
2. Coat Beef with Cornflour/Cornstarch: Add beef pieces into a large ziplock bag with cornflour and shake to coat.
3. Brown The Beef: Remove beef from bag. Add the oil and beef to the inner pot of the pressure cooker and brown the beef for 5 to 7 minutes, turning regularly to ensure it browns evenly. Remove beef from pot and set aside once browned.

4. Cook off Aromatics: Add chopped onions, garlic, ginger, spices, salt and pepper to the inner pot and cook for 2 to 3 minutes until fragrant and onions have begun to soften.

5. Add Beef back in: Add the beef back into the pot and stir through onion and spice mix. Then, add the tomatoes, stock, tomato paste and chillies to the pot

6. Set to Pressure Cook: Secure and lock in lid in clockwise direction. Set the valve to seal. Select the menu by pressing the PRESSURE COOK button. Select the "MEAT/POULRTY" setting and adjust the cooking time to 30 minutes. Press start to commence the cooking process.
7. Release and Stir: Once timer has gone off, release pressure valve so steam can escape. Remove the lid and stir. Divide equally among 6 dishes.

6. Serve: Garnish with coriander, chopped fresh tomato, Greek yoghurt and green chillies. Serve with cooked jasmine rice if desired.

Expert Tips

Best Type of Beef For Pressure Cooker: The best type of beef to use is brisket, round roast, shoulder roast.  These cuts tend to be in the mid range in terms of price, and quality with not too much fat, but enough to aid the cooking process and not dry the meat out.

Best Types of Beef For Slow Cooker:  For slow cooking you can get away with the cheapest cuts of meat, and that have a little more fat.  Chuck Steak, Stewing Beef, Skirt Steak and Shin are good options.

Meat Substitutions

You can use skinless chicken thigh for this recipe instead of beef, following the same instructions.  However cooking times would be reduced.

• Pressure Cooker Chicken Thigh Masala – cook for 20 minutes
• Slow Cooker Chicken Chicken Thigh Masala – Cook on low for 6 hours

Of you could check out my Chicken Masla Recipe here.

Serving Suggestions

Traditional Rice: I like to serve this with rice (brown or jasmine) and a little Naan bread – garlic is my favourite as it elevates the flavours even more.

New Rice: Cauliflour rice (I buy mine pre made, but you can certainly try making your own), sweet potato rice (I buy mine in packets from the frozen food section of the supermarket), or broccoli rice (blitz a broccoli in your food processor)

TIP:  Instead of rice (traditional or new), you can add a couple of cups of frozen diced veges to the pressure cooker /slow cooker.

Flavour Boosters

• More Freshness: add mint and corriander as a garnish before serving
• More Heat: add a little diced chilli on top to serve
• More Zing: serve with a wedge of lime or tomato chutney

Freezing Tips

This is a recipe that freezes well.  For best results, portion out your servings either as single, double or family.  I find glass containers with clear lids, or even plastic containers with clear lids.  Make sure to label your containers with the name of the dish and the date.  I like to write the date I made it so it's easy to see how old it is at a glance.

This recipe will keep in the freezer for 3 months.  To defrost, place in the fridge the night before, or microwave using your microwaves defrost setting before reheating on the stovetop.

Steal my tips to liven up your leftovers to make them delicious again!  I have some simple tricks to breathe new life into freezer meals that will make them fresh all over again.

More Curry Recipes

• Curried Mince (a simple and versatile freezer friendly recipe)
• 20 minute Indian Coconut Chicken Curry
• Authentic Oven Baked Butter Chicken (from scratch, nothing from a jar)
• Pressure Cooker Beef and Corriander Curry
• Easy Stovetop Chicken and Pineapple Curry
• Chicken Kerala Curry

Beef Masala

This easy Beef Masala is made in the pressure cooker or slow cooker using a fragrant dried spice combination and pantry staples.  It makes tender melt in your mouth chunky beef pieces coated in a rich dark aromatic, lightly spiced Indian curry sauce.

Cook Mode Prevent your screen from going dark

Prep Time 10 mins

Cook Time 30 mins

Course Dinner

Cuisine Indian

Servings 6 people

Calories 439 kcal

• 2 pounds /1 kg stewing beef or chuck steak - cut into 2cm cubes
• ½ cup Cornflour
• 2 tablespoons Garlic - crushed
• 2 tablespoons Ginger - grated
• 2 tablespoons Tomato paste
• 1 medium Brown onion (roughly chopped
• 1 ½ cup beef stock
• 1 can - 440 grams/14 ounce crushed tomatoes
• 1 tablespoon coconut oil
• 2 green chillies - diced
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 1 tbsp garam masala
• ½ tsp ground cumin
• ½ tsp ground corriander
• ½ tsp hot paprika
• ½ tsp smoked paprika

Garnishes

• Fresh coriander/cilantro
• Fresh chopped tomato
• Plain Greek yoghurt
• Extra chilli

Pressure Cooker

• Preheat Pressure Cooker: Set pressure cooker to the "Saute/Sear" HIGH TEMP and set time to 10 minutes.

• Coat Beef with Cornflour/Cornstarch: Add beef pieces into a large ziplock bag with cornflour and shake to coat.

• Brown The Beef: Remove beef from bag. Add the oil and beef to the inner pot of the pressure cooker and brown the beef for 5 to 7 minutes, turning regularly to ensure it browns evenly. Remove beef from pot and set aside once browned.

• Cook off Aromatics: Add chopped onions, garlic, ginger, spices, salt and pepper to the inner pot and cook for 2 to 3 minutes until fragrant and onions have begun to soften.

• Add Beef back in: Add the beef back into the pot and stir through onion and spice mix. Then, add the tomatoes, stock, tomato paste and chillies to the pot

• Set to Pressure Cook: Secure and lock in lid in clockwise direction. Set the valve to seal. Select the menu by pressing the PRESSURE COOK button. Select the "MEAT/POULRTY" setting and adjust the cooking time to 30 minutes. Press start to commence the cooking process.

• Release and Stir: Once timer has gone off, release pressure valve so steam can escape. Remove the lid and stir. Divide equally among 6 dishes.

• Serve: Garnish with coriander, chopped fresh tomato, Greek yoghurt and green chillies. Serve with cooked jasmine rice if desired.

Slow Cooker

• Coat Beef with Cornflour/Cornstarch: Put beef into a large ziplock bag with cornflour and shake to coat.

• Brown off Beef: Add the oil and beef to slow cooker and brown the beef for 5 to 7 minutes. Alternatively, add oil and beef to a pot and brown on the stove for a few minutes. Once lightly browned remove beef from slow cooker/pot and set aside.

• Cook Off Aromatics: Add chopped onions, garlic, ginger, spices, salt and pepper to slow cooker/pot on stove and cook for 2 to 3 minutes until fragrant and onions have begun to soften.

• Add Beef back in: Place the browned beef into the slow cooker, along with the onion and spice mix, stirring it through. Add the tomatoes, stock/broth, tomato paste and chillies to the slow cooker, stirring through.

• Slow Cook: Add the lid to the slow cooker and cook on low heat for 8 hours.

• Stir and Serve: Remove the lid and stir. Divide equally among 6 dishes. Garnish with coriander, chopped fresh tomato, Greek yoghurt and green chillies. Serve with cooked jasmine rice if desired.

Best Type of Beef For Pressure Cooker: The best type of beef to use is brisket, round roast, shoulder roast.  These cuts tend to be in the mid range in terms of price, and quality with not too much fat, but enough to aid the cooking process and not dry the meat out.

Best Types of Beef For Slow Cooker:  For slow cooking you can get away with the cheapest cuts of meat, and that have a little more fat.  Chuck Steak, Stewing Beef, Skirt Steak and Shin are good options.

Serving Suggestions:

• Traditional Rice: I like to serve this with rice (brown or jasmine) and a little Naan bread – garlic is my favourite as it elevates the flavours even more.
• New Rice: Cauliflour rice (I buy mine pre made, but you can certainly try making your own), sweet potato rice (I buy mine in packets from the frozen food section of the supermarket), or broccoli rice (blitz a broccoli in your food processor)
• Other: Instead of rice (traditional or new), you can add a couple of cups of frozen diced veges to the pressure cooker/slow cooker.

Flavour Boosters:

• More Freshness: add mint and corriander as a garnish before serving
• More Heat: add a little diced chilli on top to serve
• More Zing: serve with a wedge of lime or tomato chutney

3 Nutrition Information

• Nutrition information does not include rice or sides or garnishes.  It is for the beef masala only.

Calories: 439 kcal Protein: 31 g Fat: 31 g Saturated Fat: 11 g Fiber: 2 g Sugar: 5 g

Note: Sugars contained in this recipe are from naturally occurring sugars in fruits, vegetables or other natural sweeteners.

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Hi there! I'm Kim and I'm passionate about living a life infused with mindfulness, simplicity and self-care. Here I share my recipes, tips, insights and wisdom for eating well, slowing down and reconnecting with the things that matter.

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