Rich, flavorful stews paired with a steaming plate of hot rice is so comforting to me. Meat so tender that it literally falls apart swimming in a delicious gravy! I mean how could that not sound amazing??? Especially with this chilly weather! I don’t know if it is my Jamaican roots that causes me to crave curry or just the fact that it is such an easy way to give a dish so much flavor. If you love curry and have an Instant Pot, add this Instant Pot Curry Beef Stew recipe to your arsenal.
This way of making the curry is how my Jamaican grandmother does it and how one of my mom’s closest friend’s who is also Jamaican does it. So I am pretty sure this is the traditional way of making it. The method they both use is to toss the meat with the curry, onions, and garlic and massage the meat with the aromatics. This way all the flavors get embedded into the meat and make for a very flavorful At this point you could throw it in a freezer bag and marinate it overnight if you have the time. I also recommend using a Jamaican curry brand for more of a Caribbean flavor.
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- 2 pounds of beef stew meat
- 2 tbsp curry powder (preferably Jamaican)
- 1 medium onion, sliced
- 4 cloves of garlic sliced, lengthwise
- 2½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 5 medium carrots, sliced into large chunks
- 1 large russet potato (about 14 ounces), peeled and chopped
- 1½ tbsp ghee or olive oil, divided
- 1 cup of beef broth or water
- 4 thyme sprigs
- 3 allspice berries, optional
- hot steamed rice, for serving
- Mix the meat, with the garlic, half the onion (reserving the other half), curry powder, salt, and black pepper. Your hands are the best tool for this job, if you have gloves use them.
- Set the instant pot to the saute setting and once hot add 1 tbsp of ghee. In two batches, add the meat to the pot, being careful to leave behind the garlic and the onions in the bowl ( the garlic and onion will brown later separately, and if added now the garlic will brown). Brown the meat until it develops color and gets a crust, about 3-4 minutes.
- Remove the meat from the pot and transfer to a plate and brown the second batch. Remove the meat and add it to the plate. Add the ½ tbsp of ghee to the pot and add the onions and garlic and the remaining reserved onions. Saute for 2-3 minutes. Add the carrots, potatoes, browned beef, and broth. Scrape the bottom of the pan to get all the bits stuck to the pot. Finally, add the thyme and allspice berries.
- Close the lid on the Instant Pot and close the steam valve. Press the "meat/stew" button, or set the cooker to 35 minutes of high pressure. After 35 minutes of high pressure, allow the cooker to naturally cool and release pressure.
- Serve with hot steamed rice.
