Beef and Potatoes Sauce
Aperçu
This is beef and potatoes cooked down in a seasoned sauce thickened with cornstarch, and the source names no country. Several details place it in a West African kitchen: seasoning powder, scotch bonnet, curry powder and the term Irish potatoes, which is the Nigerian and Ghanaian way of distinguishing the ordinary white potato from sweet potato and yam. Coconut milk is offered as one of three options for the cooking liquid, alongside beef broth and plain water, and that choice changes the dish considerably. With coconut milk it reads closer to a Kenyan or Tanzanian coastal stew; with beef broth it is a straightforward brown stew. The source calls the result a curry sauce in one place, which reflects the curry powder rather than any Indian technique. Sauce here means what it means across West Africa: something spooned over a starch rather than eaten as a soup. It is served with steamed rice or naan, or eaten on its own. The one thing worth adjusting is the timing. Ten minutes of cooking will not tenderise beef cut into bite sized pieces, and a proper braise of forty-five minutes or more is what this needs.
Ingrédients
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Préparation
- 1
Season the beef with the garlic powder, ginger powder, onion powder, thyme, curry powder, seasoning powder and salt.
- 2
Heat the vegetable oil in a large deep pan over medium heat and brown the beef on each side.
- 3
Add the potatoes and the water, broth or coconut milk, cover, and cook until the beef is tender and the potatoes are done.
- 4
Meanwhile, oil another pan and sauté the onion, then fry the peppers and carrots with the same seasonings used on the beef.
- 5
Add some blended scotch bonnet for heat if you want it.
- 6
Pour the fried vegetables into the pot of beef and potatoes and mix.
- 7
Add a cornstarch slurry to thicken.
- 8
Taste and adjust the seasoning with salt or seasoning cubes.
- 9
Once the beef and potatoes are cooked, take the pan off the heat.
- 10
Garnish with fresh coriander and serve hot with steamed rice, naan, or on its own.
Notes de l’Africook
Notes personnelles de Sobecooks- Give the beef a proper braise. The source's ten minutes will not tenderise bite sized beef, and forty-five minutes or more is what it actually needs.
- Brown the beef properly before any liquid goes in. That colour is most of the flavour of the finished sauce.
- Add the potatoes with the liquid rather than at the start, or they disintegrate over a long braise. Waxy potatoes hold up better than floury ones.
- Cook the vegetables separately and fold them in at the end. It keeps them bright and slightly firm against the soft beef.
- Mix the cornstarch with cold water before it goes in. Added dry to hot liquid it lumps and will not disperse.
- Coconut milk, broth or water gives three quite different dishes. Coconut milk is the richest and reads coastal East African; broth gives a straightforward brown stew.
Questions fréquentes
What are Irish potatoes?
It is the Nigerian and Ghanaian term for the ordinary white potato, used to distinguish it from sweet potato and from yam, both of which are far more central to West African cooking. Any waxy white potato works. The name reflects historical association rather than origin.
How long does the beef actually need?
Forty-five minutes to an hour of gentle braising for bite sized pieces, longer for tougher cuts. The source states ten minutes of cooking, which is nowhere near enough to tenderise beef. Judge it by the meat rather than the clock: it should give easily when pressed.
Should I use coconut milk or broth?
Both work and they give different dishes. Coconut milk makes it richer and sweeter, reading closer to a coastal East African stew. Beef broth gives a straightforward savoury brown stew. Water is the plainest option and relies entirely on the seasoning. The recipe allows all three.
What is it served with?
Steamed rice most commonly, or naan, and it is substantial enough to eat on its own. In West African usage a sauce is something spooned over a starch rather than eaten as a soup, so rice, boiled yam or plantain all work as the base.
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