Easy Low-Fat Thermomix Beef Madras

Easy Low-Fat Thermomix Beef Madras

Each day at this time of year, a growing flock of Canada Geese flies overhead in traditional V formation. Eons-old natural instinct drives these beautiful birds to gather together over the last days of summer to bulk up on grains and grass before migrating somewhere warm. They fly overhead at varying altitudes; often so low I can hear the eerie, rhythmic sound of their wings flapping. It’s a bittersweet moment for me, as the return of the Canada Geese signals not only the joy of nature but also the end of summer. And as the days grow shorter and the temperature drops, I want warm, comforting food – and since I’ve lived in the UK, warm, comforting food oft times means just one thing: curry!

How much whole spice should I grind in my Thermomix? The same weight as contained in my ground spice jar. Use a funnel to fill the jar and a brush to get all the spice out of your TM bowl.
How much whole spice should I grind in my Thermomix? The same weight as contained in my ground spice jar! Use a funnel to fill the jar and a brush to get all the spice out of your TM bowl.

Thermomix is superb for all aspects of curry. It especially earns its keep in Indian and Asian cuisine for grinding fresh spices and making curry pastes. I have never tasted anything as fresh and vibrant as the Thai Green Curry Paste I made in my Thermomix. As usual, it’s fast and easy, and oh so tasty!

And for those of you looking to reduce the amount of fat you consume, Thermomix is your ally. Because of the design of the Thermomix blade and its constant stirring motion, you can sauté vegetables in the Thermomix bowl with no added fat. You’re cooking in a closed container and the steam released from the veg remains in the bowl to keep your ingredients moist. It’s a brilliant way to enjoy tasty treats without the guilt!

Easy Thermomix Beef Madras sauce after one hour cooking
Easy Thermomix Beef Madras sauce after one hour cooking

Easy Low-Fat Beef Madras
Adapted from a recipe in Fast and Easy Indian Cooking by Rosy Laljee and Janie Turner, this version of a favourite Indian recipe cuts out the fat and “cheats” with a tin of coconut milk instead of fresh coconut and uses a store cupboard tin of tomatoes. The fat contained in the coconut milk is good fat and you can read about 15 Benefits of Coconut Milk here. It’s ready in about an hour, it has a deep full flavour and it’s also low in fat! Serves 3 to 4 as a main course with rice and naan.

Ingredients
3 cloves garlic
4 cm fresh ginger, cut into 2 mm “coins” along the lines of the skin
2 medium or 1 large onion, about 200 g, peeled and quartered
30 g tamarind paste
1 x 400 g tin tomatoes
1 x 400 ml tin coconut milk (for a fat-free version, use 400 g water and a stock cube)
1 tsp. mustard powder
1 ½ tsp. ground cumin
½ tsp. ground turmeric
1 tsp. ground coriander
1 tsp. ground chilli powder
1 tsp. ground sweet paprika

500 g beef stewing steak, cut into 2 cm/ ¾ inch pieces (the smaller the pieces of beef, the faster they cook and tenderise. My experience is that the big chunks you get at the supermarket or the butcher’s take much longer to cook. Smaller is better!)
5 large or 10 small curry leaves

Pop the internal steamer basket on top of the lid (instead of the MC) to allow steam to escape without spatters to thicken and reduce the sauce quicker.
Pop the internal steamer basket on top of the lid (instead of the MC) to allow steam to escape without spatters to thicken and reduce the sauce quicker.

Method

If required, start by grinding your whole spices, individually. Here’s a tip for you: using an empty jar from store-bought ground spice as your guide, weigh the same weight of whole spices into your TM bowl and grind on Speed 9 or 10 until fine. For instance, my jar contained 38 g of ground cumin so I weighed in 40 g of whole cumin, ground for a minute or so, and transferred into my jar with the help of a funnel. Brilliant, if I must say so myself 😉 Then use a pastry brush to brush out all the gorgeous, freshly-ground spices.

  1. Peel your garlic 4 seconds/Speed 4 ½ /Reverse Blade Function. Remove skins but leave cloves in the bowl. Turn off Reverse Blade Function 😉
  2. Drop ginger “coins” and onion onto the running blades at Speed 6, then turn off. Scrape sides of TM bowl. Add tamarind paste, tomatoes, coconut milk and spices; blend 1 minute/Speed 7.
  3. Add cubed beef and curry leaves. Cook 100° C/60 minutes/Speed Spoon/Reverse Blade Function. Go do something else and come back when your TM sings to you. Check if the meat is tender and that there is enough sauce. If required, cook another 20 to 30 minutes to tenderise the meat. If your sauce is drying out, add some stock or water and cook another few minutes or until the meat is tender. If your sauce is too runny, cook on Varoma setting/10 minutes/Speed Spoon/Reverse Blade Function with the internal steamer basket on top of the lid to reduce your sauce. Repeat if required until you get a lovely, thick sauce. Transfer to a ThermoServer and steam some rice or set aside, covered, and use your second TM bowl to steam some rice. Serve up and enjoy!
Luscious, thick reduced sauce and tender cooked cubes of beef
Luscious, thick reduced sauce and tender cooked cubes of beef

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Thermomix Easy Beef Madras
Thermomix Easy Beef Madras
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9 thoughts on “Easy Low-Fat Thermomix Beef Madras”

  • Hi Penny, I hope this reply gets to you in time for your batch of Curry. I can’t do much about the time difference between Oz and France!

    I don’t think you’d have to double the cooking time for a double batch of anything, but I would definitely start with another 30 minutes and check it along the way. You want your meat to cook and your sauce to reduce and thicken. Be careful of your total quantity and make sure there’s a tiny bit of room left in the bowl for your ingredients to turn while stirring. Bon appétit !

  • Thanks for your comment, Anita! I just made a batch myself and I cooked it another 10 minutes/Varoma setting/Reverse Blade Function/Speed 1 and it reduced down into a beautiful, deep-tasting curry with a thick sauce. And thanks for the calorie count, that’s brilliant. A guilt-free curry, at last!

  • Very delicious a bit runny for me so decided to cook a little longer but definitely a winner and according to my fitness pal it is around 422 cal with 1/2. Cup jasmine rice some chopped tomatoes and coriander with a tablespoon of Greek yoghurt

  • Hi Viv, thanks for making my Easy Low-Fat Thermomix Beef Madras! If you found it runny, I would suggest either cooking it a little longer, still with the steamer basket on top, or else reserving the meat and reducing the sauce on its own, on Varoma setting with the steamer basket on top. I hope your family liked my recipe enough to make it again and let me know how it turns out!

  • Thankyou! I made this recipe and it was delicious. Only thing I found was it was very very runny despite my putting the steamer basket atop the jug!! Do you have any idea how many calories per portion??

  • Thanks, Nora! As stated in my blog, the original recipe is in Fast and Easy Indian Cooking and it’s authentic as well as amazing. I’m often a very lazy cook at the end of the day so I tweaked the recipe to make it even faster and easier. Glad you liked it!

  • This curry looks tantalizing Madame! Thanks for grinding your own spice tip, so much cheaper and better to grind your own than to buy from the shop…

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