St Helena Curry and Rice

Ingredients:

675g diced stewing Beef (or Chicken/Goat/Lamb/Bacon)
4 Potatoes, peeled and Chopped
1 Onion, Chopped
2 Carrots, Chopped
2 tbsp Medium Curry Powder (eg Medium Madras)
1 Tomato, Chopped
2 Rashers of Bacon, Finely Chopped
1-2 tsp Cornflour (cornstarch)
3 tbsp Cooking Oil
Salt to Taste

plain boiled rice, to accompany (about 400g uncooked)

Method:

Place a pan over medium heat. Once hot add the oil and fry the onion for about 5 minutes until soft and translucent.

Scatter over the curry powder, and add a pinch of sugar (this helps prevent the curry spices from burning). Stir fry for a minute over low/medium heat.

Now add the chopped tomatoes and stir-fry for a couple of minutes.

Add your choice of meat, cooking for a few minutes until nicely browned all over. At this point pour in enough water to cover the meat. Stir in the tomato sauce, bring to a simmer and cook for about 20 minutes, until the meat is half done (you will need to adjust the timings based on the meat used [ie less for chicken, more for goat etc]). If cooking longer, add more hot water as needed.

Wash the rice three times then drain in a colander. Bring a pan of lightly-salted water to a boil. Once boiling, add the rice and cook for 15-20 minutes until done.

Add the potatoes and carrots to the curry. Return to a simmer and continue cooking until both are tender (about 20 minutes). Add more water if necessary.

Once the rice is cooked, strain then turn into a warmed serving bowl. Cover and set aside to keep warm until ready to serve.

In a small bowl, blend the cornflour with 2-3 tbsp water to form a smooth slurry. Reduce the heat to low then stir in the cornflour to thicken. Stir well at this point to ensure the cornflour is properly mixed into the curry.

Season to taste with salt and pepper and continue cooking for 5 minutes to ensure the cornflour is not raw.

Serve the curry accompanied by the rice.