Topic: beef / lamb cuts and precooking

[goncalo]

As I've generally always stuck to chicken, this is an area where I feel I need to learn more about. What your favorite cuts of beef/lamb and how do you precook them?

Thanks

[goncalo]

just to try and spice up the question a little. I know some people prefer to buy cheaper cuts of meat and then cook them for longer periods of time until they are tender. On a cooking tips book, I read 'chuck' is very good for stews/saucy foods, which I would generally interpret as being good for curries too.

[SpeedBird]

I find lamb is the most difficult meat to curry.

I find that, in general, unless I marinate it with spices and something acidic (i.e. lemon juice) and quickly sear it before cooking the fat ends up departing a bloody awful tallowy taste into the sauce. This seems to be regardless of the cut used.

Another way I've found that works is to cook lamb on-the-bone in a pre-prepared curry sauce. The onions used in the sauce need to be well caramelised beforehand and the lamb needs to sit, refrigerated, in the sauce for a few hours before cooking. Just place the whole lot - covered - in an oven on a low heat for two to three hours. This doesn't really seem to work with lamb off-the-bone which ends up tasting like normal stewed lamb in a curry sauce.

I find the easiest option is to marinate diced lamb leg in a tikka marinade and cook ideally on a barbecue or under a high grill. Once cooked just drop it in the sauce. It will not be as tender this way, though.

The same seems to apply - to a lesser degree - to cheaper cuts of beef. I suppose this is why most keemas contain potato - I imagine the potato helps draw the fat out of the finished sauce.

I could just be doing it wrong of course.

[RubyDoo]

Had some success recently with proper Mutton ( leg in this case ). having boned it all out I pre cooked in all the usual stuff for 3 hours. I think this was a mistake as it was probably too tender if there is such a thing and a good third fell apart too much when prepared in the final dish. VERY tasty though.

[mickdabass]

I find lamb easy to be honest.In fact I find lamb easier than chicken! I bought 2 packs of diced lamb from Asda last week. All I do is pour about half a cup of oil into a pan, add some G&G paste, a couple of black cardamums (optional), half a dozen bay leaves, 4 or 5 cloves, 8 - 10 green cardamums, a nice piece of cassia bark (or a cinnamon stick), teaspoon of curry leaves (optional), 2 tsp salt and 2 tsp spice mix. Then I turn the heat up to medium until everything is sizzling well. Fill the kettle up full, tip the meat into the saucepan, whack the heat up to high, stir and brown the meat in the oil, pour the boiling water from the kettle to cover the meat well, and simmer for 90 minutes. Sometimes a scum forms on the top. Just ignore it. It will have disappeared before the time is up anyway.I do sometimes substitute the cassia for star anise.
Chicken on the other hand is far more hit and miss IMO.

[goncalo]

Thanks for all your contributions to this thread, some good information.

Chicken on the other hand is far more hit and miss IMO.

I recommend you this recipe, which to me is nearly always spot-on: http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php/topic,11787.0/topicseen.html

[mickdabass]

Thanks for all your contributions to this thread, some good information.

I recommend you this recipe, which to me is nearly always spot-on: http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php/topic,11787.0/topicseen.html
[/quote]

Thanks. I will give it a try

[goncalo]

I'm planning on making squid madras tonight! Has anyone any tips for how to pre-cook squid?

My mom used to cook the  squid with 1 large onion, 2 tbsp of olive oil, salt and 1 tsp of sugar + 2x200g packets of tomato pulp for about 45 mins or until tender. I've found the tip on the internet about using kiwi to tenderize the squid, so I've started on that already. Any kind tips?

[dammag]

You can a also use milk to tenderize squid. It's a bit easier to find than kiwi fruit juice 

[goncalo]

You can a also use milk to tenderize squid. It's a bit easier to find than kiwi fruit juice 

I also came across the milk, but I read somewhere that with a kiwi it takes minutes and the people who suggested marinating them in milk didn't supply a base time

Thanks for your tip! the squid is in the pan right now and I've followed my mom's method :-)