Slow Cooker Beef or Lamb Madras Recipe
A hot, tomato-rich Madras with one Madras kit and beef or lamb. The whole dried chilli in the kit is optional. Finish on the hob so the garam masala and tangy finishing spices stay bright.
How this recipe works
These curries start with browning and building the sauce in a pan, then cook low and slow until the meat is tender. You finish with a short simmer on the hob so the sauce and finishing spices come together — the slow cooker cannot do that final step on its own.
Ingredients
To buy
- 1 complete Madras Curry Club Kit (Sachets 1 and 2, plus the whole dried chilli)
- 400–500g beef chuck or boneless lamb shoulder
- 1 large onion, finely chopped
- 400g chopped tomatoes or passata
- Optional Kashmiri chilli (included in kit)
- Salt to taste, added at the end
- Optional: 1–2 tsp lemon juice; fresh coriander
- Rice and/or naan to serve
From home
- 2–3 tbsp oil or ghee
- 50ml water in total, including water for the spice paste
In the Madras kit
- Spice Pouch 1: Base Curry Spice Blend
- Spice Pouch 2: Madras Finishing Spice Blend
- Optional Kashmiri chilli
Equipment
- Slow cooker
- Large frying pan or wok
- Saucepan for reducing the sauce if needed
Before you start
- Use fully thawed meat and start cooking promptly.
- Cook on LOW or HIGH, not the WARM setting.
- Keep the lid on during the main slow cook.
- Choose a cooker suited to the batch and follow its required fill level and minimum-liquid instructions.
- Beef: use chuck or another cut sold for long braising, trimmed of hard fat, cut into roughly 3–4 cm pieces.
- Lamb: use boneless shoulder, trimmed of excess surface fat, cut into roughly 3–4 cm pieces.
| Meat | LOW | HIGH |
|---|---|---|
| Beef chuck | 7–9 hours | 4–5 hours |
| Lamb shoulder | 6–8 hours | 3½–5 hours |
Cook until the meat yields easily to a fork. Actual time depends on your cooker, cut and batch size — extend cooking if the meat is still tough.
Method
Brown the meat
- Heat some of the oil over a medium heat. If using, fry the whole dried chilli for 20–30 seconds without burning it. Remove and reserve.
- Brown the meat in batches and transfer to the slow cooker.
Cook the onion
- Cook the onion in the remaining oil until golden.
Build the paste
- Lower the heat. Add 'Sachet 1: Base Spice Blend' with 2–3 tbsp of the measured water and cook for 60–90 seconds, stirring.
Reduce the tomatoes
- Add the tomatoes and cook down for 8–10 minutes.
- Add the remaining measured water and transfer the sauce to the cooker. Add the reserved chilli if you want it to infuse during cooking; leave it out for less added heat.
Slow-cook
- Cover and slow-cook until the meat is tender: beef LOW 7–9 hours or HIGH 4–5 hours; lamb shoulder LOW 6–8 hours or HIGH 3½–5 hours. Keep the lid on. Towards the end, skim excess surface fat if needed.
Finish on the hob
- If the sauce is watery, lift out the tender meat and reduce the sauce in a saucepan, stirring regularly. Return the meat. If the sauce is already thick enough, finish meat and sauce together in the pan.
- Add 'Sachet 2: Finishing Spice Blend'. Simmer gently for 3–5 minutes, or a little longer if the finish still tastes powdery.
- Taste and add salt as needed. Add optional lemon juice at the end. Remove the whole chilli before serving if preferred.
Larger batches
To cook more, multiply all ingredients and kits in proportion, not just the meat or water. Use an appliance suited to the batch size.
About Madras
A bold, spicy British Indian restaurant classic with deep savoury base, lively chilli heat and rich tomato-led sauce.
Make it with Curry Club
The Madras kit contains the spice blends used in this slow cooker recipe.