The Nigerian beef stew from my family is rich, comforting and ready for the week

Nigerian curry is not only a comforting food that fills my belly. He also calls memories of the family, travel and discoveries. This hearty and aromatic stew offers tender beef, starchy potatoes, sweet peppers and a generous quantity of curry powder, all simmered together to prepare a satisfactory and satisfactory meal. For me, this dish is linked to Long Vac – the long holiday break in Nigeria which takes place from July to September, the equivalent of summer holidays in other parts of the world.

When I was a child, Long Vac was all about traveling on the road with my parents through Nigeria. We would head to Jos in the North Center region to take advantage of his fresh and temperate time or go south to visit family and friends. Some of my most lively memories come from these trips, and many of them, of course, are wrapped in food. During one of these trips, visiting my aunt, my uncle and my cousins ​​at the University of Benin in the city of Benin, my aunt Ajike made us its version of Curry de Chicken Nigerian fragrant. The dish stopped me in my footsteps. I liked it so much that I asked him to show me how to do it, and this lesson has become a touchstone for me in the kitchen. Since then, I have adapted his Nigerian chicken curry in my version of beef, which I share below.

The Nigerian curry is comfortably found in the world family of stews and sauces based on curry-rower. Its warm and deep flavor recalls the Japanese karē, the rice with Korean curry, the chicken with Jamaican curry, the dishes of the southern United States such as the country captain and other sauces made from curry powder.

For my family, this is a part par excellence of our tradition of Sunday rice. Like the British with their roasted Sunday tradition, Nigerian households often have special rice dishes at the end of the week on Sunday, such as fried rice and jollof, and, of course, curry. The version of my aunt was full of tender chicken (or sometimes beef), pieces of potatoes and carrots and peppers that lent the sweetness and balance, always served with a pile of white rice.

My own catch remains faithful to that of Aunty Ajike. I like this curry with beef because it has richness and depth to resist daring flavors with curry. Cups like Ribeye or Chuck have enough marbling to stay juicy and tender, and when they are thinly cut, the meat cooked quickly without the need for a long simmer. The result is a tasty beef that absorbs the sauce without ever becoming hard.

It starts with a generous quantity of good curry powder. For good, I mean the one who feels fresh and asserted when you open the pot. Nigerian style curry mixtures tend to be curcumars-avant, with great warmth of ginger and pepper, and a subtle plant-based lifting of thyme or bay. Whatever the brand or the mixture you use, make sure it is fresh. Curry powder loses its punch quickly. It should be perfumed enough so that you can feel it even at the length of the arm. If it smells dusty or weak, it will not wear the dish.

From there, I add potatoes, carrots and fresh peppers. I like a mixture of green and red or yellow for their softness and their color, although all the green works as well if that’s what you have. For the depth, I count on my curry flavor broth for an even richer curry flavor, but the chicken broth purchased in store or even the water will do if you do not want to do it from zero. And when I want a richer finish, I move a touch of coconut milk.

The finished curry is adaptable and indulgent. For example, although tomatoes are not traditional, I sometimes fold chopped green tomatoes for brightness. You can also exchange the beef for chicken or shrimp, and shorten the simmering time if necessary to avoid cooking the proteins.

The remains warmly warm, and I sometimes like to use the stew as a salty garnish. Some Nigerians love pasta – spaghetti or linguine are both common, but my son loves his with a handful of raisins or currants, similar to Country Captain Chicken. I generally remain simple: a generous ladle of sauce, tender beef and vegetables on a bowl of warm white rice.

Whenever I make this curry, I remember the long trips on the way, from my family’s kitchen, and at the moment, the chicken curry of my aunt has triggered something in me that has not disappeared since.

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