Piatto de Viçi Curry| Tortilla-Chapati and succulent beef curry

If there is a dish that is savory, fresh and unbelievably succulent it has to be my 'Piatto de Viçi Curry'! I am not a huge fan of curry but after having this spectacular dish, i have officially become a permanent member of the League of Curry (if it exists).

I deliberately did not use tinned tomatoes when i came up with this recipe because fresh tomatoes add a whole new dimension to the dish that cannot be replicated by tinned tomatoes.

Note: This recipe makes a mild curry but if you are able to handle the heat well then go ahead and add as much curry powder and chilli powder as your tastebuds can deal with!

I named this dish in Italian and Albanian and the English translation is Beef Curry platter. (piatto -platter(Italian) and viçi (pronounced vi-chi)

-beef(Albanian).

Servings:5

Time: 1 hour 15 minutes 

Ingredients

• 20 regular sized tortillas
• 3 lemons
• 100g fresh coriander
• 2 red onions sliced

For the mild beef curry

• 500g beef (i used chuck) 
• 1 chopped onion
• 7 medium sized tomatoes grated
• 1 ½ cups beef stock (homemade or store-bought)
• ½ cup hot water
• 2 tablespoons corn flour or plain flour
• 2 tsp black pepper
• 1 ½ tsp ground coriander
• 1 ½  tsp paprika
• 2 tsp garlic powder
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 2 tsp soy sauce
• 5 tablespoons tomato sauce
• 3 tablespoons cayenne pepper
• 2 tsp chilli powder
• 2 tablespoons curry powder

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Cut the beef into small cubes.
2. Add oil to a large saucepan and let it heat over high heat.
3. When the oil is hot, place the beef cubes into the pan and season them with salt and black pepper.
4. Cook the beef cubes till they are brown and entirely cooked, remembering to toss them after every 3-5 minutes. (This will take about 15-20 minutes).
5. Remove the beef cubes from the pan. Place them in a large bowl and cover them with aluminium foil till they are needed.
6. Add more oil to the same pan and let it heat up for a few minutes over medium-high heat.
7. Place the chopped onions inside the pan and let them cook for about 5 minutes until they are slightly golden in color.
8. Then, add the grated tomatoes, beef stock, hot water, corn flour, sugar, soy sauce, tomato sauce and all the spices listed.
9. Stir everything together until the simmering starts.
10. Once the simmering begins, let it go on without the lid for about 10 minutes. You may stir after 5 minutes.
11. After the 10 minutes place the lid on and let the simmering carry on for 10 more minutes.
12. After that, add the beef cubes and make sure they are all coated.
13. Place the lid back on, reduce the heat and let the stew cook for 15 minutes on medium-low heat.
14. In the meantime, cut the lemons into wedges(in half lengthwise, then each half into half again lengthwise).
15. When the cooking time for the beef stew is almost up, warm the tortillas in the microwave for 30 seconds.
16. Remove the pan from the heat and dish the beef curry into small bowls.
17. Place two bowls of the beef curry on each plate (towards the edge of the plate).
18. Slightly fold the tortillas and place four in the middle each plate. 
19. Finally, add a generous amount of fresh coriander to each plate, about 3 lemon wedges and a few red onion rings and the meal will be ready to serve!