The gentle golden curry every Australian kid grew up on

Ask anyone over forty about their mum's beef curry and watch their face change. This is that curry — curry powder from the pantry, one heavy pot, diced beef simmered until it gives up and goes soft, potatoes drinking in the golden gravy. Nothing here will scare the kids and nothing needs a trip to a specialty shop. It wants a couple of hours on the stove, most of them with the lid on and you somewhere else entirely. Rice, a spoon, done.

2 hrs 5 mins 4 servings Prep 15 minsCook 1 hr 50 minsMain CourseAustralian

Ingredients

  • 480g Your Farmer grass-fed diced beef
  • 2 tbsp plain flour, seasoned with salt and pepper
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 large brown onion, sliced
  • 2 tbsp mild curry powder
  • 500ml beef stock
  • 2 tbsp tomato sauce
  • 400g potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
  • 1/2 cup frozen peas
  • Steamed rice, to serve

Instructions

Toss the diced beef in the seasoned flour until lightly coated.

480g diced beef2 tbsp seasoned flour

Heat the oil in a heavy pot over medium-high heat and brown the beef in two batches; set it aside.

2 tbsp olive oil

Drop the heat to medium, cook the onion for 5 minutes until soft, then stir in the curry powder for 1 minute — the kitchen should smell like childhood.

1 onion2 tbsp curry powder

Return the beef, pour in the stock and tomato sauce, scrape the bottom of the pot, then cover and simmer on the lowest heat for 1 hour 15 minutes.

500ml beef stock2 tbsp tomato sauce

Add the potatoes and simmer, partly covered, for another 30 minutes until the beef and potatoes are both tender.

400g potatoes

Stir the peas through for the last 5 minutes and check the seasoning.

1/2 cup frozen peas

Serve ladled generously over steamed rice.

steamed rice

The Cut Behind the Curry

Your Farmer® diced beef is cut chuck-style from the shoulder — the braising end of the animal, diced evenly, 480g to the pack, and it's in every beef share. It's the right cut here for the same reason it's the right cut in every slow curry on earth: the connective tissue that makes it chewy at twenty minutes makes it silky at ninety. The flour does double duty — it helps the beef brown and it quietly thickens the gravy as the pot simmers, no extra step needed. One rule matters: keep the simmer barely bubbling, lid on. A hard boil squeezes braising beef dry before the tissue has time to melt. If you're still getting to know what's in your box, our guide to every beef cut and how to cook it is the map.

Swaps and Variations

A small handful of sultanas added with the stock is the properly old-school touch — a little sweetness against the curry powder, exactly how the retro version went. For a creamier pot, swap half the stock for coconut milk. Cauliflower florets in the last 15 minutes stretch it further without another shop. Anyone chasing heat can move to a hot curry powder, or just pass chilli flakes at the table so the kids' bowls stay gentle. And when the family's ready to graduate, our slow-cooked beef massaman is this curry's rich Thai cousin — same cut, deeper water. Lamb works too: forequarter chops, bones in, simmered exactly the same way, bones lifted out at the end.

Storage and Leftovers

Like most curries it's better on day two, once the flavours have settled in together. Fridge, airtight, 3 days; freezer up to 3 months — the potato softens a little but holds up fine in the sauce. Reheat gently on the stove with a splash of water. The great leftover move: spoon it into a jaffle, or under a sheet of puff pastry for a ten-minute curry pie.

This is the kind of recipe that earns a permanent weeknight spot when the beef just keeps arriving — that's what our beef subscription is for.

Frequently asked questions

Which curry powder should I use?

Any mild supermarket blend works — the classic Keen's-style tin is exactly the flavour this recipe is chasing. Use a reasonably fresh tin; curry powder fades badly once it's been open a year.

Will the kids actually eat it?

That's the design brief. It's mild and slightly sweet from the tomato sauce and onion, with nothing hot in the pot. Anyone who wants heat can add chilli at the table.

Can I make it in the slow cooker?

Yes. Brown the beef and onion first, reduce the stock to 375ml, and cook on LOW for 7 to 8 hours with the potatoes in from the start. Stir the peas through at the end.

Why is my beef still tough?

It just needs longer. Keep the simmer barely bubbling and give it another 20 to 30 minutes — diced braising beef always gets there in the end.

Three Simple Steps

A whole table of real food.

Your Farmers grow grass-fed beef and lamb, pastured eggs and the best eco-grown veggies and produce — every item grown to the same ecological standard, every farmer one you can know by name. One subscription, your whole real-food shop.

01

Reserve your share — or try a pack

Subscribe to a share of the harvest, or start with a one-off fixed pack.

02

Make it your own

Pick your delivery rhythm and what's in the box. Skip or cancel anytime — no lock-in.

03

Cook, savour, know your farmer

We deliver in a reusable esky we collect next time. No couriers, no waste.

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