Slow Cooker Mild Beef and Pumpkin Curry
A gentle, iron-rich beef curry slow cooked with potato, pumpkin, and coconut cream. The spices stay mild so the whole family, including babies, can share it.
Ingredients
Contains optional added salt for older eaters. Skip it for babies under 12 months.
- 750 g stewing beef, cut into bite-size pieces1.65 lb stewing beef, cut into bite-size pieces
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped
- 15 ml ginger, grated1.01 tbsp ginger, grated
- 1.5 each garlic, minced
- 5 ml ground coriander1.01 tsp ground coriander
- 5 ml ground cumin1.01 tsp ground cumin
- 7.5 ml turmeric1.52 tsp turmeric
- 400 g tomato, canned, drained14.11 oz tomato, canned, drained
- 3.5 medium white potato, peeled and diced
- 500 g butternut pumpkin, peeled and diced1.1 lb butternut pumpkin, peeled and diced
- 100 ml coconut cream6.76 tbsp coconut cream
- 6 each bay leaf, removed before serving
- brown rice (for serving), cooked
- salt (to taste), for over-1s and adults only
Steps
Brown the Beef
- Heat a little oil in a frypan over medium heat, then brown the beef pieces in batches until lightly colored on all sides.
- Transfer the browned beef to the slow cooker, leaving the excess pan juices behind so the curry does not get too watery.
Make the Curry Base
- Add a little more oil to the same pan and fry the onion for 1 to 2 minutes until soft and translucent.
- Stir in the grated ginger, garlic, ground coriander, cumin, and turmeric, and cook for 1 minute until fragrant.
- Spoon the onion and spice mixture over the beef in the slow cooker.
- (Optional) Dry-fry the diced potato in the pan to coat it in the leftover spices, then add it to the slow cooker.
Slow Cook
- Pour the drained tomatoes into the slow cooker, tuck in the bay leaves, and stir everything together with a wooden spoon.
- Cover and cook on low for 4 hours, until the beef is very tender and pulls apart easily.
Finish and Serve
- Stir in the diced pumpkin and coconut cream, then cover and cook for another 30 minutes until the pumpkin is soft.
- Remove the bay leaves and serve the curry over cooked brown rice. For over-1s and adults, add a pinch of salt to taste.
Nutrition
- Calories
- 380
- Protein
- 32g
- Fat
- 16g
- Carbs
- 24g
- Iron
- 4.5mg
- Calcium
- 50mg
Tips by age
Shred the beef finely or chop very small, and mash the potato and pumpkin with a fork into a soft, thick texture. Skip added salt entirely and use only a little coconut cream.
Choking safety: Whole pieces of beef and chunks of potato or pumpkin are a choking risk. Shred or mash everything until soft and lump-free.
Chop the beef into small, soft pieces and dice the potato and pumpkin small. Serve over soft, well-cooked brown rice with no added salt.
Choking safety: Cut beef into small soft pieces and avoid large chunks of vegetable that could block the airway.
Serve the curry chopped into bite-size pieces over rice. Keep portions small and skip the salt for this age.
Choking safety: Make sure beef pieces are small and tender, with no large lumps.
Serve as written, cutting the beef and vegetables into bite-size pieces over brown rice. Hold off on added salt for the youngest at the table.
Choking safety: Cut beef into bite-size pieces so chewing is easy.
Serve as written over brown rice, cutting any large beef pieces into bite-size portions.
Serve as written over brown rice. Older kids who like more flavor can have a small pinch of salt stirred in at the end.
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