Learn how to make this incredibly tasty and easy Burmese beef potato curry with a pressure cooker. A perfect one-pot dish for any occasions
Pressure Cooker Burmese Beef Potato Curry
I wasn’t familiar with Burmese food until I moved to Minnesota and have a Burmese friend. In fact, that’s how I got to know this Burmese beef potato curry. The first time I tasted it, it really reminds me of the Indonesian beef rendang. It has that similarity in taste, though not exactly the same. Burmese beef curry has that Indian influence in terms of spices. Indonesian food is a bit “fussier” to make, I have to admit, compare to Burmese food. Beef rendang calls for a long list of spices and herbs. This Burmese beef curry is the opposite. Only calls for several spices that are mostly available in powder form.
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INGREDIENTS USED TO MAKE BURMESE BEEF POTATO CURRY
It may seem like a long list, but the spices are mainly in powdered form and the rest of the ingredients are easy to find. You don’t even need to go to the Asian grocery store to get any of these ingredients. Majority of grocery stores carry these ingredients
Spices: curry powder, paprika powder, cumin powder, turmeric powder, cinnamon stick
Herb: bay leaves (fresh or dried), cilantro leaves
Ginger
Garlic
Onion
Potatoes
Beef
Limes
WHY YOU WILL LIKE THIS PRESSURE COOKER BURMESE BEEF POTATO CURRY
1. Cook in one pot
You can saute and pressure cook in the same pot
2. Tender beef pieces without hours of simmering
The pressure cooker takes about 30 minutes to cook the beef and another 15-20 minutes to cook the potatoes versus 1 1/2 hours of cooking on the stove top and you have to attend to it while it’s cooking in case the liquid is running low before beef gets tender
3. Freezer friendly
You can make this in a big batch and freeze into serving portions
TIPS FOR MAKING GOOD BURMESE BEEF POTATO CURRY IN PRESSURE COOKER
1. Saute
It is important to saute the onions, garlic, ginger, and spices before pressure cooking. This will help to amplify the flavor of your beef curry
2. Beef first potatoes later
Pressure cook the beef first and then switch to saute mode to cook the potatoes. If you cook them at the same time, the potatoes will turn into mush from overcooking
3. Reduce
Once the beef is tender from pressure cooking, switch to saute mode to continue cooking to reduce the liquid to give you the shiny oily curry
HOW TO STORE AND REHEAT BURMESE BEEF POTATO CURRY
Leftover: Leftover can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. I recommend freezing for anything longer. They can be reheated in microwave or stovetop
Freezing: Let the beef potato curry cool down and then portion into serving sizes and keep in freezer friendly container or bag. Lay them flat if it’s in the bag. They can be reheated in the stove or microwave without thawing
*Recipe is written for 6-quart Instant Pot. Cooking time should remain the same for 8-quart size but will take longer to pressurize. For mini duo (3-quart), I suggest to half the recipe and use the same amount of time to cook*
Pressure Cooker Simple Burmese Beef Potato Curry
Ingredients
- 2 ½ lbs beef stew meat/shank/chuck cut into large chunks
- 1 lb Yukon gold potatoes cut into 2-inch pieces, or you can use little round potatoes
- â…“ cup cooking oil
- 1 large onion diced
- 2 Tbsp grated ginger
- 4 cloves garlic finely minced
- 1 large tomato diced
- ½ cup water more if you cook on stove-top
Spices:
- 2 Tbsp turmeric powder
- 1 Tbsp Madras curry powder
- 1 tsp cumin powder
- 1 large cinnamon stick
- 2 Tbsp paprika
Herbs:
- 2 bay leaves 4-5 if used dried bay leaves
- Fresh cilantro leaves for garnishing
Seasonings:
- 2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp sugar
Serve with:
- 1 -2 limes cut into wedges
Instructions
Cooking with Instant Pot pressure cooker:
- Press saute on instant pot. When it says "hot", add cooking oil to inner pot. Add onion, ginger, and garlic. Stir fry for about 3 minutes. Add tomato pieces and spices and stir fry for another 2 minutes. Add the beef pieces, bay leaves, and seasonings stir to mix everything
- Add 1/2 cup of water. 1/2 cup water may seem a little, but the meat will ooze out some liquid and not much liquid escapes when you cook with pressure cooker. Close the lid of Instant pot. Turn the steam release valve to seal. Press "pressure cooker" and then "high pressure". Set timer to 30 minutes. When the timer is up, release pressure immediately
- Carefully unlock the lid and open. Turn off "keep warm" and turn "saute" back on. Add the potato pieces and stir to mix. Continue to cook for the next 15-20 minutes until potatoes are soft and the liquid has reduced and you see some shiny oil arise. Have a final taste and add more salt to your taste if needed.Turn off saute mode
Cooking on stove top:
- Preheat a large pot with cooking oil. Add onion, ginger, and garlic. Stir fry for about 3 minutes. Add tomato pieces and spices and stir fry for another 2 minutes. Add the beef pieces, bay leaves, and seasonings stir to mix everything
- Pour in about 1 cup of water and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to let it gently simmer for the next 1 - 1 1/2 hours until the beef pieces are really tender. You may need to add a bit of water if the water evaporates too quickly before the beef is tender. Once the beef is tender, add the potato pieces and cook for the next 15-20 minutes. Majority of the liquid would have evaporated leaving you with some oil. Have a final taste and add more salt to your taste if needed. Turn off the heat
Serving:
- Transfer to large serving bowl. Garnish with cilantro leaves and some lime wedges. Squeeze some lime juice before eating
8 comments
would this still be good with regular curry powder? I can only eat mild foods.
oops I didnt see the previous post
Definitely. Use what suit your taste 🙂
Can I sub the madras curry powder with regular curry powder?
Yes, you absolutely can.
if I double the recipe in my 8 qrt instant pot – should I increase the time?
Hi Anja,
You don’t need to increase the cooking time. It will just take longer for the IP to pressurize because there are more stuff in there, but cooking time stays the same. Hope it makes sense
I love curries made with potatoes, one of my favorite curries ever is one with potatoes, ground beef and spinach. This looks amazing and as I have never had any Burmese food I am putting it on my cooking list.