Curried Beef Tacos

These tacos. Folks, they are special! There's tender beef with a silky, rich curry sauce. It pairs perfectly with the crunchy, bright mango and cucumber salsa. The spicy mayo and grilled tortillas add a couple more layers of flavor and the whole package is delicious! You've got to get into the kitchen to make these Curried Beef Tacos, STAT!

A tall glass of Cucumber Jalapeno Lemonade would be a really delicious accompaniment to these tacos! If you are looking for a quick weeknight-friendly taco recipe try Quick Ground Pork Tacos with Corn and Cabbage Slaw!

Ingredients

I know, that photo above shows a *lot* of ingredients. Don't be scared off! I get almost every one of them at my local supermarket. Let's start with the beef; it's packed with flavor. I use chuck roast here, it's perfect for pressure cooking and gets so tender. Next are the aromatics: garlic (use fresh or those frozen cubes of grated ginger), diced onion, and garlic. The curry ingredients are pretty standard, but you may have trouble finding the makrut lime leaf. Our local Asian market keeps them in the freezer, and they are also referred to as kaffir lime leaves. Check out this article on how that nomenclature is changing. The lime leaf, curry paste (use Thai Kitchen brand for kid-friendly spice levels), fish sauce, coconut milk, and brown sugar all get added to the pot. Last up is a bit of salt, you can hold that back until the end to adjust to your taste. Don't add the lime juice in at the cooking stage, it can get bitter.

The salsa and Sriracha mayo have a few more ingredients, all are easy enough to source. Mango chunks (I use frozen), cilantro, lime juice, and cucumber make up the major flavors in the salsa. I add a bit of brown sugar to balance the acidity. Salt and a neutral oil (like vegetable oil or canola oil) finish that up easily. For the mayo, I use Sriracha, a little bit of sesame oil, and water to thin it out. Sriracha is at our supermarket these days, but I find a better price for it at the Asian market.

Preparation of Curried Beef

I cook the beef up in the pressure cooker. This makes it a one-pot preparation, as I can cook the beef and reduce the sauce in the same pot. I'd love to hear if you try this in a slow cooker, but I haven't yet tested this method. Chuck roast works well in a slow cooker, so I have a lot of confidence that an 8-hour session would get the job done with great results. Comment below if you try this!

All of the beef ingredients get added to the pressure cooker and it cooks under high pressure for 45 minutes with a long natural release. Separate the beef from the sauce and shred the beef in a bowl. I use a fat separator to remove the fat from the sauce; depending on your beef there can be a lot. Once the fat is removed, reduce the sauce to about one cup. Taste for salt (especially if you held it back while cooking) and add the lime juice when you return the beef to the sauce. Keep it warm until serving.

Preparation of Taco Toppings

I prepare the salsa and the Sriracha mayo while the sauce is reducing. You can prepare them ahead and keep them in the refrigerator, but the salsa will get watery. The flavor and texture are still good, not to worry. I like to chop the mango and cucumber in a small enough dice that each taco bite has a little bit of both. I love a perfect bite! The mayo is just a matter of stirring up the ingredients in a small bowl. Feel free to adjust the Sriracha amount in the sauce! Everyone has a preferred spice level.

Serving Curried Beef Tacos

I bring all of the components to the table separately so that everyone can build their own perfect plate. There's a cilantro hater, cucumber hater, and a spice-averse kid at our table, so flexibility is a must. Add some extra chopped cilantro and lime wedges to the spread for additional garnish. I think these tacos taste best with grilled tortillas. That smoky note is so tasty. If you don't grill them, be sure to warm them up a bit or the tortillas are likely to break on you and make a big mess. Dig in and enjoy!

Try It and Share

I hope you try these Curried Beef Tacos and share the recipe with family or friends. I want to see your results! Tag your photo with #planeatpostrepeat and mention me @planeatpostrepeat on Instagram or Facebook. I can give you a virtual high five and thank you for cooking one of my recipes! Comment below with any questions and please leave a review so others can find this recipe more easily.

Are you looking for more recipes with these South East Asian flavors? Try my Curry Poached Fish or Pad Kaprow recipes. They are both family favorites and have common ingredients and flavor profile to these Curried Beef Tacos.