Nyama yeChirungu — Print Recipe

Beef chunks braised in a curry-spiced tomato sauce with potatoes and vegetables, representing the fusion of indigenous and colonial-era cooking in Zimbabwe.

Ingredients

800g beef chuck, cubed
2 large onions, diced
3 tomatoes, chopped
3 potatoes, peeled and cubed
2 carrots, sliced
2 tbsp vegetable oil
2 tbsp curry powder
4 cloves garlic, minced
3 cups water
Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

1 Season beef cubes with salt, pepper, and one tablespoon curry powder, mixing well to coat each piece.
2 Heat oil in a heavy pot and brown beef in batches over high heat, about four minutes per batch.
3 Remove beef and sauté onions and garlic until golden, about five minutes on medium heat.
4 Add tomatoes and remaining curry powder, cooking until tomatoes form a thick paste, roughly five minutes.
5 Return beef to pot, add water, bring to a boil, then simmer covered on low heat for one hour.
6 Add potatoes and carrots, cook for a further thirty minutes until vegetables are tender and sauce is thick. Serve with sadza or rice.

Did You Know?

The word chirungu means European, and this dish represents how Zimbabwean cooks transformed colonial curry powder into something distinctly their own.