Recipe: Ground Beef Curry with Peas

Let me preface this post by saying that the next few recipe posts won't have pictures. I got lazy. I really did. However, the next few recipes are pretty basic ones, and adapted from any number of similar ones I found on the internet. Onward, then....

I love Indian food. Really, I love all food, but there is a special place in my heart for Indian-style cuisine. Certainly, this is NOT authentic. I live in China, know no-one from India, and am only just learning my way around Chinese spices and vegetables.

However, this recipe does use some spices common in Indo-China, and is adaptable to your own tastes {and of course your knowledge!}. The original recipe was posted by Beth at Budget Bytes. She added potatoes, broth, etc. and served over rice or in naan. I  have made it that way, and it is delicious. However, I like the idea of sort of making an Indian-style shepherd's pie and so I serve mine with standard mashed potatoes. If I were in the U.S. and had an oven, I would layer the peas, meat, and mashed potatoes in a Pyrex and then bake it to give the potatoes a crusty top.

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 yellow onion, chopped finely
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
2 inches fresh ginger, grated
1.5 tablespoons curry powder
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 pinch crushed read pepper or cayenne
1 lb ground beef
frozen peas {eyeball is}
salt + pepper to taste

Directions:
Heat olive oil in pan and saute onion with salt and pepper until soft.
Add ginger and garlic, saute for 2-3 minutes or until soft.
Add curry powder, turmeric, and red pepper flakes
Stir & cook 1-2 minutes more.
Add beef and cook until fully browned.
Stir in frozen peas and heat through.
Serve over mashed potatoes!