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Curried Mince on Rice

By Danijela Armitage
07/09/16

(Updated 11/05/24)

5 from 4 votes

It's the perfect trifecta: saucy, satisfying and downright delicious - it's curried mince! This stovetop quick ground beef and rice dish features curry-flavoured beef with a medley of tender veggies. Easy to prepare, it's a great weeknight family meal.

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A birdseye photo of curried mince with brown rice topped with parsley

Meet curried mince, a quick ground beef and rice dish that’s well-deserving of a spot on the dinner rotation. This budget-friendly meal is great for using up ingredients you may already have on hand, like a tin of tomatoes or the last of a bag of frozen peas.

With the option for use of a mild curry powder, it might even win the approval from little ones too (although hopefully they won’t protest at the scattered peas). Kids can be notoriously tricky when it comes to accepting veggies, but when they’re a regular part of mealtime, it’s easier to get them on board🤙.

As a Registered Nutritionist, I’m all about healthy dinner ideas, and love a fuss-free option for busy weeknights. With protein-rich beef mince (aka ground beef), a few good serves of vegetables, and paired with brown or white rice, this dish keeps things simple while being nutritionally well-balanced too.

A birdseye photo of ingredients to make curried rice, including mince, peas, onion, spices, salt, oil, cornflour, rice, cabbage, canned tomatoes, beef stock and parsley.

Gather Ingredients

  • Beef mince. A quick-cooking and family friendly meat cut. Opt for a 80% lean meat and 20% fat blend for the perfect blend of flavour and juiciness. You can also go leaner.
  • Indian curry powder (mild or medium). An all-in-one spice blend to create our signature curried taste. Find it in the spice or seasoning aisle of your supermarket.
  • Green cabbage. Absorbs great flavour as it wilts down, while also stretching the dish.
  • Canned chopped tomatoes. The foundation of our rich, tomatoey base.
  • Frozen peas. Superbly convenient and economical, they’ll add a pop of colour and subtle sweetness throughout.
  • Fresh parsley. For its fresh and vibrant taste, which helps cut through the richness of the dish.

You’ll also need the basics: oil for sautéing, a brown onion for flavour, beef stock to help form our sauce, cornflour (cornstarch) to thicken, salt to season it all to perfection, and rice to serve.

Step-by-Step: Curried Mince & Cabbage

A white chopping board with half-moon onions, sliced cabbage and a chefs knife.
Get the rice on cooking, as per the packet instructions. Slice the onion into half-moons. Shred the cabbage.
Sautéd half-moon brown onions in a deep fry-pan with oil, and a wooden spoon
Heat the oil in a large deep fry-pan. Once hot, sauté onions over a medium heat for 5 minutes, or until soft.
Sautéd beef mince with brown onions in a deep fry-pan with a wooden spoon.
Add the beef and sauté over a medium heat for 5 minutes, using the wooden spoon to break up the meat.
Sautéd beef mince with shredded slightly wilted cabbage and curry powder in a large deep fry pan with a wooden spoon.
Add shredded cabbage, curry powder and salt. Sauté for another few minutes, or until the cabbage has slightly wilted.
Sautéd beef mince, cabbage, tomatoes and stock in a large, deep, fry-pan.
Add tomatoes and stock. Mix, turn up heat to boil, then reduce to a rapid simmer (details below) for 10 minutes. Stir occasionally.
Simmered curry mince with peas added.
After 10 minutes add the frozen peas. Give it a mix – you’ll notice the the liquid will have reduced and it won’t be as watery as before.
Remove any stems from the parsley and discard. Then, finely chop the leaves and add to the curried mince, mixing through well.
Whisk the cornflour with equal parts water. Add to mince, and stir continuously over a medium-low heat until it reaches the desired thickness.

Kitchen Tips

Here are tips and tricks to help your kitchen skills grow while improving the outcome of this dish:

  • Rapid simmer to thicken. A rapid simmer is a cooking technique where small bubbles frequently and vigorously break the surface of a liquid, typically on a medium heat. This will help develop flavours and thicken up the sauce.
  • Don’t overcook the cabbage. The end goal is a tender, yet wilted, texture. Too much time in the pan over high heat, or cabbage shredded too finely, can lead to mushiness (blegh).
  • Season, to taste. Sample the dish at the end, and tweak the seasoning as needed. You might prefer more or less salt depending on personal preference and the saltiness of your beef stock.

Serving & Storage

This curry mince recipe with rice doesn’t need to be served with anything beyond itself – it’s already nutritionally well-balanced. But, a side salad is always a welcomed addition to the table!

Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge. This mince makes for epic leftovers and is easily repurposed. Here are ideas:

  • Protein-Packed Breakfast. Heat the mince and load up onto a slice of buttered, grainy toast for a hearty and satisfying breakfast.
  • Curried Jacket Potato. Elevate lunch or dinner with a baked jacket potato, generously topped with curried mince and a dollop of sour cream.
  • Curried Quesadilla. Fusion cuisine! Spread leftovers inside a tortilla, add a generous handful of grated cheese, and grill to perfection.
  • Lunchtime Wrap. A quick and delicious lunch. Add a handful of fresh baby spinach, along with the mince, to a wholegrain wrap.
  • Curried Potato Hash. Transform leftover cooked potatoes into a flavourful hash by tossing with the curried mince.

Nutrition Q&A

How much red meat should I eat per week? Red meat remains a hot topic in the nutrition world, sparking ongoing debates. When viewed with a balanced perspective, unprocessed red meat, such as ground beef or steak, can be a flavourful addition to a heart-healthy diet, offering high-quality protein and micronutrients like iron, zinc, and vitamin B12 (1). However, moderation is key.

Current general guidelines from both the World Cancer Research Fund and NZ Ministry of Health recommends eating up to 350-500g of cooked unprocessed red meat per week, and little to no processed meat, such as salami (2,3).

These recommendations strike a balance between leveraging the nutritional benefits of red meat, while side-stepping potential health risks of overconsumption. A recommended cooked portion is around 100g, allowing you to enjoy 3-4 meals each week. In this recipe, 500g of beef provides 4 servings.

Dietary wisdom, however, encourages diversity. Embrace variety and enjoy a diverse mix of protein sources throughout the week (e.g. legumes, eggs, tofu, tempeh, fish and seafood, chicken), rather than relying on red meat.

Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoy this quick dinner idea with ground beef.

Curried Mince on Rice (Ground Beef and Rice)

Author Danijela Armitage
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Serving Size: 4
Rating:
A bowl of curried mince and brown rice, topped with parsley.
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Ingredients:  

  • 1 Tbsp oil
  • 1 brown onion
  • 500 g beef mince (ground beef)
  • 4 cup shredded green cabbage (¼ large or ½ medium-small cabbage)
  • 2 Tbsp Indian curry powder, mild or medium
  • 1 tsp salt, or more to season
  • 1 400g tin of chopped tomatoes
  • 250 ml beef stock
  • 1 cup frozen peas
  • 1 Tbsp cornflour
  • ½ cup fresh parsley, with more to garnish (optional)
  • 1 ½ cup uncooked brown rice

Method:

  • Begin by cooking the brown rice according to the instructions on the packet. Set it aside when done.
  • Slice off the top and bottom ends of the onion, peel away the brown papery skin, and discard it. Slice the onion into half moons. Shred/slice the green cabbage.
  • In a large, deep fry-pan over medium heat, add the oil. Once the oil is hot, add the sliced onions and sauté for about five minutes until they become translucent and slightly caramelised.
  • Add the ground/mince beef to the pan and continue to sauté for another five minutes. Use a wooden spoon to break up the beef into smaller pieces as it cooks.
  • Add the shredded cabbage, curry powder, and salt to the pan. Continue to sauté for a few more minutes, allowing the cabbage to wilt and absorb the flavours.
  • Pour in the canned chopped tomatoes and beef stock. Turn up the heat to high and bring the mixture to a boil. Once it starts bubbling, reduce the heat to a medium, allowing it to rapid simmer for approximately 10 minutes (a rapid simmer is a vigorous, but not boiling, cooking technique where small bubbles frequently and vigorously break the surface of a liquid). Stir occasionally.
  • Add the frozen peas to the pan, stirring them into the mixture. Create a cornflour slurry by mixing the cornflour with 1 tablespoon of water, then add it into the mince. Stir continuously for a few minutes until any remaining liquid thickens into a saucy consistency.
  • Add the finely chopped parsley and mix in.
  • Taste test – add more salt if needed. I usually add another ½ to 1 tsp salt, depending on what curry powder I use.

Leave a Comment & Rate this Recipe

If you enjoyed this dish, please consider giving it a star rating when you post a comment. Star ratings help others discover my recipes online (and your reviews make my day! 🙂 ). Happy cooking and baking. Danijela x

5 from 4 votes

Recipe Rating




    8 Comments

  4. 5 stars
    Was really nice left out cabbage as we don’t like it but made nice change from curry chicken or cut up beef husband enjoyed it as well

    Reply

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