This comes largely from Extending the Table... A World Community Cookbook. The recipes were contributed by Mennonites who had returned from mission work with new delicious dishes in their repertoires. They've undergone some alterations in the kitchens of Americans though... at least that's how I figure Indian recipes came to be made with beef.
I ate something similar my third go-round with Indian food... and it was the first Indian dish I LIKED (the first two had sweet creamy sauces with raisins... and I still scoot straight past them on a menu).
2 T. butter
1/2 lb beef, cubed
1 large onion, cut in big chunks
black pepper
salt
1/2 t. ground ginger
1/2 t. turmeric
4-5 cloves garlic, minced or crushed
1 can tomatoes
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2-3 potatoes, cubed
1 T. curry powder
Melt butter in saucepan and brown beef. Add onions and brown. Add spices and tomatoes and simmer 1 hour. Add potatoes and curry powder and cook until potatoes are tender and your house smells amazing.