Sri Lankan Beef Curry – m. c. de marco

Ingredients

• 1 ½ lb. chuck beef, cubed
• 3 T. olive oil
• ½ T. roasted curry powder
• ¾ tsp. salt
• 2 tsp. sugar
• ½ tsp. black pepper
• 1 stick cinnamon, broken in half
• vinegar and/or soy sauce
• 1 ½ lb. potatoes, cubed (optional)
• 1–2 yellow or red onions, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 T ginger, crushed (optional)
• mild green peppers to taste, chopped
• hot green peppers to taste, chopped
• 1–2 stalks curry leaves (10–20 individual leaves)
• 1 tomato, optional
• ¼ c. tomato sauce (or tomato paste dissolved in liquid from the beef)
• 1 tsp. roasted curry powder
• 1 tsp. red pepper flakes (or cayenne pepper to taste)
• ¾ c. coconut milk, optional