Peel and finely dice the onion. Then sauté the onion in a little oil until it is starting to turn golden. Remove from the pan and add to the slow cooker.

Fry off the diced beef in a little oil or dripping, until it starts to colour. It is best to do this in stages, so that there is plenty of room in the pan. If any liquid comes off the beef, pour it all into the slow cooker pot.

Return all the beef to the pan. Now add the ground spices, garlic, chilli and ginger. Give it all a good stir.

If using a stock cube make into a thin paste with a little water, then add with the remaining ingredients to the slow cooker and stir well, before putting the lid on.

Cook for half an hour on high to bring the curry to a simmer. You can then continue to cook for a further 3–4 hours on high, or turn down to low for 5–6 hours.

The cardamom pods and cinnamon stick tend to float to the top towards the end of cooking, so lift them out with a spoon. If you used a lean stewing steak, add a knob of butter to enrich the curry.

You can adjust the consistency to make it thicker if you prefer. Leave the lid partially open for the last 30–40 minutes of cooking OR thicken with cornflour at the end of cooking.

If you are using spinach, add it now. Cram as much as you can into the slow cooker, and put the lid on so it starts to wilt. After a couple of minutes, stir it in. Then garnish with coriander leaf and serve.