Masala Beef with Ginger and Curry Leaf

SUBMITTED BY: Deepak Mathew

"This is a real delight for the beef eaters. The roots of this recipe are Portuguese; it's widely prepared among the Syrian Christians in Kerala, India. Basically you cut the beef into small cubes and fry in the spicy ingredients. It's so yummy and it goes well with white rice."

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PREP TIME	20 Min
COOK TIME	55 Min
READY IN	1 Hr 15 Min

SERVINGS

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Servings
USMETRIC

INGREDIENTS (Nutrition)

3 bay leaves
1 (1 inch) piece cinnamon stick
5 cardamom pods
4 whole cloves
2 teaspoons fennel seeds
10 whole black peppercorns
2 pounds beef tenderloin, cubed
3 cups chopped onion, divided
5 green chile peppers, halved lengthwise
1 (1 1/2 inch) piece fresh ginger root, grated
6 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup coconut oil
1/4 teaspoon whole mustard seeds
4 fresh curry leaves
2 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon ground black pepper

DIRECTIONS

To make the masala powder: Grind the bay leaves, cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, fennel seeds and peppercorns in a spice grinder until mixture is a fine powder.
Place the beef cubes, masala powder, 2 cups chopped onion, green chiles, grated fresh ginger, garlic and turmeric in a large, heavy pot. Add water to cover (about 1 cup) and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes until beef is cooked through. Add salt. Stir and continue to simmer about 10 minutes or until mixture is almost dry, but do not allow it to burn (add a bit more water, if necessary). Set aside.
Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add mustard seeds and cook until they begin to pop. Immediately add remaining 1 cup chopped onion and stir over medium heat until onions soften and begin to brown, about 10 to 12 minutes. Add curry leaves and cook until brown, about 3 minutes.
Stir in the beef mixture, black pepper, and lemon juice. Cook until nicely browned and heated through, about 8 minutes.

FOOTNOTE

You can adjust the spiciness of this recipe by increasing or decreasing the number of green chiles. Also, you can remove the green chiles before serving, if desired.