Onion Beef Curry - Mangshoer DoPiaza

It is so hot here that we don't have an appetite for anything! Cooking feels like a chore and eating a tiring experience. I have trained our servant to read and cook so i can write up a recipe for him or hand him a bengali recipe and he can come up with a very delicious recipe. So, after racking my brain for a yummy meal that Cal and I would actually WANT to eat - I landed on this recipe. Served up with flaky parothas and cool cucumber yogurt - was very satisfying.

Please keep in mind to read this first then start cooking. South asian curries are all about patience and time. The flavors need time to really mix well for the delicious flavor to come out. So do the cooking in the steps and wait in between for few mins for the spices to blend well.

One tip for added flavor - marinade the beef for an hour or two in a paste of fresh garlic, ginger and onion with salt.

Ingredients

Beef: 2 pounds
Onion: 4 med to large (sliced)
Ginger: 1 inch (paste or cut small)
Garlic: 6 cloves
Dry red Chili: 6

Paste or powder: 2 Tsp. each
Turmeric
Chili powder
Coriander powder
Cumin powder

Ghee (clarified butter): 3 1/2 Oz.
Sugar: 2 Tbsp.
Dry bay leaf: 2 med. size
Salt: as per taste

1) Wash and cut beef in medium bite size pieces. Slice onions. Grind/paste together ginger, garlic and Dry red chili.

2) Heat the ghee in a pot. Add half the onions and sautee. Add beef and fry together for few mins. Add ginger, garlic, chili paste and stir and mix well.

3) Add the rest of the onions. Lightly stir and the spice powders and pastes of 2 tsps. each. Fry all and stir well. Cook few mins. Add sugar, salt and bay leaf.

4) Once it fries all together and sticks pastey add 7 oz. of water. Cook on med. high until the water dries or the oil rises to the top about 1/2 hour to 45 mins - depending on your meat and cooking temp. Check if meat is well cooked and tender. If not - add more water and cook longer.

5) Take off from stove, add some crispy fried onions on top and serve!

Enjoy!!