Beef Bhuna

This recipe is from Madhur Jaffrey's book, "From Curries To Kebabs", and is very easy to make. It's simmering away on the stove right now and smells delish! As with any Indian recipe, it's best to have your ingredients measured and prepared ahead of time to keep things moving along.

Ingredients:

• 2 tsp whole cumin seeds
• 4 tsp whole coriander seeds
• 2 tsp whole mustard seeds
• 2 to 4 whole hot dried chilies
• 2 tsp whole fennel seeds
• 2 tsp whole fenugreek seeds
• 5 tbsp corn or peanut oil
• 3 large shallots, very finely chopped
• 1 1/2-inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and very finely chopped
• 5 to 6 cloves garlic, very finely chopped
• 10 to 15 fresh curry leaves (I used dried ones)
• 2 medium tomatoes, peeled and chopped
• 2 pounds stewing beef, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 1/4 tsp salt

Set a small or medium cast-iron frying pan over medium-high heat. When it is hot, put in the cumin seeds, coriander seeds, mustard seeds, chilies, fennel seeds and fenugreek seeds. Stir them around until they are a shade darker. Quickly empty them out and let cool slightly. Now put them into a clean coffee or spice grinder and grind to a powder.

Pour the oil into a wide, preferrably non-stick, lidded pan and set over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, add the shallots, ginger and garlic. Fry, stirring, for 4 to 5 minutes, until they turn a golden brown. Add the curry leaves and tomatoes. Cook, again stirring, until the tomatoes are reduced to a thick paste. Add the ground roasted spices. Stir into the paste and cook for 1 minute. Add the meat and salt. Stir and cook for a further 5 minutes. Add 1 cup of water and bring to a simmer. Cover tightly with the lid, reduce the heat to low, and simmer gently for 1 1/2 hours, or until meat is tender. Remove the lid, raise the heat to high, and cook, stirring continuously, until the sauce is reduced to the point where it clings to the meat.