There are many variations of this South Asian dish. Here I have combined a few of my favorite versions and simplified it a bit by using a pre-made mango pickle. You can find most of these ingredients in your regular grocery store, but may need to visit an Indian grocery store for the mango pickle and the mustard oil.  As always, feel free to DM me on instagram or shoot me an email if you have any questions. 

Step One

In a mixing bowl, marinade the beef with the garlic paste, ginger paste, white vinegar and salt. Let it sit for 15 minutes.

Step Two

Place a large thick bottomed pot over medium-high heat. Add mustard oil and saute the onions, cardamom, bay leaves, cumin, turmeric, coriander, chili powder, sugar and a touch of salt. Stir well and continue cooking on medium heat until the onions are soft (if you don’t have mustard oil, you can use vegetable oil, but the mustard oil really adds richness and depth to the dish).

Step Three

Add the beef to the pot with onions and spices. Stir the beef with your onion and spice mixture until the beef is coated and then add 3 cups of water. Set your heat in between low and medium and allow the water to reduce by about half. This should take about 1.5  to 2 hours. 

Step Four

Once the water has reduced, add in your whole garlic cloves, mango pickle and dried chillies. Stir them in, doing your best not to break open the chillies. Continue to reduce on low heat until the liquid turns into a sauce. Approximately 2.5 hours total reducing time from the time that you added the water. Taste for desired saltiness and spiciness. Garnish with fresh green chilies and serve!

Serving Suggestion

Before serving, either warn your guests about the large spices that are still in the dish that they may accidentally bite into, or simply remove the bay leaves, cardamom pods and cinnamon altogether. You can eat this with rice, naan or paratha. Paired with some Bengali style vegetables and/or daal your tastebuds will be thanking you.