Coconut beef – Mangalorean style

I started cooking quite late in life. Both my sisters for example loved cooking and had taken to pots and pans while they were still in college. In contrast, I started only a few years ago. I often wonder why I didn't start earlier as cooking can be very therapeutic and calming. It is also very satisfying to see your loved ones enjoying their meals and slurping and burping!!! One of the things that makes me extremely happy is to see my son happily eat what I have cooked. And this has been a great motivator to do better. Most mums will know what I am talking about and will agree with me. They say children are the best critics or worst depending on your outlook. So when my son asks for second and third helpings, I know I've done well for the day. Today's recipe is one such winner.

Coconut beef is my mum's recipe and I have grown up eating this for Sunday meals, or when we had visitors, or for Christmas or Easter. Typically all our special occasion meals had Pork Bafath, a spicy pork preparation, a beef or chicken preparation, a vegetable side dish or salad and plain pulao. This dish is quite loved at my home. You can have this with warm pau, a bread that you get in Mumbai or pulao and you will absolutely love it. The roasted and ground spices impart a unique flavor, specially the few grains of roasted methi (fenugreek) that you add at the end. Enjoy!

You can find the recipe for Pork Bafath here.

Recipe credit: Mrs Cecilia Sequeira

Ingredients:

1. Beef - 1 kg
2. Onions - 2 nos
3. Garlic - 1 pod (medium)
4. Ginger - 1 inch piece
5. Tamarind - 1 small lball (soaked in warm water)
6. Vinegar - use if needed
7. Coconut - 1 and half to 2 cups of grated coconut, try and use only the white part.

Dry roast and powder the below spices:

1. Coriander seeds - 2 tsp
2. Jeera - 3/4 tsp
3. Mustard seeds - 3/4 tsp
4. Cloves - 6 nos
5. Cinnamon - 1 and half inch piece
6. Kashmiri red chillies - 8 nos
7. Peppercorns - 8 nos

Methi (fenugreek) seeds - 1/2 tsp (roast, powder and keep aside)

Method:

1. Heat oil in a pan and add chopped onions, fry well, add chopped garlic, ginger and green chillies.
2. Add the meat and tamarind extract and the powdered ingredients.
3. Mix well and let it come to a boil and cook till done.
4. I cook beef in  the pressure cooker, as it takes a lot of time to cook. In case you are using a pressure cooker, take one whistle in the cooker and reduce the flame of the stove to low. Cook for 20 minutes. The time taken to cook beef usually varies depending on how tender the meat is. Use your judgment to gauge when the meat is done.
5. Once the meat is cooked, add the grated coconut and methi (fenugreek) powder. Check for seasoning and taste. If you think you'd like dash of vinegar you may add about 1 tbsp.
6. Give it a nice stir so that everything is mixed well and switch off the flame after about 2 mins. And coconut beef is ready to be served.
7. This goes very well with plain pulao or pau.