Beef Shahi Korma
('Royal' Beef with a Creamy Almond Sauce)
Serves 4 to 6.
There are many Indian dishes that were inspired, a few centuries ago, by dishes
from other countries. Shahi Korma - lamb cubes smothered in a rich almond and
cream sauce - owes its ancestry to Persian food.
It could be served with rice (perhaps 'Spiced basmati rice') or a
bread (naan, chapati, or paratha) and a vegetable such as 'Cauliflower with
potatoes'. It would be good to have some sort of tomato or onion
relish on the side. When i want a quick, but elegant meal, I have been known to
serve Shahi Korma with plain rice and a crisp green salad.
In my recipie here, I have cooked Shahi Korma the traditional way, that is on
top of the stove. If you like, you could do the final long cooking in the oven.
This is particularly useful if you are doing a large meal and need the burners
for other dishes. Just preheat the oven to moderate - 350'F and, once you have
combined the meat, salt, cream and water and brought it to a boil, you can
cover the pot and put it in the oven instead. The cooking times and other
general directions remain the same.
Ingredients;
- 8 cloves peeled garlic
- 1 inch peeled and coarsely chopped ginger
- 5 tbsp. slivered, blanched almonds
- 1 cup water
- 7 tbi.vegetable oil
- 2 lbs. cubed beef-(about 1 inch cubes)
- 10 pods whole cardamom
- 6 whole cloves
- 1 stick cinnamon-(about 1 inch)
- 2 mediurr onions-(peeled and finely chopped)
- 1 tsp. ground coriander
- 2 tsp. ground cumin
- 1/2 tsp.cayenne pepper powder
- 1 1/4 tsp. salt
- 1 1/4 cups heavy cream
- 1/4 tsp. garam masala
Put the garlic, ginger, and 6 tablespoons of water into the container of an
electric blender. blend until you have a paste.
Heat the oil in a wide, heavy, preferably non-stick pot over medium-high flame. When hot, put in just enough meat pieces so they lie,
uncrowded, in a single layer. Brown the meat pieces on all sides, then remove
them with a slotted spoon and put them in a bowl. Brown all the meat this
way.
Put the cardamom, cloves, and cinammon into the hot oil. Within seconds the
cloves will expand. Now put in the onions. Stir and fry the onions until they
turn a brownish colour. Turn the heat down to medium. Put in the paste from the
blender as well as the coriander, cumin, and cayenne. Stir and fry the mixture
for 3-4 minutes or until it too has browned somewhat. Now put in the meat cubes
as well as any liquid that might have accumulated in the meat bowl., the salt,
the cream, and 1 cup water. Bring to a boil. Cover, turn heat to low and simmer
for 2 hours or until the meat is tender. Stir frequently during this cooking
period. Skim off any fat that floats to the top. Sprinkle in the garam masala
and mix.
The whole spices in this dish are not meant to be eaten.