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Indian Pot Roast

Indian Inspired Braised Beef Curry

Inspired by Bruce Aidell
Course Entree
Cuisine Indian
Keyword beef, curry
Author TheSpicedLife

Ingredients

  • 3-4 lbs beef chuck
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 1 T garam masala, plus more below
  • 2 T ghee, plus vegetable oil to need
  • 1-2 T cider vinegar
  • 1 T dark mustard seeds
  • 2 large onions, chopped, plus more below
  • 2 inch piece of ginger, minced
  • 1/4 cup minced garlic
  • 1 T garam masala
  • 2 T coriander
  • 2 t cumin
  • 1 t turmeric
  • 1 t paprika
  • 1/2 t Ceylon cinnamon
  • 1/4 t cloves
  • 1 1/2 cups beef or chicken stock
  • 20 oz sliced crimini mushrooms
  • 5 carrots, cut into 3-inch pieces
  • 2 large onions, thickly sliced
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • 1 large bunch cilantro, chopped, including fine stems

For serving:

  • Basmati rice
  • chopped cilantro
  • lime wedges
  • Greek yogurt

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 300 F.
  2. Rinse and pat dry the chuck roast. Pat all over with salt, pepper and the tablespoon of garam masala. Let sit for 10-20 minutes (20 is ideal).
  3. Prep your onion, ginger and garlic so they are ready to go immediately after browning the roast.
  4. Heat the ghee over medium high heat in a large Dutch oven. Add as much oil as you feel like you will need to brown the chuck roast. Brown the chuck thoroughly on each side, around 8 minutes per side.
  5. Have a large bowl ready, and when the roast is browned on both sides, remove it to the bowl.
  6. Immediately dump the chopped onions into the Dutch oven and add the cider vinegar to help deglaze the pot. Add a pinch of salt to the onions and toss, scraping the bottom of the pan as you do.
  7. As soon as the vinegar has evaporated, add the mustard seeds. If you need more oil, add it now, to encourage the mustard seeds to roast (if there is still plenty of oil from browning the chuck, do not bother).
  8. Stirring occasionally, cook the onions over medium high heat until they are caramelizing. If they start to stick or scorch, splash a little water into the pan.
  9. Add the ginger and garlic, and continue to stir and caramelize. Continue to use water if necessary to prevent burning, but do not be afraid of a deep reddish brown color. When you hit that color, add the remaining ground spices and stir, roasting the spices for about 30 seconds.
  10. Add the beef or chicken stock and scrape the bottom of the pan. Add the chuck roast back into the pot--make sure you also add any juices in the bowl.
  11. Bring to a boil and then cover with a heavy fitted lid. Place in the oven.
  12. Let cook for 1 1/2 - 2 hours.
  13. If dinner is still a long way off, turn the heat down to 250 F until you are about an hour away from dinner.
  14. An hour out from dinner, add the mushrooms, carrots, thickly sliced onions and chopped cilantro to the Dutch oven. Cover tightly and return to a 300 F oven.
  15. Cook for one hour. Taste for salt, pepper and additional garam masala. Serve with plain Greek yogurt (preferably whole fat, 2% at a minimum), lime wedges and Basmati rice. Sprinkle with cilantro sprigs.