Dish of Beef & Arrowroot with Peas
(click to enlarge)

Beef & Arrowroot with Peas


India - Kerala
Makes:
Effort:
Sched:
DoAhead:  		 2-1/3 #
***
2 hrs
Yes		 An attractive and very tasty dish. Beef and Arrowroot are very common ingredients in Kerala state in the southwest of India. It can be made with roots other than Arrowroot. See also Comments

8
14
5
10
5
1
1
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1
1
1/2
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1/2
1
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ar
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oz
oz
oz
oz

c
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t
t
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Beef (1)  
Tomatoes
Onion
Arrowroot (2)
Carrots
Green Chili (3)
Peas, frozen
-- Seasonings
Coriander Seed
Pepper, black
Salt
------------
Garam Masala (4)  
Oil
-- Serve with
Steamed Rice (5)
PREP   -   (20 min)
  1. Slice BEEF about 1/4 inch thick by 1 inch chunks. To save time, I go ahead and start cooking the Beef (step 8) while doing the rest of Prep.
  2. Scald TOMATOES one minute in boiling water. Quench in cold water and peel. Cut into 1/2 inch dice.
  3. Quarter ONION lengthwise and slice thin crosswise.
  4. Peel ARROWROOT (not necessary for small ones). Slice about 1/3 inch thick. If small just cut into rounds. If large, cut into about 3/4 inch pieces. Peel CARROTS and slice about 1/3 inch thick, Mix.
  5. Thaw PEAS.
  6. Cap and seed Green Chili. Leave in veins if you want some heat, scrape them out if not. Chop fine.
  7. Grind CORIANDER and PEPPERCORNS to powder in a spice grinder. Mix all Seasonings items.
RUN   -   (1-2/3 hr)
  1. In a Kadhai or Wok, place Beef and cover well with Water. Bring to a full boil for a minute and pour it out into a clean sink. Wash the pan and rinse the Beef. Return to the pan with water to just cover, bring to a boil, and turn to a simmer, covered, until beef is just tender, about 45 minutes depending on cut.
  2. Uncover Beef and boil until water has evaporated and it starts to fry.
  3. Stir in Oil and Onions. Fry stirring until Onions are lightly colored.
  4. Stir in Tomatoes, Arrowroot mix, Chili, Seasonings mix and 2/3 cup Water. Bring to a boil, turn to a simmer, cover tightly, and steam over moderate heat, stirring a few times, until carrots are tender. The Arrowroot will still be a little crisp - that's the way it is.
  5. Stir in Peas and Garam Masala. Bring back to a simmer for 5 minutes.
NOTES:

  1. Beef:

      Just about any lean cut will work, though I usually use shoulder. Cooking time will depend on cut.

  2. Arrowroot:

      These rhizomes are found mainly in Asian markets, which abound here in Southern California. Of course, you can use other root vegetables with some change in taste and texture. For details see our Arrowroot page.

  3. Green Chili:

      Here you must use your own best judgement. These should be Indian long green chilis, and they should be hot ones (southern cuisine) but those are imperfectly available even in Los Angeles. I use easily available Chili Serrano. If you're from the Frozen North you'll want to scrape out the veins well. For details see our Indian Chilis page.

  4. Garam Masala:

      This is a finishing spice mix that varies with region, and even household. For examples see our recipes listed at Index - Garam Masalas.

  5. Steamed Rice:

    Use a long grain rice. Thai Jasmine is far closer to the rice of Southern India than Basmati.

  6. Comments:

      The pattern recipe was just a mess. The only actual measure was for the Beef. And "2 medium sized arrowroots"? Here in Los Angeles we have them from 2 ounces to 4 pounds. From various sources, I expect smaller ones are appropriate. The ingredient list didn't match the steps, not unusual for recipes from India (and often recipes from England). Her sequencing was unusual, but being well experienced with Indian cooking I did the best I could to follow them in a way that made sense. Also, she didn't say what region of India, very important for Indian recipes - but the combination of Beef and Arrowroot pretty much pins it to Kerala. As I give it above, I'm very happy with this recipe.
  7. U.S. measure: t=teaspoon, T=Tablespoon, c=cup, qt=quart, oz=ounce, #=pound, cl=clove in=inch, ar=as required tt=to taste
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