Goan Beef Chilli Fry
You won't find a lot of beef dishes in Indian cuisine, however Goa offers some exceptions. This Goan stir-fry dish combines tender beef, crispy roast potatoes and a simple spice masala - a cracker!
Because cows are sacred in India, you’ll rarely find dishes that use beef. Goa however has made some exception over the years due to its colonisation by Portuguese Roman Catholics. Because beef preparation is still restricted in some parts of Goa, most beef you find will likely be buffalo, or even imported. This dish combines beef with a classic Indian meat masala, Portuguese influenced flavours like wine vinegar and then crispy roast potatoes - a one-pan one-dish wonder. Let’s go!
INGREDIENTS (serves 2x)
350g lean, diced beef (such as sirloin steak)
2x tablespoons red wine vinegar
2x cloves garlic, sliced
1x thumb-sized piece of ginger, grated
1x green finger chilli, sliced
1 tsp fine salt
1 tsp garam masala
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
2 tablespoons cooking oil
5 dried chillies, torn and deseeded
1/2 red onion, sliced ‘pole-to-pole’
1x tomato, large-diced
1/2 tsp ground turmeric
Handful of leftover roast potatoes (or as many as you handle!)
2 tsps sugar, or to taste
To serve: fresh coriander/cilantro, rice, roti
WALKTHROUGH
First, let’s marinate the diced beef. This style of marinade was influenced by Portuguese settlers to Goa. They often used wine vinegar as a meat preserve for voyages, and you’ll find wine vinegars used often in many classic Goan dishes. To the beef, add 2 tablespoons of red wine vinegar, 2x sliced garlic cloves, 1x thumb of grated ginger, 1x sliced green finger chilli, 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp garam masala, 1/2 tsp ground cumin, 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon and 1/2 tsp ground black pepper. Give this a toss to coat and set it aside for 15 minutes, or up to 24 hours in the fridge.
Now for the the base of the dish. Place a frying pan or wok onto a medium-low heat. Once hot, add 2 tablespoons of cooking oil followed by the sliced red onions and dried red chillies. We’re going to cook these on a low heat for about 5 minutes until they’re softened. Don’t worry about letting the onions brown in places - the browning is a key flavour to this dish, just take your time.
Now the onions are softened, and the chilli has flavoured the oil, we’re going to add the diced tomatoes. This will cool the pan right down, and help build some sticky browned bits around the pan (extra flavour!) Cook the tomatoes for about 2 minutes until they just start to buckle.
Now we’ll add the marinated beef, plus its marinade. All into the pan now, you may want to swill the bowl out with a few tablespoons of water to add any remaining spices. Increase the heat to high. Give the beef a push around the pan and allow the heat to grab it, about 2-3 minutes, keeping the whole thing moving. It will smell quite vinegary, don’t worry. This will quickly cook out and leave only a mouthwatering brightness behind.
Now some finishing touches, add 1/2 tsp of ground turmeric followed by the 2 tsps of sugar. This sounds like a lot of sugar, but you need it to balance the sharpness of the vinegar. Think sweet & sour - they always partner well - it’s this gastrique of sugar and vinegar which is what makes this really delicious. The dish will be fairly dry at this point, with a small amount of sauciness - do add a splash of water if it’s beginning to catch the pan.
To finish the dish: the potatoes! Potatoes for this dish are often fried or boiled separately, but if you have leftover roast potatoes, you can slice those up into bitesize pieces. Roast potatoes are the best in this. Tip the potatoes in and give them a minute tossing through the meat, allowing them to catch the spices and the small amount of sauce. Once coated, this dish is ready to taste for seasoning. You may need more salt and/or sugar to your personal taste.
To serve, scatter over some fresh coriander, and enjoy it with rice (double carbs) or roti, or even both (triple carbs!) Choose your own adventure, but either way, any leftovers will keep brilliantly in the fridge and are wonderful when served cold. I quite like it with Indian chilli sauce and tamarind sauce! Enjoy!