Mughlai Beef Curry (Mughlai Frezi) - cooking recipe

Ingredients

1 (400 ml) can coconut milk
2 lbs lean stewing beef, cut into 2 . 5cm cubes
3 tablespoons ghee
2 large yellow onions, sliced and quartered
6 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 teaspoons ginger, minced
1 1/4 teaspoons ground cumin
1 1/4 teaspoons coriander, freshly ground
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
1/4 teaspoon garam masala
2 green cardamom pods, crushed
2 bay leaves
6 cm cinnamon sticks, broken in half
1 1/2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup plain yogurt
1/2 cup cilantro, chopped

Preparation

Bring coconut milk to a boil in a large heavy-bottomed pot (Dutch oven) and add beef cubes. Cover and simmer over low heat for about 40 minutes, or until almost tender. Lift out beef cubes and reserve in large bowl. Skim off any visible oil in the coconut milk, then pour over beef to keep the meat moist.
Clean and dry the heavy-bottomed pot, place it back on the stove and heat ghee on medium-low. Fry onion slices and garlic cloves until light golden, lift out and set aside.
Add all spices to remaining ghee in pan. Fry over low heat for one minute, stirring carefully to avoid scorching. Add beef cubes, reserving coconut liquid, and tomato paste, and fry until the mixture turns a rich brown colour, or about 8-10 minutes.
Stir in yogurt, add salt and fried onions, cover and simmer for 20 minutes to blend flavours. If curry becomes too thick, add reserved coconut liquid as is necessary.
Remove from heat, top with cilantro and enjoy!