Meat Bhuna

In this post, I will explain the step-by-step process of how to make tender meat curry and show you the tips and tricks to ensure you get it right every time.

Bhuna is another term of "hot-fry" or "stir-fry". So this dish is slightly on the drier side than a normal home cooked curry.

Having the curry fried enhances the flavours of the herbs and spices making the colours and taste of the curry delectable.

In this south-Asian curry, I have used mixed sheep meat which has a bit of everything in it, bones and the boneless. With meat, the richer the meat, the softer and quicker it will cook. Mutton tends to take the longest to cook, then sheep and lamb is the most richest meat you can use and find in a local cash and carry/supermarket.

I have also used ThatFoodieMCR Desi Spice which is available to purchase via link: www.thatfoodiemcr.com.shop . This has really helped me in the kitchen for times where I've had to cook in a rush or I've to cook many dishes and saves me lots of time in the kitchen and my dishes would still turn out consistent and beautifully.

Lets begin with the recipe.

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You will need a thick non-stick handi/cooking pan with a lid on. It is important to use the lid as the steam helps to cook the meat quicker.

Ingredients 1:

2 serving spoons of oil of your choice

Handful of garlic, blended or chopped/ 3tbspn garlic paste/ 2 frozen cubes garlic

1½ inch garlic, blended or chopped/ 2tbspn ginger paste/ 2 frozen cubes ginger

3-4 bay leaves

3-5 whole cloves

3 aniseed

4 green cardamoms

2 cinnamon sticks, broken

salt to taste

1-2 teaspoons of dried fenugreek leaves

1 teaspoon of chilli flakes

Ingredients 2:

3 medium onions (or 2 large), chopped finely

1kg mixed meat of your choice, washed and cut.

3 tomatoes, chopped into quarters

5-6 green chillies chopped

coriander to garnish

Spices:

3-4 tablespoon of Desi Spice

OR

2 tspns turmeric powder

3 tspns chilli powder (less if you want it milder)

1 tspn cumin powder

1 tspn paprika powder (optional)

2 tspns coriander powder

1 tspn garam masala

1-2 tspn curry powder

Method:

1. To start, on high heat, you will need to add all the ingredients from ingredients 1 and allow to simmer for 1 minute allowing the herbs to infuse into the oil.

2. Add onions, stir well and leave lid on with high heat. Stir every so often to avoid burning.

3. Once the onions have softened and turned slightly brown, add the meat and stir well. Leave lid on ensuring it's tight with no air to escape. If you have any holes in your lid, roll up a small amount of tissue and cover the hole. Cook for half hour, stirring every 5-10 minutes. Note: By leaving the lid on, all the juices from the meat and onions will marry each other.

4. Keep stirring and allow the meat to cook until the onions have completely disappeared.

5. Add the spices of your choice along with tomatoes and green chillies and allow to cook for a further 5 minutes. By adding the chillies and tomato at the end cooks them perfectly allowing them to show in the curry instead of them completely dissolving with the onions.

6. (If you wanted to turn this into a home curry, you would add your potatoes or chosen veg here, allow it to cook for a few minutes and then add water and leaving it to boil for a further 15 minutes until cooked.)

7. Finally, leaving the curry as a bhuna style, garnish with coriander and serve with fresh white rice or a bread of your choice.

Tried it? Tag us! @ThatFoodieMCR

Mixed Meat Bhuna By @ThatFoodieMCR