Braised and fried beef

A wonderful dish, rich, dark and reminiscent of a Malaysian rendang, this is one of those recipes where the pot does most of the cooking for you. Don’t be daunted by the long ingredients list, all of the spices are familiar and many are doubled up to make the same flavours in the first and second stages. This recipe is fantastic with chapatis, parathas, pitta or Middle Eastern lavash bread. The cooking method is vital here: once the beef has been braised until tender, the liquid is removed