Beef kitchra

Name: Beef kitchra (Lentil, barley and oat stew)
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 3 h
Total time: 3 h 30 min
Yield: Serves 10–12
Cuisine: Pakistani
Ingredients: 1 red onion, cut into slices; 5 tbsp vegetable oil; 2 red onions, thinly cut, fried in oil until brown, then drained; 2 red onions, thinly cut, fried in oil until brown, then drained; 1 bunch of fresh tender coriander, (cilantro) with stems, chopped; 1 bunch of fresh tender coriander, (cilantro) with stems, chopped; ½ bunch of mint, leaves only and finely chopped; ½ bunch of mint, leaves only and finely chopped; 1 tbsp garam masala; 2.5 cm/1-inch piece ginger, peeled and cut into julienne; 2 lemons, cut into wedges; 3 green chillies, finely chopped; 30 g/1 oz/scant ¼ cup each moong daal, urid daal and chana daal; 250 g/9 oz/scant 1¼ cups pearl barley or wheatgerm; 250 g/9 oz/scant 1¼ cups pearl barley or wheatgerm; 1 kg/2¼ lb braising or chuck steak, cut into chunks; 1 kg/2¼ lb braising or chuck steak, cut into chunks; 2 tsp each of crushed ginger and garlic; 2 tsp each of crushed ginger and garlic; 1 cinnamon stick; 2 star anise; 2 black cardamom pods; 1 tsp ground turmeric; 1 tsp crushed dried red chilli; 2 litres/3½ pints/8 cups water; 20 g/¾ oz/¼ cup rolled oats

Lentil, barley and oat stew

Preparation info

Serves
10–12

Difficulty
Easy
Ready in
3 hr 30

Appears in

Summers Under the Tamarind Tree

By Sumayya Usmani

Published 2016

About

Kitchra is a festive and satisfying dish which is cooked on religious holidays. This is a one-pot meal, made with chicken, beef or mutton on the bone, together with simple spices and cereals. It takes patience to prepare, but the results are rewarding. On religious holidays, kitchra or haleem is made and given to the poor and needy – queues form outside generous homes, where steaming bowls of meat stew with naans are given out in large helpings.

Ingredients

Asia
Pakistan
Summer

Ingredients

Method