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

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.