Cassia’s Beef Short Rib

This is a classic dish that has been on the Auckland restaurant Cassia’s menu for the last two months. It is inspired by a traditional Rajasthani dish called Laal Maas that translates to ‘‘red meat curry’’.

Serves 4

Prep and cook time: 4-5 hours

For the beef

2kg beef short rib 400ml coconut cream 500ml water

10g salt

For the sauce

100ml canola oil

4 onions, diced

50g ginger

50g garlic, made into paste 100g whole cashews 10g chilli powder

10g turmeric

For the spice mix (alternatively, you can buy a garam masala blend and store-bought red chilli paste, or crushed red chillis)

10g cumin seeds

10g coriander seeds

10g whole cardamom

7g cloves

2 dried bay leaves

1 cinnamon stick

100g whole dried chilli – rehydrated and pureed

To garnish

Pickled daikon slices to serve.

Serve with rice on the side (optional). Beef: Preheat oven to 140 degrees Celsius. Combine coconut cream, water and salt. Place beef in a baking tray, pour over the coconut cream mixture and cook for 4 to 5 hours, or until tender and the bones can be removed easily. Remove beef from mixture after cooking. Roast on a clean baking sheet at 200C for 5 minutes. Carve and serve sauce on top of the beef. Spices: Toast all spices for the spice mix together until the aroma comes out. Grind all together in a spice grinder to a fine powder.

Sauce: Preheat a saucepan with the oil. Add onions and caramelise until golden. Add ginger and garlic paste and cook for 5 minutes. Add the cashews, chilli powder and turmeric and cook for a further 2 minutes. Add in the spice mix made earlier and the chilli puree and cook for a further 5 minutes. Blend with a stick blender very quickly to keep a slightly chunky texture.

Cassia, 5 Fort Lane, Auckland. Dinner: TuesdaySaturday from 5.30pm. Lunch: Wednesday-Friday, Noon-3pm.

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