Beef Shatkora

A tangy Sylheti beef curry made with shatkora, a fragrant citrus with a bitter-sour flavour.

TIME BREAKDOWN
Prep: 40 min
Cook: 2h 10m
Total: 2 hours 50 minutes
Vegetarian
❌
Nuts
❌
Serves
4 people
Difficulty
Easy

Ingredients

  • 1kg beef braising steak, cut into 4cm pieces
  • 4 pieces dried shatkora, from Bangladeshi grocers
  • 4 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 5cm cinnamon stick
  • 4 green cardamom pods
  • 4 cloves
  • 2 onions, finely sliced
  • 1 tbsp fresh root ginger and garlic paste
  • 1/2 tsp ground turmeric
  • 2 tsp Kashmiri chilli powder
  • 1 tbsp ground coriander
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • 1 1/2 tsp salt
  • 2 tomatoes, chopped
  • 600ml hot water
  • 3 green chillies, slit lengthways
  • 2 tbsp chopped fresh coriander

Method

  1. Soak the dried shatkora in warm water for 30 minutes. Drain and cut into small pieces.

  2. Heat the oil in a heavy casserole over a medium heat. Add the bay leaves, cinnamon, cardamom and cloves for 30 seconds, then the onions, and cook for 12 minutes until golden.

  3. Stir in the ginger and garlic paste for 2 minutes. Add the turmeric, chilli powder, coriander, cumin, salt and tomatoes and cook for 6 minutes until the oil separates.

  4. Add the beef and fry for 10 minutes until sealed and coated. Pour in the hot water, bring to a simmer, cover and cook on a low heat for 1 hour 15 minutes.

  5. Add the shatkora and green chillies and cook uncovered for 25 to 30 minutes until the beef is tender and the gravy is thick.

  6. Scatter over the coriander and serve with plain rice or paratha.