Eid feels complete with good food, and among the many beef dishes, kala bhuna is a special favourite for many. With its slow-fried spices, smoky aroma and dark colour without gravy, this traditional dish brings something different to the Eid table.

It is easy to make at home for family or guests, so you can put kala bhuna on this Eid's cooking list. Here is a simple recipe.

First mix the meat well with yoghurt, ginger paste, garlic paste, chilli powder, turmeric, coriander powder, cumin powder, half a tablespoon of radhuni powder and salt to taste. Cover and marinate in the fridge for at least four to five hours.

Heat 2 cups of oil in a pot and slowly fry more than half the onions over a medium flame. When they turn into dark brown crisp-fried onions (beresta), lift them out and set aside. Temper whole garam masala in the same oil.

Add the marinated meat and stir-fry it well over a high flame for 10 to 15 minutes. Then lower the heat, cover and cook. The meat should slowly cook and fry in the water it releases. Stir every 10 minutes so it does not stick to the bottom. The whole process may take one and a half to two hours.

When the oil separates from the spices and the colour darkens, add the reserved fried onions and the rest of the radhuni powder. This gives the meat a lovely blackish-brown colour. Add a little hot water at a time if needed.

Finally, add roasted cumin powder, garam masala powder, green chillies and a little ghee, and fry for another 8 to 10 minutes. In another pan, fry the remaining onions brown in the rest of the mustard oil and pour them over the cooked meat.

Then put a burning piece of charcoal in a small bowl and pour a teaspoon of ghee over it. Set the bowl inside the pot of meat and cover it at once. After a while, when the smoky aroma has come through, serve hot with polao, naan or paratha.

Source: Jagonews24. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.