Beef Masala

This may look like a lot of work, but it's not really. The idea is to cook some of the ingredients, purée it turn it into a gravy and then submerge the beef into the spicy liquid and cook it till it's tender.

3 pounds cubed beef with bones
Lemon juice, 2 tbsps ginger garlic paste, salt, pepper.
Marinate the meat with the above and leave in the refrigerator overnight.

1 large red onion sliced
2 dried red chillies(can substitute 1 tsp red chillie powder)
1 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp star anise
1 tsp yellow or black mustard seeds
10 whole black peppercorns
1tbsp ginger paste
1 tbsp garlic paste
2 large tomatoes
1 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp garam masala powder
1 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp fennel powder
1-2 cups water
1/2 cup chopped coriander
Salt/pepper

Start with frying the onions and chillies. Add all the whole spices. Add the ginger and garlic paste, the chopped tomatoes and all the spice powders with some salt. Cook it for about 10 mins, remove from heat, cool and puree. Return to the pan add some water and bring to a boil. Add the meat. I prefer to use a pressure cooker and cook it for about 15 to 30 mins  This ensures the meat is nice and tender. You can keep adding water and salt of it thickens.  If you don't have a pressure cooker, cook the meat covered for at least 30-45 mins stirring and adding more liquid ever 5-10 mins. Finish with chopped coriander.

Tip: If you want to make the gravy ahead of time, you can make it and store it in the fridge for 2-4 days OR freeze it. Just add the beef and cook as instructed.