Serves 6
Preparation: 15 min
Cooking: 2 hours
Marinating: 2 hours or overnight
6 beef short ribs
375 ml (1½ c) plain yoghurt
juice of 2 lemons
5 ml (1 t) turmeric
5ml (1 t) dried chilli flakes
5 ml (1 t) salt
45 ml (3 T) oil
2 onions, chopped
8 green cardamom pods
1 cinnamon stick
15 ml (1 T) garlic and ginger paste
8 fresh tomatoes
1 can (400 g) chopped tomatoes
675 ml (2½ c) warm water
10 ml (2 t) ground coriander
10 ml (2 t) medium curry powder
10 ml (2 t) ground cumin
pinch of ground cloves
5 ml (1 t) black pepper
extra salt
handful of fresh coriander to garnish
1 Cut a few deep slashes in the thickest part of the ribs and put them in a non-metal bowl.
2 Whisk together the yoghurt, lemon juice, turmeric, chilli flakes and 5 ml (1 t) salt. Pour the marinade over ribs and rub it deep into the cuts. Set aside in a cool place for 2 hours or overnight.
3 Heat the oven to 180 °C.
4 Heat the oil in a large, ovenproof pot. Add the onions, cardamom pods and cinnamon and fry over medium heat for 5 minutes or until the onions are soft.
5 Stir in the garlic and ginger paste and cook for another minute without allowing the paste to brown.
6 Purée the fresh tomatoes in a blender and pour over the onions. Add the canned tomatoes and allow to bubble briskly for 15 minutes or until the sauce has thickened slightly. Stir in the water and all the remaining spices. Season to taste with salt.
7 Put the ribs and their marinade into the pot and stir until the meat is well coated. Cover the pot with its lid or a tight layer of foil and bake in the oven for 1 hour.
8 Remove the lid, stir well to coat all the meat with the sauce then arrange the ribs in a single layer in the sauce. Bake uncovered for another hour or until the meat starts to fall from the bone.
9 Serve immediately with a sprinkling of fresh coriander on top.
