Ode to Onions! Anglo Indian Beef or Pork Roast

I’ve known Melissa (Melly) for eon’s, we went to school together and were ‘bench buddies’ through a greater part of our education. Our days, back then started at 8am, with a 20 minute break for snacks at 10.30am. Melly always, knew what I was eating :), don’t know what it is about onions, especially the red onions but I can’t do without them, my sandwiches for our short snack break would include onions! She could smell ‘em a mile away! Thinking about it now I’m surprised at how she tolerated my ‘onion addiction’!

Getting back to ‘em onions, in Indian cooking red onions form the basis of most curries, in Kerala & Tamil Nadu, pearl onions (the little tiny ones, the Brit’s pickle and eat straight out of a bottle) are used frequently in chutney and sambar preparations. We Indian’s just can’t live without onions …

I tend to like my onions either raw or caramelized, especially over Anglo Indian Beef Roast.


This particular, Anglo Indian Beef Roast Recipe has been passed on from my maternal Nana Ester, to my mom Cynthia and now to me.

Most cooking in India was conducted over wood and in clay chatties (pots). While I use a pressure cooker to tenderize and soften the beef now, pressure cooker’s didn’t exist back then so the beef would be slowly cooked over long periods of time in the mild spices and clay pot; it all added to wonderful succulent meat which would be eaten as a side to rice and curry. I use it as sandwich fillers as well, just remove the bits of spice, throw in some cheese and mayo and you’re good to go.

Here’s the one pot recipe:

Anglo Indian Beef (or pork) Roast:

Ingredients:


1. Beef or Pork or Veal – 500grams / 1.1 pound
2. ‘Gundo’ Red Chili (Dried, Indian, Red, Round and Stout chili) – 8 pieces (You can substitute 2 or       3 dried Kashmiri chilies if you don’t have the ‘Gundo’ Chili)
3. Garlic Cloves – 3 or 4 – If you like the taste of garlic more.
4. Whole Black Pepper – 1 and a half teaspoon
5. Cinnamon Sticks – 3 sticks, 1 inch in size
6. Turmeric - 1 teaspoon 

7. Salt - 1 and a half teaspoon
8. Water – 250 ml (maybe more if the beef / veal is not tender)
9. Canola Oil - 1 and a half teaspoon

Method:


1. Wash the beef, poke with a fork all over, get all your aggression out and hammer with a tenderizer if required. And set aside.
2. Throw ingredients 2 through till 8 in your pressure cooker or cooking pot (heavy based works best here) and stir.
3. Sit the beef or pork or veal in the spice bath and cover / put the pressure cooker lid on. Cook unopened for 30 minutes on low to medium heat. Then check at 15 minute intervals, depending on the meat this may take one hour.
4. If the meat is tender, remove the lid and allow the remaining liquid to dry. Then add the canola oil and allow to cook for a few minutes.
5. Switch the heat off and allow it to settle.

Caramelized Onions:


Ingredients:


1. Red Onions – 2 sliced
2. Slightly Salted Butter – 1 table spoon


Method:

1. Heat butter in a frying pan on low heat.
2. Once butter has melted, toss in the red onion and allow to cook on low heat. It’s like a watched pot, it won’t caramelize if you keep staring at it, so do something else for a few minutes and come back to it. It should look browned, stir and keep browning. I like my onions with a little bit of succulence in them and not completely dry so I take it off the heat at that stage.
3. Throw your Caramelized Onions on top of the beef / pork / veal and serve!