আচআরি গরুর মাঙ্শ - Pickle flavoured Beef Curry
আচআরি গরুর মাঙ্শ, pronounced : ah-cha-ree go-roor maang-show
আচআরি- pickle, গরুর - beef, মাঙ্শ - meat
Bakul uncle’s favourite dish that’s made by mum. A very bright and deep flavoured stew. Aachar is used to refer to any pickle that is presented alongside a meal in Bangladesh. This curry uses the two base ingredients of any aachar - white vinegar and paanch phoran - to brighten the beef. The name is a misnomer since the beef itself is not pickled but does share a remarkable amount of flavour with its namesake. This is a slow cooked dish - one where the work is front loaded. Budget 3-5 hours of cooking time, but only an hour of work. The final dish will be spiced wonderfuly, slightly sweet, and the meat should be fall apart tender.
Pair with some simple basmati rice or laccha parathas (really any bread will be delightful).
Ingredients and tools
Heavy bottomed pot with heavy lid or Dutch Oven
3-4 lbs of beef stew cut (anything from a chuck roast to a Bohemian steak will do, though chuck will take longer to cook)
2 cups diced red onions/shallots
3 tbsp garlic paste (in a pinch equivalent qty. of finely diced garlic will do)
3 tbsp ginger paste (in a pinch equivalent qty. of finely diced ginger will do)
1/2 cup neutral oil (avocado/canola etc.)
1/2 cup mustard oil (if unavailable use neutral oil)
2 tbsp turmeric powder
2 tbsp deshi chili powder (at least do 1 tbsp)
1 tbsp coriander powder
1 tbsp garam masala (if unavailable sprinkle in some cinammon powder and a clove)
1 tbsp cumin powder
2 tbsp whole paach phoron (five spice mix)
2 bay leaves
1 cup distilled white vinegar
Water
salt to taste (at least 1 tbsp)
How to obtain ingredients - or your first lesson in going to a deshi store
Some of the ingredients listed will not be available at your local Tesco. I will list commonly available brands, things I have found in even Ann Arbor’s IndoPaks. I would recommend also stocking up on the ground spices from an IndoPak or spice store. Every Patel Brothers/Taj Stores will stock these ingredients. If you absolutely cannot find them, ask me and I’ll help out.
Garlic and Ginger Paste - Shan Brand (linked to Garlic paste). This is the MVP of my kitchen. Incredibly essential and omnipresent. Buy a large container, you WILL be hooked.
Mustard Oil - the most difficult of the ingredients to obtain stateside. Detroit, NYC and Austin have notable Banglatowns/Little Bangladeshes. If you cannot find this message me and I will send you a small bottle.
Paanch Phoron - a five spice mix of fenugreek seed, nigella seed, cumin seed, black mustard seed and fennel seed. Easily obtained at any indopak. Ask cashier if unable to find. Importantly you want this whole not ground.
Instructions on cooking
Heat 1/2 cup oil in pot. Fry diced onions/shallots until translucent.
Add garlic and ginger pastes to the pot. Fry for 2-3 mins on high heat.
Add in turmeric, chili powder, and coriander powder to the pot, along with a 1/4 cup of water. This ensures that the spices do not burn. Quickly stir with spatula to incorporate fully.
Into the spiced paste mix in the pot, add the rest of the oil and beef. Stir in the beef to incorporate thoroughly. Turn the heat down to medium-medium high and keep stirring the medley. Add garam masala while stirring.
Once well mixed, add your white vinegar and allow the mixture to mix. After 1-2 mins of mixing add all of the whole paanch phoron, and salt to the mixture.
After another minute of mixing, add water and bay leaves, and mix thoroughly. The water should cover the meat but only barely. Bring curry to a roaring boil.
Once at a roaring boil cover the pot and after 30s-1min lower heat drastically to bring to a low simmer. If the heat is too high you will burn the meat to the bottom of the pot.
Check in after 2 hours. If using a more tender cut of meat it should be done by now. The water level should have reduced by 33-50%. Give the curry a taste to adjust for salt.
If using chuck roast (and really chuck roast will do) this could take longer. It may not seem like it but given enough time the chuck will become extremely tender
When meat is fork tender (falls apart when poking), turn off the heat and add your cumin. Stir into the pot.
Tips and
If you check in on the meat often, make sure to always bring to a boil, cover and then lower the heat. This maintains the pressure and allows everything to really get mixed properly.
If the curry tastes bitter, add water. Too little water will make your ground spices taste bitter. If still bitter add a tablespoon of ghee. Water is the secret ingredient that makes the difference between a good curry and a bad one.
Too much water is also easily fixed by simmering with the lid off for a bit.
If you want to adjust spice levels, you can add chili powder while simmering and just cook until it incorporates. Do not however add turmeric or coriander while simmering. These will make your curry bitter if added after the initial paste phase.
The initial process of incorporating the spices, pastes and onions is called কশানো (koshano). It will form the base of every curry you make ever.
If you want to replicate mustard oil, toast some mustard seeds in neutral oil
BONUS : If you want to make this heartier, add halved/quarted potatoes in step 4 (for this recipe maybe 3 medium potatoes?). You don’t need to boil them beforehand, it’ll cook with the meat. I would recommend Idaho potatoes or red potatoes. For red potatoes I usually wash the outside but leave the skin on.
If you made this recipe I would love to hear from you. What went wrong, what went right etc. If you have questions in the process please feel free to contact me. How did you adjust ratio of ingredients for your palate? Curries are not a science they are an art. I have never had two aachari mangshos that are the same. Take a picture and send it to me, would love nothing more than to see it. Add your messages down here.
Cheers
N
