Proprietor of Boxed Catering Bd
Eid-al-Adha means one thing for sure – that your freezer will soon be packed with a ton of red meat! So what to do with it? Simple, put on your chef’s cap and try out these delicious meat recipes personally crafted by Sumnoon Humaira, proprietor of Boxed Catering Bd.
Those of you who are familiar with Boxed probably only know it for its signature Chocolate Cake with Salted Caramel filling and Peanut Brittle, however did you also know that the chef also makes some mean savoury dishes? And for those who don’t know her yet, Sumnoon is a passionate cook who has been tinkering in the kitchen since the age of four. She graduated from the University of Texas with a Bachelor of Science in Culinary Arts, and in 2019 she moved back to Dhaka and launched Boxed, a bespoke catering business.
This West Bengal recipe has been in my family for more than a 100 years now. My grandmother learnt it from her grandmother, and she learnt it from hers. The simplicity is the true beauty of this dish.
In a special feature for Eid-al-Adha, Sumnoon has hand-picked and shared some flavourful recipes for beef, mutton and lamb with ICE Today.
Ingredients:
Serves: 6 – 8
Boneless beef chunks – 1kg
Potatoes (peeled and cut into chunks) – 500gms
Carrots (peeled and cut into chunks) – 250gms
Mushrooms (halved and roasted) – 250gms
Olive oil – 4 tablespoons
Onions (diced) – 3 whole
Garlic (minced) – 4 cloves
Flour – 3 tablespoons
Tomato paste – 3 tablespoons
Chicken or beef stock, or water – 8 cups
Worcestershire sauce – 2 teaspoons
Red chili powder – 1 teaspoon
Smoked paprika (optional) – 2 teaspoons
Sugar – 1 tablespoon
Thyme – 1 teaspoon
Cornstarch – 4 tablespoons
Salt and pepper – to taste
Instructions:
1. Heat the oil in a large pot over medium high heat. Season the beef with salt and pepper, and dredge it in flour.
2. Once the oil is hot, add the beef in batches and fry them until browned all over, adding more oil, if necessary. Transfer to a bowl and reserve the oil in the pot. Make sure not to crowd the pan, otherwise the meat will steam instead of forming a crust.
3. Add the onions and garlic, occasionally stirring and scraping the brown bits from the bottom of the pot. Once it softens, add the tomato paste and cook it for a minute or two.
4. Add the beef, stock, Worcestershire sauce, red chili powder, smoked paprika, sugar and thyme. Bring to boil, then cover with the lid and reduce the flame, bringing it to a gentle simmer.
5. After 2 hours, add the potatoes and carrots. After 20 – 30 minutes, when they are fork-tender, add the mushrooms.
6. To thicken the gravy, in a small bowl mix the cornstarch and 4 tablespoons of water to make a slurry. Add to the stew, stir, and cook until bubbly.
7. Serve hot with crusty bread.
Ingredients:
Serves: 4 – 6
Beef brisket (cut into chunks) – 1 kg
Water – 6 cups
Black pepper (ground) – 2 teaspoons
Salt – to taste
Instructions:
1. Heat a large pot, add the beef, pepper, water, and a generous serving of salt.
2. Let it come to a rolling boil, then reduce to a gentle simmer.
3. Cook until the meat is soft and cooked through, for around 2 hours.
4. Serve with rice pilaf, white rice, or any kind of roti.
*Keep an eye on the water, you may need more or less water and time depending on the meat. Make sure to use the brisket cut, as it has the perfect balance of fat, meat, and bones for this dish.
Ingredients:
Serves: 2
Lamb Chops – 8 pieces
Olive oil – 3 tablespoons
Garlic (grated) – 1 clove
Salt and pepper – to taste
Instructions:
1. Pat the chops dry, make sure there is no excess liquid on them.
2. Marinate the chops with 1 tablespoon of olive oil, and the salt, and pepper for an hour.
3. Heat a thick skillet on medium high flame, after it is heated add 1 tablespoon of olive oil. These chops are thin so it will not take time to cook them. Medium rare is the best doneness for these chops, the temperature for which is 125°F.
4. Add the chops one by one – do not crowd the pan. If possible, cook it in batches. Flip it over after a minute and cook the other side. Repeat with the leftover chops.
5. Transfer the chops to a plate and cover it with aluminum foil, and let it rest for at least 5 minutes.
6. Serve with saffron rice, or if you make the garlic herb sauce, roasted potatoes.
Garlic Herb Sauce (optional):
Olive oil – 1 tablespoon
Garlic (minced) – 1 clove
Lemon or lime zest – 1/2 tablespoon
Fresh thyme – ½ teaspoon
Salt and pepper – to taste
Mix everything in a bowl and let it sit for an hour. Drizzle it on the hot chops and roasted potatoes.
Ingredients:
Serves: 6
Lamb or Mutton shanks – 6 pieces
Olive oil – 4 + 2 tablespoons
Onions (chopped) – 4 whole
Carrots (diced) – 1 whole
Garlic (minced) – 4 cloves
Tomato paste – 3 tablespoons
Chicken or beef stock or water – 8 cups
Honey – 2 tablespoons
Vinegar – 2 tablespoons
Thyme (fresh or dry) – 1 teaspoon
Rosemary (fresh or dry) – 1 teaspoon
Bay leaf – 2
Salt and pepper – to taste
Instructions:
1. Preheat the oven to 175°C.
2. Season the shanks generously with salt and pepper. Heat 4 tablespoons of olive oil in a large pan on medium high heat and sear the shanks on all sides. Once seared, set aside on a plate.
3. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil, the onions, carrots and garlic to the pan and sauté until the vegetables soften.
4. Add the honey, vinegar, tomato paste, stock, thyme, rosemary, bay leaves, salt and pepper to the pan and give it a good stir. Once it starts to simmer, add the shanks to the pan, cover with a lid and cook it in the oven for 2 hours.
5. After 2 hours of cooking, flip the shanks in the oven and cook for another hour without the lid – this will help to thicken the gravy.
6. After a total of 3 hours in the oven, the shanks should fall off the bone, tender and ready to eat. At this point the gravy can be served as is, or it can be transferred to a blender and passed through a strainer for a rich, smooth gravy.
7. Serve with mashed potatoes or couscous.
*This recipe can be made on the stovetop as well; an oven is not necessary. Just have some more stock or water ready, as it might start to get too dry too soon.
1. Do not be afraid to use salt. Salt at every step, not in large doses but cautiously in small amounts. Salting throughout the cooking process will help build more flavor.
2. Always have stock or broth on hand. Use it instead of water in the dishes – remember there is no flavor a.k.a love in water. Stock or broth will give the dishes more depth; also, it freezes very well.
3. Get a cast iron skillet! This is a game changer. Cast iron skillets are known to handle the heat well. The higher the heat, the better the pan does. It allows for even cooking, and can get the perfect sear on steaks, chicken, lamb, etc.
4. Learn to balance all the flavors – savory, sweet, acidity, salty and spicy. A good dish will have the perfect balance of these different flavors. Wanting to hit every single note a tongue has, is the key.
5. Cook with the right oil. Understand the smoke point of the oil. Low heat fat like butter or some nut oils will burn at medium to high temperature. It is easier to work with high heat oils, such as olive, grapeseed, and canola.