This is the Goan version of “meat and three veg” and is a dish from their Portuguese heritage. In fact, it is most commonly called by its Portuguese name of Bife de Goa.
It has everything that the Portuguese loved, and inspired in Goan cuisine, namely chilli, garlic and vinegar. It is an everyday dish.
This recipe comes from the time my family spent in Goa. My grandfather and great-grandfather were employed in shipping, and Goa was an important port, after Calcutta or Kolkatta, for much of the trade with Britain. There are several Goan recipes in this book that come from this time.
This recipe was not a favourite of my grandmother. She thought it common, and was only convinced to serve it because it was loved by both my great-grandfather and grandfather. I must confess that I look at this recipe and ask “why bother?”. Then I actually cook it and realise why you should bother – it is wonderful. Not what you might expect of Indian cuisine, as it is not a curry, but it is filled with flavour.
This dish is ridiculously easy to prepare. The only time-consuming part is the preparation of the meat. The meat needs to be flattened and made quite thin. Rather than buying meat that is sliced thinly already, flattening by pounding tenderises the meat. So much so, you can substitute almost any cheaper cut of beef into this recipe. Given that the overnight marination includes vinegar, you should get an exquisitely tender texture to the meat. If using cheaper cuts of meat, make sure you trim any excess fat before flattening. This is a relatively quickly cooked dish, and there is not enough time for large pieces of fat to render into the dish.
You need to start this dish the day before cooking to allow time for the marination.
We serve this dish on its own, often with a kachumber. And some of our very best pickles or chutneys, too.
the recipe
about
equipment
equipment
- meat mallet
- wide pan with lid
ingredients
ingredients
- 800 g blade steak - cut into thin steaks
- 6 cloves garlic - coarsely chopped
- 1 tsp black peppercorn
- 1 tsp salt
for cooking
- 2 brown onions - finely sliced
- 2 tomatoes - finely sliced
- 2 potatoes - peeled and finely sliced
- 2 tsp Kashmiri chilli powder
- 2 tbsp mustard oil
- 75 ml red wine vinegar
- 250 ml water
instructions
instructions
- Grind the garlic, peppercorns, salt and a little water to a thick paste.6 cloves garlic – coarsely chopped, 1 tsp black peppercorn, 1 tsp salt
- Using a meat mallet, pound the steak into even, flat steaks as thin as possible without breaking up the meat.800 g blade steak – cut into thin steaks
- Work the garlic paste into the meat thoroughly. Put on a plate, cover and leave to marinate overnight in a refrigerator.
to cook
- In a large wide pan, place the onions in an even layer covering the entire bottom of the pan. Layer the tomatoes evenly over the onions, and then layer the potatoes over those. Add the beef in an even layer over the potatoes, and pour over any remaining marinade, particularly any garlic pieces. Sprinkle over the Kashmiri chilli powder, and drizzle with the oil.2 brown onions – finely sliced, 2 tomatoes – finely sliced, 2 potatoes – peeled and finely sliced, 2 tsp Kashmiri chilli powder, 2 tbsp mustard oil
- Place the pan on a medium heat, and cook, uncovered for five minutes. Do not mix or stir.
- Add the vinegar and water, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to very low, and place a dinner plate over the meat – see notes. Cover the pan and cook on a low heat for 30 minutes.75 ml red wine vinegar, 250 ml water
- Check every 10 minutes to ensure there is at least some liquid in the pan. Gently shake the pan occasionally but do not stir. If you need to add water use as little as possible.
- After 30 minutes, increase the heat to medium and remove the dinner plate and lid. Check every 5-10 minutes to ensure the dish hasn't dried out. Ensure the potatoes are cooked by using a skewer. Add water, a tablespoon at a time if required.
- Once the potatoes are cooked, the sauce should be very thick, but there won’t be much of it. At best there would be a few tablespoons. If there is more, take heat to high for a minutes to allow it to reduce. Be carelful not to allow dish to burn.
- Serve directly from the cooking pan.
notes
notes
private notes
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