Dinner
Sri Lankan Cinnamon and Cardamom Beef Bourguignon
A Sri Lankan-French original, the French bourguignon technique of slow-braising beef in red wine applied to a Sri Lankan spice base of cinnamon, cardamom, and curry leaf so the wine-braised depth and the island spice complexity become structurally inseparable in one deeply aromatic and original braise.
$9
20 minsPrep
1 hr 45 minsCook
125 minsTotal
MediumLevel
Nutrition per serving
520Calories
38gProtein
18gFat
48gCarbs
7gSugar
6gFiber
750mgSodium
85mgChol
0gSat Fat
Goes well with
Pinot Noir
local
Sri Lankan Tea (Ceylon Black Tea)
international
High Protein
Dairy-Free
fusion-kitchen
Instructions
1
Prep
Pat 500g beef chuck dry, season with 1 tsp salt and 0.5 tsp pepper. Halve 4 shallots, smash 4 garlic cloves, quarter 150g mushrooms. Lightly crush 4 cardamom pods. Measure out curry leaves, cinnamon stick, spices, wine, stock, herbs.
2
Sear
Heat 2 tbsp oil in a heavy ovenproof casserole over high heat. Sear beef in batches 3–4 minutes per side until deeply browned. Remove and set aside. Preheat oven to 160°C.
3
Saute
Reduce heat to medium. Add shallots, cook 3 minutes until lightly golden. Add garlic, mushrooms, curry leaves, cinnamon, cardamom; cook 2 minutes until fragrant.
4
Bloom
Stir in tomato paste, coriander, cumin, turmeric, chilli flakes. Cook 1–2 minutes until paste darkens and spices release their oils.
5
Build
Pour in red wine, scrape up browned bits, simmer 3 minutes until reduced by one third. Add beef stock, thyme, bay leaf. Return beef to casserole and bring to a simmer.
6
Braise
Cover tightly and braise in the oven 1 hour 30 minutes until beef is completely tender and falls apart when pressed. Remove beef carefully. Discard thyme, bay leaf, cinnamon, cardamom.
7
Reduce
Simmer braising liquid uncovered over medium-high heat 8–10 minutes until glossy and coating. Return beef and warm through 2 minutes.
8
Plate
Scatter 10g parsley over the braise and plate over 300g mashed potato or steamed rice. Serve with lime wedges alongside.
Serves
2 portions ·
2 adults, 0 over 10, 0 under 10
Ingredients
- 500g500g beef chuck or shin
- 2 tbsp2 tbsp neutral oil
- 1 tsp1 tsp fine sea salt
- 0.5 tsp0.5 tsp black pepper
- 44 shallots
- 4 cloves4 cloves garlic
- 150g150g mushrooms
- 1010 curry leaves
- 11 cinnamon stick
- 44 cardamom pods
- 0.25 tsp0.25 tsp dried chilli flakes
- 1.5 tbsp1.5 tbsp tomato paste
- 250ml250ml red wine
- 300ml300ml beef stock
- 0.5 tsp0.5 tsp ground coriander
- 0.5 tsp0.5 tsp ground cumin
- 0.25 tsp0.25 tsp ground turmeric
- 3 sprigs3 sprigs fresh thyme
- 11 bay leaf
- 300g300g creamy mashed potato or steamed rice
- 10g10g fresh flat-leaf parsley
- lime wedges
