Topic: MJ's beef in yoghurt and black pepper

[tempest63]

I bought some stewing beef from sainsbury yesterday and plan to knock up the recipe below. I have cooked this a zillion times since the recipe first appeared in the book that accompanied MJs first TV series back in the day without a problem, but I saw a post on the web from someone who said the yoghurt split when they cooked it. Any tips on how to stop this happening? I use full fat thick Greek style usually.

Beef Baked with Yogurt and Black Pepper

Jaffrey notes this is her take on a traditional cooking method that involves sealing the pot and lid with a stiff dough and then leaving it to cook over a gentle fire with hot ashes spread over the lid. Serve with rice, chapati, paratha or naan.

She adds you can make this dish with stewing lamb from the shoulder as a change from beef.

6 tbsp (100 mL) vegetable oil

2 lb (1 kg) boneless stewing beef from the neck and shoulder, cut into 1 1/2-inch (4-cm) cubes

8 oz (250 g) onions, very finely chopped (2 cups/500 mL)

6 garlic cloves, very finely chopped

1/2 tsp (2 mL) ground ginger

1/4 to (1 to 2 mL) 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper, optional

1 tbsp (15 mL) paprika

2 tsp (10 mL) salt

1/2 tsp (2 mL) very coarsely ground black pepper

1 1/4 cups (300 mL) natural yogurt, lightly beaten

Preheat the oven to 350 F (180 C). Put the oil in a wide, flame-proof casserole and set over medium-high heat.

When the oil is hot, put in as many meat pieces as the pan will hold easily in a single layer. Brown the meat pieces on all sides, then set them aside in a deep plate. Brown all the meat this way.

Add the onion and garlic to the pan and reduce the heat to medium. Stir-fry for about 10 minutes or until browned. Add the browned meat and any juices. Also add the ginger, cayenne, paprika, salt and black pepper and stir for a minute.

Add the yogurt to the pan and bring to a simmer.

Cover tightly with foil and then with a lid, and bake for 1 1/2 hours.

If the meat is not tender after this time, pour in 2/3 cup (150 mL) boiling water, cover tightly and bake for a further 20 to 30 minutes or until the meat is tender.

Stir gently before serving.

Serves 4 to 6.

[Naga]

...I saw a post on the web from someone who said the yoghurt split when they cooked it. Any tips on how to stop this happening? I use full fat thick Greek style usually....

I couldn't say how the yoghurt would turn out over a prolonged cooking time as in MJ's recipe, but I use full-fat Greek-style yoghurt in a few BIR high-heat/quick-cook curry dishes (most recently, Chewy's Rezala) and I've never had the yoghurt split on me.