Malai Tikka Sarki (Tender Marinated Beef Cubes)

I wanted a beef curry recipe that I hadn't tried yet, so I took a look through the appetizer section of the curry cookbook to see what I could find. I really liked the sound of gosht kebab aur pudhinay ki chutney (beef kebabs and mint chutney), but Iyer describes that dish as "wickedly hot", so I figured it might not fly with the Kidlet. Instead, I went for the recipe on the page before: an interesting combination of hot, crispy fried beef cubes soused with a cold cucumber-pigeon pea sauce. Definitely something a bit different!

Malai Tikka Sarki

Slightly adapted from 660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer

Ingredients

Beef

• 1/4 c. ginger paste
• 2-3 fresh green Thai or finger chilies, minced
• 1/2 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 450g boneless beef sirloin (or similar), cut into 2-3cm cubes
• 2 large eggs, beaten
• 1 c. dry breadcrumbs

Sauce

• 1/4 c. skinned split yellow pigeon peas (toovar dal)
• 1 c. water
• 1 large English cucumber, grated¹
• 1-4 fresh green Thai or finger chilies, minced
• 2 scallions (green onions/spring onions), minced
• 1 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1 Tbsp. ghee or unsalted butter
• 1 tsp. cumin seeds
• juice of 1 lime
• 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro

Directions

Beef

1. Combine the ginger paste, chilies, and salt.
2. Add the beef and stir to coat.
3. Cover and chill for at least 24-36 hours.
4. At some point while the beef is marinating, prepare the sauce up to the chilling stage.
5. When ready to cook the meat, pour enough oil into a wok (or other appropriate vessel) for deep frying and heat to 180°C (350°F).
6. Put the eggs in one bowl and the breadcrumbs in another.
7. Toss about half the beef with the eggs.
8. Roll the egg-coated beef cubes in the breadcrumbs until completely breaded.
9. Carefully add the cubes, a few at a time, to the hot oil.
10. Cook, turning occasionally, until brown and crisp all over.
11. Repeat with remaining beef.

Sauce

1. Thoroughly rinse the pigeon peas.
2. Drain the peas, then add to a small pot with the water.
3. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, covered, stirring occasionally, for 20 minutes.
4. Transfer peas and cooking water to a blender and purée until smooth.
5. Transfer pigeo pea purée to a bowl.
6. Stir in cucumber, chilies, scallions, and salt.
7. Melt ghee over medium-high heat.
8. Add cumin seeds and sizzle for 10-15 seconds.
9. Pour this ghee-cumin seed mixture into the cucumber sauce and stir to combine.
10. Cover and chill until ready to serve.
11. Just before serving, stir in the lime juice and cilantro.

Assembly

1. Place a few hot, crispy beef cubes in a bowl and top with a generous portion of cold cucumber sauce.²

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Variations

Vegetarian Version

Ingredients

Protein

• 1/4 c. ginger paste
• 2-3 fresh green Thai or finger chilies, minced
• 1/2 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 450g paneer, cut into 2-3cm cubes
• 2 large eggs, beaten
• 1 c. dry breadcrumbs

Sauce

• 1/4 c. skinned split yellow pigeon peas (toovar dal)
• 1 c. water
• 1 large English cucumber, grated
• 1-4 fresh green Thai or finger chilies, minced
• 2 scallions (green onions/spring onions), minced
• 1 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1 Tbsp. ghee or unsalted butter
• 1 tsp. cumin seeds
• juice of 1 lime
• 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro

Vegan Version

Ingredients

Protein

• 1/4 c. ginger paste
• 2-3 fresh green Thai or finger chilies, minced
• 1/2 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 450g extra-firm tofu, pressed and cut into 2-3cm cubes
• 1 tsp. dark soy sauce
• 1 tsp. oil (any kind)
• 1/4 c. flour
• 1/2 c. unsweetened almond or oat milk
• 1 c. dry breadcrumbs

Sauce

• 1/4 c. skinned split yellow pigeon peas (toovar dal)
• 1 c. water
• 1 large English cucumber, grated
• 1-4 fresh green Thai or finger chilies, minced
• 2 scallions (green onions/spring onions), minced
• 1 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1 Tbsp. olive oil or vegan butter
• 1 tsp. cumin seeds
• juice of 1 lime
• 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro

Directions

Proceed with recipe as directed for beef version but, when breading the tofu, first toss it with the oil and soy sauce, then dredge it in the flour, then toss it in the milk, and finally roll it in the breadcrumbs before frying as directed above.

Gluten-Free Version

Either the original or vegetarian version can be made gluten-free by using gluten-free breadcrumbs.
The vegan version is a little trickier to make celiac-friendly as it contains flour and soy sauce. I believe coconut aminos and some forms of tamari are both gluten-free. And cornstarch, rice flour, or a 1:1 gluten-free all-purpose flour should work fine for dredging the tofu.

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¹ Iyer says to peel, halve, and seed the cucumber before grating. I opted to leave the skin on and the seeds in. This made the sauce a little greener and a little wetter, but I was still happy with the results. And skipping the peeling and seeding makes both less work and less waste, so I'd be inclined to stick with this approach in the future. ^Back
2 Since I was having this as part of the main course rather than an appetizer, I served it on a bed of rice. The rice wasn't part of the original serving suggestion however. ^Back