Kichiri

Instructions

1. Separately drain the rice and moong dal. Heat ¼ cup oil in a large saucepan over high heat, then add the moong dal and fry, until caramelised, then remove from the heat and set aside.
   
2. To make the stew, heat ¼ cup oil, half the onion, salt, pepper, beef, the spices and stock in a pressure cooker and cook on high pressure for 35-40 minutes, or until the beef (may take less or more time depending on your pressure cooker).
   
3. While the beef is cooking, heat a large frying pan with ¼ cup oil and add the remaining onion. Cook, stirring occasionally, until deeply caramelised (but not burnt). Allow to cool, then use a mini chopper to blend the caramelised onion to a paste. Set aside.
   
4. When the beef has finished cooking, use a slotted spoon to remove the beef to a bowl from the cooking liquid, then stir the caramelised onion paste through the broth. Cover the beef to keep warm. Strain the liquid into a very large jug with a fine mesh sieve, pushing through any onion through the strainer with a fork.
   
5. To make the rice, combine the fried moong dal and drained rice in a large pot and mix well to combine. Pour enough of the strained cooking liquid from the beef over the rice until it reaches 2 cms above the rice and stir to combine. Bring to a boil over low heat, stirring regularly until the water has evaporated, then gather the rice into a mound using a spatula and make three holes in the mound. Pour extra stock into the three holes (1/4 cup – ½ cup, depending on how cooked the grains are), then cover the pot with a tea towel and a lid. Gather the edges of the tea towel around the pot so it is not touching the base of the pan, then cook on low heat for a further 30 minutes.
   
6. Once cooked, serve the meat under the rice.