Food: all bangladeshi beef curry [very spicy]

Need to state the obvious fact that this dish is super spicy. If you need to tone it down, then go easy on the red chili powder and the dried red chilis. This recipe also takes about 2 - 3 hours to cook and this is because the beef is cooked bone in. Yes, it can also be made with boneless meat as well. However, the taste will be compromised. The juice from the bones flavor the curry heavily. Oh, and Asians love to chew on bones during their meals. :D 

This dish also gets better as it sits in the fridge. You can actually make it a day ahead of any occasion. It takes an array of Asian spices to flavor this recipe. But not a lot of oil, since the beef contains fat within itself. 

Ingredients, 

4 lbs beef mix with bone :: 2 red potatoes cubed :: 2 large onions sliced
2" ginger root grated :: 9/10 garlic cloves grated :: 5/6 peppercorns :: 2 bayleaf
1 cinnamon stick :: 3/4 cardamom pods :: 7/8 dried red chilis :: 2-3 tsp red chili powder
1.5 tsp coriander powder :: 1.5 tsp cumin powder :: 1 tsp turmeric powde
1/2 tsp garam masala powder :: canola or mustard oil+salt+pinch of sugar

First and foremost, drain any excess water that might be in the meat. If the meat is dry, it will catch color and flavor well.

I used a dutch oven to cook the beef. You can use any heavy bottom pot that is deep. Heat the oil at medium temperature. Toss in the cinnamon stick, the cardamom pods, the peppercorns, the chili, and the bay leaf - in this order. 

Once aromatic, pour all the meat in and stir until it browns. Then add the red chili powder, coriander powder, cumin powder and the turmeric powder + salt. Stir and cover. Lower the heat to medium low. Stir once in a while. The meat will release a lot of water due to the temperature change. The entire dish will cook in this water so be careful of the temperature setting. Lower it if necessary. Keep it covered and stir once in a while for about 1.5 hours when the meat is about 2/3rd cooked. 

When the meat is 2/3rd cooked add the sliced onions and the grated ginger and garlic. These will release some more water to the dish. Cover and cook for half an hour for the onions/garlic/ginger to mix with the meat. Then add the potatoes. Cover and cook for another hour or so till the meat is cooked completely. Add a pinch of sugar and the garam masala powder before taking it off the stove. Bon appétit!