Sukuti

Ingredients

• 10½ ozSukuti (dried meat)mutton, buffalo or beef; thick unseasoned beef jerky as a substitute; soaked and cut into bite-sized pieces
• 4 tbspVegetable oilfor frying the meat
• 1 tbspOilfor tempering the spices, heated to smoking point (optional)
• 1Onionthinly sliced
• 1Tomatofinely chopped, cooked down to a paste
• 2Green chiliescut into diagonal slices
• 2Dried red chiliesfried along with the rest (optional)
• 3 clovesGarlicfinely chopped or as paste
• 2Gingerthumb-sized pieces, finely chopped or as paste
• 1 tspTurmeric
• 1 tspChili powderheat to taste
• 1 tspCuminroasted and ground
• 1 tspcoriander seedsroasted and ground, partly added at the end
• ½ tspFenugreek seedsroasted dark in the hot oil (optional)
• Whole spicescinnamon stick, cloves, green cardamom, star anise, piece of nutmeg shell; infused in the oil and removed (optional)
• 2 tbspCilantroroughly chopped, added at the end
• 1 tbspLemon juicejust before serving (optional)
• 1 tspSaltto taste, the dried meat already carries salt
• Waterhot, for soaking the dried meat and for simmering

Method

1. Soak the sukuti in hot water for up to an hour — a shorter soak will do if you're in a hurry. Drain it, pat it dry and cut it into bite-sized pieces.
2. Slice the onion thinly, chop the tomato small and cut the green chilies into diagonal slices. Finely chop the garlic and ginger, or work them into a paste.
3. Heat the vegetable oil. Either infuse the cinnamon stick, cloves, green cardamom, star anise and piece of nutmeg shell slowly in the oil and lift them out again — or heat the mustard oil to smoking point and roast the fenugreek seeds in it until dark.
4. Fry the meat in the oil over medium heat until the pieces are light brown and crisp; the dried red chilies can fry alongside.
5. Add the turmeric powder, chili powder, cumin powder, coriander powder, garlic, ginger and salt and let them toast briefly — the dried meat brings its own saltiness, so go easy at first.
6. Pour in water, cover the pan and simmer gently for about 20 minutes, until the liquid has cooked away.
7. Add the sliced onion and green chilies and fry them off, then stir in the tomato and cook it down to a paste.
8. Toss the meat through the spice paste so every piece is coated, add lemon juice if you like, fold in the roughly chopped fresh coriander and serve hot, with chiura if you like.

Tips and variations

Mutton sukuti is the classic choice, but buffalo and beef work just as well; thick unseasoned beef jerky makes a decent stand-in. For the spice base you can go either way — whole spices infused in the oil and removed, or fenugreek seeds tempered in smoking mustard oil — and each gives the dish a very different undertone. If you want it crisper, fry the meat without adding water, lift it out and fold it into the spice paste only at the end; for tender meat, stick with the covered simmer. Holding back a little coriander powder and stirring it in at the finish keeps the aroma fresh. Serve it hot, with chiura on the side to scoop up alongside.