Alternative names | Sylheti beef |
---|---|
Course | Main |
Place of origin | Bangladesh |
Region or state | Sylhet Division |
Main ingredients | Beef, satkara, onion, garlic and bay leaf. [1] |
Beef Hatkhora ( Sylheti: ꠢꠣꠔꠇꠞꠣꠞ ꠍꠣꠟꠝ; Bengali: সাতকরার গরুর মাংস, [ɦat̪xɔɾa]) or Internationally known as Sylheti Beef; [2] is a part of Bengali cuisine consisting of rice, satkara citrus, and beef curry. [3] Whilst having its origins in the Sylhet Division of Bangladesh, [4] the dish has now gained popularity across the country and among the British Bangladeshi diaspora in the United Kingdom. [5] [6] At the time of Eid-ul-Adha, it is a famous dish. [7] [8] The presence of a citrus fruit makes the dish unique among Bangladeshi curries in terms of taste and aroma. [9] A soupy variant of the dish is made with the bones of cow feet, and in other variants, the beef is sometimes replaced with fish or other meats. [10] [11] [12] [13]
Vegetable oil, cinnamon, cardamom, fenugreek seeds, salt, onions, paste of garlic and ginger, beef chuck, chilli powder, turmeric, ground coriander and cumin, garam masala, hatkora peel and a tomato. [14]
Oil is heated in a large, heavy bottomed, non-stick saucepan. Then cinnamon, bay leaves, cardamom, star anise and fenugreek seeds are added to reheat for swirling in the oil to release the flavours. [15] [16] Adding beef, salt, spices and green chilies it is stirred for a while and then covered. [17] Cutting the piece of hatkhora into wedges and then chop each wedge into small pieces. [18] Hatkhora is added then followed up some hot water. [19] When the curry is boiled, it is simmered for a while. [20] After that chopped coriander is added until the meat is tender.
The dish is served with glutinous rice or boiled white rice, a salad of cucumber, tomatoes and onions are used as a side dish. [9] It is also eaten with pilau, [21] khichdi and paratha. [22]