Erachi Varathathu (Beef Curry)

This is a wonderful Moslem dish from the Kerala area (southwest coast) of India.  The dish on its own seems a little salty, although once I had it with rice it was just perfect, and would be, too with bread.  Normally it's served with rice-flour pancakes, but I did not make them for it - yet!
This is not as involved as it looks, by the way.  I measured out all the spices from coriander seeds down to the salt, and then dumped it into the pan with the water and beef.  While it was cooking, I took care of the onions, then a little bowl for the ginger, garlic, and peppers, and then everything was ready when it needed to be.  Easy!

Ingredients

1 1/2 lbs. boneless, well-marbled chuck steak, cut into 3/4'' cubes
4 tsp. ground coriander seeds
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. cayenne
1/2 tsp. fennel seeds, ground with a mortar and pestle
1/4 tsp. turmeric
1 1/4 tsp. salt
2 tbsp. vegetable oil
2 tbsp. ghee 
1'' piece cinnamon stick
3 cloves
18 curry leaves
2 medium yellow onions, peeled and thinly sliced
3/4'' piece fresh ginger, peeled and minced
2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
2 fresh hot green chiles (serrano or thai), split lengthwise just up to the stem
1/2 tsp. fresh lime juice

1. Put beef, coriander, cumin, cayenne, fennel, turmeric, salt, and 1 cup water in a medium pot, and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until meat is cooked through, 15 minutes. Remove pot from heat, uncover, and set aside.

2. Heat oil and ghee in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add cinnamon and cloves, and fry until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Carefully add curry leaves (the leaves will spatter when they hit the hot oil), and after they have spattered for a few seconds, add onions, and sauté until lightly browned, about 7 minutes. Reduce heat to medium, add ginger, garlic, and chiles, and cook, stirring frequently, until onions are well browned, about 20 minutes longer.

3. Set aside 1/4 cup of the cooking liquid from the meat, then add meat and remaining liquid from pot to the skillet, and cook, stirring frequently, until liquid reduces to a thick sauce that coats the meat and the meat is tender with some chew, 20-30 minutes. (Add a little of the reserved cooking liquid if sauce thickens before meat is cooked.) Remove skillet from heat, and add lime juice and a little more salt, if you like.

SERVES 4 - 6