Stir-fry with an Anglo-Indian twist

By Metro Creative

Experimenting with international cuisine is one of the joys of cooking. The chance to whip up a taste of a faraway culture in the comfort of your own kitchen is an opportunity many home cooks find too good to pass up.

As many cooks discover, some cuisines combine elements of various cultures. India, for example, was colonized by the British, Dutch, French and Portuguese, and that mingling is reflected in Indian cuisine. Such is the case with the following recipe for “Anglo-Indian Beef Stir-Fry” from Ruta Kahate’s “5 Spices, 50 Dishes” (Chronicle Books), which is among the more popular Anglo-Indian dishes.

Anglo-Indian Beef Stir-Fry

Serves 4

1 pound beef sirloin or any other tender cut of beef, sliced against the grain into paper-thin slices

1 tablespoon rice vinegar or apple cider vinegar

1¼ teaspoons salt, divided

3/4 teaspoon ground turmeric, divided

2 medium russet potatoes

6 tablespoons canola oil, divided

1 medium yellow onion, halved and thinly sliced (about 1½ cups)

1½ tablespoons minced fresh ginger (about 3-inch piece)

1/4 teaspoon cayenne

To make slicing beef easier, freeze it for about 20 minutes. Or even better, have the butcher slice it for you at the store. Rub the beef slices with the vinegar, 1 teaspoon of the salt and 1/2 teaspoon of the turmeric and set aside.

Bring the whole potatoes to a boil in lightly salted water to cover. Boil them for 5 minutes, then turn off the heat, cover, and let the potatoes sit in the hot water for 10 minutes. The potatoes will be perfectly cooked without being mushy. Drain, peel and cut into 6 to 8 wedges each. Coat the wedges with the remaining 1/4 teaspoon turmeric and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Set aside.

Heat 3 tablespoons of the oil in a large wok and fry the onion and ginger until softened slightly. Add the cayenne and then the marinated beef. Stir-fry over high heat until tender, 5 to 8 minutes. Cooking time will vary depending on which cut of beef you’ve used and how thinly you’ve sliced it. If you find that the beef is not tender enough for you liking, add 1/2 cup water, cover, and cook on medium-low heat until the beef is very tender, about 15 minutes more.

Meanwhile, heat the remaining 3 tablespoons of oil in a large skillet and gently fry the potato wedges over low heat until golden brown and crisp. Serve the stir-fry garnished with the potato “chips.” For a true Anglo-Indian stir fry, serve tomato ketchup alongside.