A fragrant beef mandi — spiced beef slow-cooked until tender, then layered over basmati rice cooked in its rich broth and finished with optional smoky charcoal.
Beef mandi is a fragrant, slow-cooked rice-and-meat dish where tender beef perfumes the rice with warm spices, finished with an optional whisper of charcoal smoke. It's a celebratory one-pot feast, rich with cardamom, cloves and cinnamon.
Prep 25 min
Cook 130 min
Total 155 min
Medium
- 1 kg Basmati Rice
- 5 Cups Beef Stock
- 2 medium Onion
- 5 chopped cloves Garlic
- 2 Green Chilli
- 1 small Tomato
- 2 1/2 Tsp Salt
- 3 tablespoons Oil
- 1 ½ tsp Turmeric Powder
- 1/2 tsp Cardamom
- 1/2 tsp Cloves
- 1/2 tsp Bay Leaf
Preparation
- Wash the beef, cut into large pieces, and season lightly with salt and turmeric.
- Heat ghee or oil in a large pot and sauté the sliced onions until light golden.
- Add the garlic, green chillies and tomato and cook until softened.
- Add the mandi spice mix — coriander, cumin, black pepper, cinnamon, cardamom, cloves and bay leaves.
- Add the beef and stir over medium heat until well coated in the spices.
- Pour in water or beef stock, cover, and simmer until the beef is tender, about 1.5–2 hours depending on the cut.
- Carefully remove the beef and set aside, then strain and measure the broth.
- Add washed, soaked basmati rice to the broth (about 1 cup rice to 1.5–2 cups liquid), adjust the seasoning, and bring to the boil.
- Lower the heat, cover, and cook the rice until fluffy.
- Place the beef over the rice and steam on low heat for 10 minutes so the flavours combine.
- For an optional smoky flavour, place a small piece of hot charcoal on foil in the pot, add 1 tsp butter or oil, cover immediately for 5 minutes, then remove the coal.
- Fluff the rice and serve the beef mandi with salad or chutney.
Tips from the ZestyPlate Kitchen
- Cook the rice in the strained beef broth so every grain soaks up the savoury, spiced flavour.
- Get the rice-to-liquid ratio right — around 1 cup rice to 1.5–2 cups broth — for fluffy, separate grains.
- The dhungar charcoal-smoking step is optional but adds that signature mandi smokiness.
- Let the beef steam over the rice at the end so the flavours marry.
Frequently Asked Questions
A traditional technique: a piece of hot charcoal placed in the pot with a little oil, covered to infuse smoke. It's optional but authentic.
A braising cut like chuck or shank, which becomes tender during the long simmer.
A fresh salad and a tangy chutney or zhug-style sauce balance the rich, spiced rice.
