andrejthechef
BangladeshCurryDinner

Mezban Beef

A deeply spiced beef curry from Chattogram, traditionally cooked in large quantities for communal feasts.

prep
20 min
cook
2 h
total
2 h 20 min
serves
6
level
medium
Mezban Beef, a dish from Chattogram

Mezban beef comes from Chattogram's tradition of mezban, a communal feast where hundreds of people are fed from the same enormous pots of this deeply spiced beef curry.

The spice blend is the whole point: pungent, heavy on black pepper and whole spices, built to stand out even cooked in huge batches.

Part of our 20 best Bangladeshi recipes list.

method

  1. Heat the mustard oil in a large, heavy pot, and fry the sliced onions until deep golden, about 10 minutes.

  2. Add the ginger-garlic paste and cook for 2 minutes, then stir in the mezban masala, turmeric and red chile powder.

  3. Add the beef chunks and cook over medium-high heat, stirring often, until the meat is well coated and starts to brown, about 10 minutes.

  4. Pour in the water, add the whole green chiles, bay leaves and black pepper, and season with salt.

  5. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 1.5 to 2 hours, stirring occasionally, until the beef is tender and the gravy has thickened.

  6. Uncover for the last 15 minutes if the gravy needs reducing further, letting it darken and intensify.

  7. Serve hot, traditionally with plain rice, as part of a large shared meal.

chef's tips

  • Mezban beef is meant to be deeply, almost aggressively spiced; it was traditionally cooked for hundreds of guests at once, so the flavor needed to carry.
  • A long, low simmer rather than a quick cook is what breaks the beef down to proper tenderness and lets the spice blend fully develop.