Prep 10 min Cook 2 hours
Kabab Halla loosely translates from Arabic into “kabab in a pot”. It is an iconic Egyptian onion-beef braise made with three main ingredients – chuck steak, white onions and garlic with only salt, black pepper and a little cumin as seasoning.
Traditional stews have a mix of ingredients cooked in a thickened broth. The highlight of this dish is the dense, sweet tasting reduction of caramelized onions that envelopes the morsels of tender beef.
The recipe is simplicity itself. It only needs 10 minutes of prep and about 20 minutes to soften the onions and sear the meat. Then with a little patience, the onions caramelize, the beef softens and the ingredients gradually meld together. All in their own juices with no additional liquid until the very end when you add a little water to deglaze the pan. Best served with Egyptian Rice.
Kabab Halla
by
Derek Farwagi
Equipment
- Dutch oven or heavy based saucepan.
- A medium sized bowl to hold the softened onions
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 ½ lb coarsely chopped yellow onions (about three large ones) onions reduce significantly when caramelised
- 6 finely chopped garlic cloves, divided
- ¾ lb chuck steak cut into bite sized cubes
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp cumin
- parsley for garnish
Instructions
- On a low fire, add 2 tbsp of vegetable oil to the pan. Coat the coarsely chopped onion with oil and with the cover off cook them till softened - about 10 minutes, turning frequently to avoid burning.
- Add half the chopped garlic and stir for a minute. Remove onions from the pan into a medium sized bowl and set aside.
- Add a tbsp of oil to the pan, increase heat to medium, add beef and season with black pepper. Sear till dark brown and evenly colored. Stir in rest of garlic and cook for a minute longer.
- Add softened onions to beef and combine evenly.
- Reduce heat to very low, cover the pan and allow to stew for 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally.
- Before serving, add 1/2 cup of water to deglaze the pot. Add the cumin and salt to taste. Cook down the liquid for a minute or so and give the stew a final stir.
- Serve on a bed of Egyptian Rice with vermicelli. See recipe
GET INSPIRED. SUBSCRIBE NOW.