Newari Choila

Ingredients

• 700 g buffalo or beef rump, in one thick piece
• 5 tbsp mustard oil
• 2 tbsp Nepali red chilli powder
• 1 tbsp ginger paste
• 1 tbsp garlic paste
• 1 tsp timur (Sichuan pepper), coarsely ground
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 0.5 tsp ground turmeric
• 0.25 tsp ground fenugreek
• 2 tbsp yellow mustard seeds, coarsely ground
• 1.5 tsp salt
• 4 spring onions, sliced
• large handful coriander leaves, chopped
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 4 dried red chillies
• 1 tsp fenugreek seeds
• 200 g chiura (beaten rice), to serve

Before you cook

• Take the beef out of the fridge 30 minutes ahead so it grills evenly.
• Coarsely grind the timur and the mustard seeds in a mortar.
• Slice the spring onions and chop the coriander.
• Squeeze the lemon.

Steps

1. Rub the beef all over with 1 teaspoon of the salt and a little of the turmeric.
2. Heat a griddle pan or a barbecue until it is fiercely hot.
3. Sear the meat for 5 minutes a side, letting the surface blacken and blister in patches.
4. Move the meat to a cooler part of the grill and cook it for 8 more minutes, turning once, until it is medium and springs back when pressed.
5. Rest the meat on a board for 10 minutes.
6. Cut the rested meat across the grain into thin bite-sized slices.
7. Put the slices in a bowl with the chilli powder, ginger, garlic, cumin, timur, ground fenugreek, ground mustard seeds and the remaining salt.
8. Toss everything with your hands so each slice is coated in the raw spices.
9. Heat the mustard oil in a small pan until it smokes lightly.
10. Drop in the fenugreek seeds and the dried red chillies and count to ten as they darken.
11. Pour the smoking oil straight over the meat and stand back as it hisses.
12. Stir briskly so the raw spices bloom in the hot oil.
13. Fold in the spring onions, coriander and lemon juice.
14. Leave the choila to settle for 10 minutes.
15. Serve at room temperature with beaten rice.