Staples & Mains
Taas
तास
A Chitwan speciality that has spread across Nepal: thin slices of goat or buffalo marinated in a freshly ground spice blend and cooked slowly on a wide, flat iron tawa until the liquid evaporates and the edges crisp. The spicing is unusually complex for a Nepali meat dish, with mace, fennel and black cumin among a dozen or more components. It is served with puffed or beaten rice and a sharp radish and cucumber salad.
- Prep
- 25 min
- Cook
- 25 min
- Total
- 50 min
- Serves
- 4
- Difficulty
- Medium
At the stove
Method
Toast the cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, fennel, coriander, cumin, black cumin, peppercorns, timur, mace and dried chillies together in a dry pan over low heat until they smell fragrant.
Cool the spices completely and grind them to a fine powder; this blend is the heart of the dish, so it is worth making fresh.
Combine the sliced meat with the ground spice mix, garlic and ginger pastes, turmeric, chilli powder, lemon juice, half the mustard oil and salt.
Massage the marinade into the meat and leave it, covered, for at least 2 hours or overnight in the fridge.
Heat the remaining mustard oil on a wide tawa or heavy flat pan until it shimmers, then spread the meat across it in a single layer.
Cook over medium heat without stirring for several minutes so the meat releases its liquid, then begin turning it every few minutes.
Keep going for 15 to 20 minutes until the liquid has cooked away entirely and the slices start browning and crisping at the edges.
Serve straight from the pan with puffed rice and a cold, sharp salad of sliced radish, cucumber, onion and green chilli.
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