Spiced rice with beef

• ginger↗thumb-sized piece of thumb-sized piece of

  peeled and chopped

• garlic cloves↗4 large large

  roughly chopped

• stewing beef↗800g g

  cut into chunks (shin, chuck or brisket work well)

• ground allspice1 tbsp tbsp
• ground cloves↗1 tsp tsp
• vegetable oil↗2 tbsp tbsp
• onions↗2

  finely chopped

• cardamom pods↗8
• cinnamon sticks↗2
• thyme sprigs↗8

  leaves picked, or use 2 tsp dried thyme

• all-purpose seasoning2 tbsp tbsp

  (we used Dunn’s River), or use an extra beef stock cube

• beef stock↗500ml ml

  made with 1 beef stock cube

• basmati rice↗400g g
• butter↗25g g

Step-by-step instructions

1. 1

   Blitz the ginger and garlic to a paste in a small food processor. Put the beef in a large bowl and add the ginger-garlic paste, the allspice, cloves, 2 tsp black pepper and 2 tsp salt. Mix to coat the beef, then cover and leave to marinate for 30 mins. Will keep chilled for up to a day.

2. 2

   Heat the oil in a large ovenproof pan over a medium heat and cook the onion for 8 mins until soft and translucent. Tip the beef and any leftover marinade into the pan and sizzle for 10 mins until the beef starts to caramelise in places.

3. 3

   Add the cardamom pods, cinnamon sticks, thyme, all- purpose seasoning and stock. Bring to a simmer, then cover and reduce the heat to low. Cook for 1 hr, then remove the lid and cook for another 30 mins. The beef should be tender but still holding together. Heat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Leave to cool completely, then seal in an airtight container and freeze for up to two months.

4. 4

   Tip the rice into the beef mixture with just enough water to cover it by about 1cm. Stir, then dot the butter over the top. Cover and bake in the oven for 30 mins. Fluff the rice up with a fork and serve with Ghanaian gravy (see 'Goes well with').