Short Ribs in an Indian-inflected Cinnamon and Red Wine Sauce

This was one of the first posts I published back in 2010 when I started to blog. Because my readership was nowhere near what it is now, I should not have been as surprised as I was to see that it never really attracted a big audience. That struck me as a shame because it is a spectacularly interesting take by a master of Indian cooking who invented one of the most unique cooking styles anywhere--a fusion between Indian inflected spices and great Canadian ingredients--in this case the country's phenomenal grass fed beef. As to its seasonality, I say it would be as good in July as it would be in January. After all, it's a variation on that summer staple--Ribs. What makes it a particularly attractive take on Ribs is that it doesn't require firing up a grill. Instead it cooks away in the oven for hours. So here, a reprise of something awfully good that I hope will get the attention it deserves.

If you’ve

had any luck in life, you’ve had the good fortune to visit Vancouver, British

Columbia. It’s a city that’s got it all. They say in winter you can sail and

ski on the same day. Surrounded by water and a little over an hour from the

slopes at Whistler, that sounds highly possible. Yes, it has that Pacific

Northwest climate with a few more rainy days than I’d find ideal, but it’s

blessedly warmer than the rest of Canada in winter and temperate all summer.

And Vancouver is a foodie’s delight. In fact, Mimi Sheraton thinks the best

Asian cuisine in North America is found there. I’d add that the best South

Asian food in Vancouver is served at Vij’s, Vikram Vij’s no reservation restaurant at

1480 West 11th Street in the South Granville area of the city. And I wouldn’t

be alone. The New York Times called Vij’s “Easily among the finest Indian restaurants

in the world.”

Granville Island and beyond South Granville, home to Vij's Restaurant

Vikram Vij arrived in Vancouver in 1993. What he has done is to

employ the very best Canadian ingredients with Indian cooking techniques and a

deft hand with signature Indian spice combinations. This is truly locavore

cooking and the crowds that line up to open the place at 5:30 pm wind all the

way up the street by 6 o’clock. They’re drawn to the phenomenal food—things

like Lamb Lollipops and Local Pork Belly with Apple Chutney, the latter priced by the spoon!

One of

the most intriguing combinations-- something that absolutely would never find

its way onto an Indian menu anywhere near India-- is Vij’s recipe for Short

Ribs in Cinnamon and Red Wine Sauce. This combination boosts the richness of

the beef into the stratosphere and the play of Indian spices adds to the warmth

and depth of flavor of the dish. Like all braises, it’s basically a breeze to

cook, requires little tending and once you’ve done the mise-en-place your work

is basically done until the beef is beyond tender and you reduce the sauce down

to a hearty consistency. While I realize this may sound like a cold weather

dish, it’s really a short rib classic that you can serve anytime of the year to

oohs and aahs. It’s also hardly a weeknight dinner dish but I wanted to share

it with you in advance of any weekend plans for this week.

To no

regular reader’s surprise, I got my ribs at Costco. They were boneless and

excellent although Vij’s recipe calls for the more readily available bone-in

• short ribs. I don’t think you’ll have any problem finding the spices, they are
• pretty widely available. As to the ghee, if you have an South Asian market near
• you, you’ll find it there. And wonder of wonders, Trader Joe’s now sells
• ghee. If you’re any kind of a dedicated
• home cook, you can use ghee as a substitute whenever clarified butter is called
• for in a recipe. So it’s a great thing
• to have in your pantry and has a shelf life of…forever. But I wouldn’t get crazy if I just used
• regular unsalted butter. So here it is:
• Recipe
• for Short Ribs with Cinnamon and Red Wine Sauce
• 8 large
• short rib of beef, bone in with excess fat trimmed off.
• 1/4 cup
• grapeseed oil or canola oil
• 2
• tablespoons ghee (or clarified butter)
• 1 large
• onion, very finely chopped (approximately 1 cup)
• 1
• tablespoon finely chopped garlic, more to taste
• 1 15
• ounce can of Diced Tomatoes
• 4 cups
• vegetable stock or chicken stock *
• 1 piece
• cinnamon bark (approximately 3 inches long)
• 1/2
• teaspoon ground fenugreek, more to taste
• 1
• tablespoon cumin powder, more to taste
• 1/2
• teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
• 1
• tablespoon chili powder, more to taste (preferably Mexican)

*I use a

mixture of both.

1. In a

large, heavy saucepan with fitted lid, melt the ghee on medium to high heat.

Add the cooking oil and the cumin seeds. Let the seeds sizzle for 30 seconds.

Add the cinnamon and the onions and sauté until the onions are medium brown in

colour.

2. Smell

for the cinnamon throughout the cooking process. You should smell a mild

cinnamon flavour instead of a strong one. If cinnamon is the only spice you

smell, take out the bark and continue cooking the curry.

3. Add

the garlic and continue to sauté until garlic is golden brown and onions are a

darker brown.The darker you sauté the onions without letting them burn, the

richer the onion flavour will be in this dish. Temporarily lower the heat and

add the tomatoes and all of the remaining spices. Once you stir the powdered spices

in the tomatoes, increase the heat back to medium.

4. Stir

regularly and continue cooking the spices until the oil/ghee separates from the

tomatoes. This will take about 10 to 15 minutes. If at any time the onions or

tomato spice mixture begins to stick to the bottom of the pan or looks like

it’s about to burn, either lower the heat or add 1 tablespoon of oil or ghee.

Do not add water. This is meant to be a rich curry.

5. Stir

in the stock and red wine and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low.

6. Cover

and simmer for 15 minutes or until the oil/ghee separates from the stock and

rises to the top, stirring occasionally. Skim the fat from the surface and discard it.

7. Add

the short ribs and stir well. (There is no browning in this recipe and it

doesn’t seem at all necessary.) Bring back to a boil. Reduce heat to low. Cover

and simmer the short ribs until the meat completely separates from the bone.

This will take approximately 4 hours and you will need to stir

occasionally.

8. Once

the meat is tender to the bone, remove it from the sauce to a dish and cover it

with aluminum foil to keep it warm. Turn the heat up and reduce the sauce at a

rolling boil. Return the meat to the sauce briefly then serve on a bed of

warmed greens—I use fresh baby spinach.