Bihari Kabab

1. Pound tenderloin strips with a meat mallet until they are very thin; set aside.

2. Heat avocado oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Fry onion in the hot oil until it is a deep brown, about 5 minutes. Strain browned onion into a small bowl using a slotted spoon, and set aside to use later.

3. Peel kiwi, cut into quarters, and set aside in a small bowl for later.

4. Heat a small non-stick skillet over medium heat, and toast gram flour until lightly browned and nutty, 2 to 4 minutes; transfer to a small bowl and set aside. Dry-roast poppy seeds in the same skillet until lightly brown and aromatic, 2 to 4 minutes. Remove to a small bowl; set aside.

5. In the same skillet, dry-roast nutmeg, mace, star anise, and Kashmiri chilies together until fragrant, 2 to 4 minutes. Transfer the whole spices and chilies to a spice grinder, and grind them to a coarse powder.

6. Add browned onions, kiwi, ginger paste, garlic paste, and serrano chile to the bowl of a food processor, and grind to a paste, about 30 seconds. Pour in mustard oil, white vinegar, and yogurt and pulse the food processor until everything is well blended, about 15 seconds.

7. Last of all, add roasted poppy seeds, roasted gram flour, roasted ground whole spices, chili powder, cumin, garam masala, black pepper, and salt to the food processor; process marinade for 1 minute.

8. Spoon marinade into a resealable plastic bag and add tenderized beef strips. Seal bag and squeeze gently to coat beef on all sides with marinade. Refrigerate for at least 6 hours, but ideally overnight.

9. Remove marinated beef from the refrigerator; thread beef strips on sturdy metal skewers, packing them in tightly. Reserve any leftover marinade to baste the kababs with as they cook. This prevents them from drying out.

10. Preheat an outdoor grill to 500 degrees F (260 degrees C) and lightly oil the grate.

11. Grill kababs on the preheated grill, uncovered, for 5 minutes per side.

12. Reduce grill temperature to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C), cover the grill, and cook kababs for 10 minutes. Turn kebabs, brush with marinade, and continue cooking until the internal temperature of the meat reaches 170 degrees F (77 degrees C), about 10 minutes more. If kababs look a bit dry at any point in the cooking process, brush both sides with a little bit of avocado oil.

13. Remove skewers to a serving dish. Discard any uncooked marinade. Enjoy the kababs with naan, sliced red onions, tamarind chutney, and green chutney.

Cook's Notes:

For best results, mustard oil should be used, either by itself or mixed in a 1:1 ratio with another high smoke point oil like avocado, canola, or sunflower. I use a brand called Yandilla Mustard Seed Oil, available on Amazon.

The main thing in this recipe is the quality of the meat. The better the beef, the more tender your bihari kababs will be.

Most of the spices listed can be found at your local grocery store or online through Amazon or specialty online spice stores like Burlap & Barrel, Spicewalla, and Diaspora.