This dish is a specialty of the mixed-race Anglo-Indian community and probably started out as a way to use up leftover roasts of lamb or beef. When there were no leftovers and there was a craving for the dish, fresh meat was diced into small pieces and boiled with a little salt and ginger until it was tender, and this was used instead. These days you can buy roast beef from a delicatessen (ask them to cut 1/3-inch slices—you will just need a few) and use those, or make use of leftover meats. There are many versions of the jhal faraizi, most being stir-fries of julienned meat, onions, and both hot and sweet peppers. Jhal means heat from hot chilies, so chilies are an essential ingredient, either in their fresh green form or their dried red form. I found the version below in an old, thin Anglo-Indian cookery book in Calcutta, and this is the version I like best. It is like a hash, only it is spicy! You may serve this at breakfast with or without eggs or by itself with a salad.
Recipe information
Yield
serves 2¿4
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
Boil the potatoes ahead of time and then leave them to cool. Peel them and then cut them into 1/3-inch dice.
Step 2
Pour the oil into a large, preferably nonstick frying pan and set over medium-high heat. When hot, put in the cumin seeds. Let them sizzle for 5 seconds. Add the onions, potatoes, and green chilies. Turn heat to medium. Stir and fry for about 5 minutes or until the onions turn somewhat translucent. Now add the meat, salt, and lots of black pepper. Stir and mix for a minute. Turn the heat down slightly so it is on medium low. Press down on all the ingredients in the pan with a spatula to form a flat cake that covers the entire bottom. Let the bottom brown for about 15 minutes. You can shift and turn the pan slightly so that all of the bottom browns evenly. Break up the cake and serve hot.
