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Varanga
Varanga: Highland beef simmered until it falls apart, then shredded and fried crisp in its own fat
Varanga belongs to the big occasions of the Merina Highlands: family reunions, famadihana gatherings and long lunches outside Antananarivo, where a mound of it sits beside rice and a bowl of greens. Beef, traditionally zebu, is simmered with garlic, ginger and onion until it can be pulled apart with two forks, then the strands are fried in the fat and juices left in the pot until crisp and mahogany at the edges but still tender inside. The flavour is deeply beefy and salty-sweet, a little like the best bits stuck to a roasting tin. Cooks in a hurry shred the meat before it is truly tender, and the strands then fry up tough and stringy instead of crisp. Chef's tip: choose a cut with some fat and connective tissue, like chuck or brisket; lean steak gives dry, hard varanga.
- Total time
- 150 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
- 2 ⅝ lb beef chuck or brisketin 2 or 3 large pieces, some fat left on
- 1 onionhalved
- 6 garlic clovescrushed
- 1 oz fresh gingersliced
- 2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp ground black pepper
- 6 ¼ cups waterenough to just cover the meat
- 2 tbsp sunflower oilonly if the beef is lean
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Method
0/7 doneStep 1: Put 2 ⅝ lb beef chuck or brisket, 1 onion, 3 garlic cloves, 1 oz fresh ginger and 2 tsp salt in a heavy, wide pot and pour in 6 ¼ cups water so the meat is just covered.
Step 2: Bring to the boil, skim off any grey foam, then turn the heat down, cover and simmer very gently until the beef pulls apart easily with two forks.
110 minStep 3: Take the lid off and boil hard until the liquid has almost all evaporated and only fat and sticky juices are left in the pot. Lift out the beef first if it starts to catch.
15 minStep 4: Remove the onion and ginger. Shred the beef into thin strands with two forks, discarding any gristle.
Step 5: Return the strands to the pot over a medium-high heat with the rest of 3 garlic cloves. If there is less than 2 tablespoons of fat, add 2 tbsp sunflower oil.
Step 6: Fry, turning and pressing the meat against the base now and then, until a good part of it is crisp and dark brown at the edges but still moist inside.
12 minStep 7: Season with 1 tsp ground black pepper, taste for salt and serve hot with rice and greens.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 390 kcal
- Protein
- 44 g
- Carbs
- 2 g
- Fat
- 23 g
- Fibre
- 0 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does varanga take?
- About 150 minutes in total: 10 minutes to prepare and 140 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 6 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of onion?
- 2 shallots per onion.
- What can I use instead of garlic cloves?
- ½ tsp garlic paste or ⅛ tsp garlic powder per clove.
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