Beef Mandi

Name: Beef Mandi
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 27 min
Total time: 42 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: India
Ingredients: 1 kg Basmati Rice; 5 Cups Beef Stock; 2 medium Onion; 5 chopped cloves Garlic; 2 Green Chilli; 1 small Tomato; 2 1/2 Tsp Salt; 3 tablespoons Oil; 1 ½ tsp Turmeric Powder; 1/2 tsp Cardamom; 1/2 tsp Cloves; 1/2 tsp Bay Leaf

By The Spice & Simmer Kitchen · Published May 3, 2026

A one-pot Beef recipe with India flavors, built for busy weeknights when you want real food without a sink full of dishes. Comes together in roughly 77 minutes, serves about 4, and uses ingredients you can find at any normal grocery store. The technique is simple: build a base in your pot, layer in the main ingredients, simmer until everything has had time to talk to each other, and serve straight from the pan. If you're cooking for picky eaters, this one tends to land — the flavors are recognizable, the texture is comforting, and there's nothing weird hiding in the ingredient list. Perfect for the kind of evening where you want dinner on the table by 7pm and the kitchen empty by 7:30.

Ingredients

Makes 4 servings · 42 min total

1 kg Basmati Rice
5 Cups Beef Stock
2 medium Onion
5 chopped cloves Garlic
2 Green Chilli
1 small Tomato
2 1/2 Tsp Salt
3 tablespoons Oil
1 ½ tsp Turmeric Powder
1/2 tsp Cardamom
1/2 tsp Cloves
1/2 tsp Bay Leaf

Step-by-step instructions

Wash the beef and cut into large pieces. Season lightly with salt and turmeric.
Heat ghee/oil in a large pot. Add sliced onions and sauté until light golden.
Add garlic, green chilies, and tomato; cook until softened.
Add the mandi spice mix: coriander, cumin, black pepper, cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, and bay leaves.
Add beef pieces and stir on medium heat until the meat is well coated with spices.
Pour in water or beef stock. Cover and simmer until beef is tender (about 1.5–2 hours depending on cut).
Remove beef carefully and set aside. Strain and measure the broth.
Add washed, soaked basmati rice to the broth (usually 1 cup rice = 1.5–2 cups liquid). Adjust seasoning and bring to a boil.
Lower heat, cover, and cook the rice until fluffy.
Place the beef pieces over the rice and steam on low heat for 10 minutes so flavors combine.
Optional: For smoky flavor, place a small hot charcoal on foil in the pot, add 1 tsp butter/oil, immediately cover for 5 minutes. Remove coal before serving.
Fluff rice and serve beef mandi with salad or chutney.

Why this works on a weeknight

Beef Mandi lands at about 42 minutes total — a little longer than our 30-minute target, but most of that time is hands-off simmering, which is why it earned a spot in our Skillet & One-Pan collection. The technique is forgiving, the ingredient list is grocery-store standard, and the active cooking time is short enough that you can answer a text message in the middle without ruining dinner.

Cleanup notes

This is a single-pan recipe, so the cleanup is exactly one pan, one cutting board, and one knife. While the dish rests, fill the pan with hot soapy water — by the time you are done eating, the residue lifts off with a single pass of a sponge. Skip the steel wool on cast iron; a stiff brush and warm water are all you need to keep the seasoning intact.

Make-ahead and leftovers

Leftovers keep covered in the fridge for up to three days. Reheat in a dry pan over medium-low with a splash of water or stock to loosen the sauce. Beef Mandi actually improves overnight as the flavors keep talking to each other, so doubling the recipe and packing tomorrow's lunch is a high-leverage weeknight move.

Filed under 🥘 Skillet & One-Pan Beef India