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    Home » Pakistani Recipes

    Pakistani Beef Roast With {Tandoori} Masala

    September 7, 2022 by untoldrecipesbynosheen 2 Comments

    Jump to Recipe - Print Recipe

    This Pakistani Beef Roast With {Tandoori} Masala is a delicious recipe to serve as a main course on special occasions. Boneless beef roast is marinated in a delicious mixture of flavorful spices, combined with ginger garlic paste and some yogurt.

    Pakistani Beef Roast With {Tandoori} Masala
    Disclosure: Bear in mind that some of the links in this post are affiliate links and if you go through them to make a purchase I will earn a commission. Keep in mind that I link these companies and their products because of their quality and not because of the commission I receive from your purchases. The decision is yours, and whether or not you decide to buy something is completely up to you.

    This tender roast beef, topped with a gravy made of the tandoori masala marinade is one of my family’s favorite recipes. A wonderful dish with exceptional flavor, it’s often requested as birthday dinner by my kids!

    The Tandoori Roast Beef Masala Recipe

    Most Pakistanis generally tend to eat either a roasted-leg-of-goat-raan or Hunter Beef as opposed to Roast beef. As such it’s not a Pakistani Common meat dish. I’ve yet to make it for someone who hasn’t fallen in love with it, it’s usually one of the most popular recipes in my house when I entertain.

    The ingredients are very simple and the marinade comes together within minutes. In fact, I often buy the meat, marinate it and pop it in the freezer for when I need to cook it.

    The Meat

    The original recipe, as made by my mother, was with tenderloin, which is referred to as undercut in Pakistan. Since this is an expensive cut of meat and I make this recipe more often I’ve resorted to using cheaper cuts of meat.

    My favorite is Chuck Roast and it’s what I’ve used in this recipe. This cut comes from the front portion of the animal and is great for roasts. It’s a lean cut with a lot of flavor and when slow cooked, it becomes fork tender.

    Incase you can’t find chuck roast some other affordable choices are:

    • Bottom Round Rump Roast
    • Top Round Roast
    • Eye of Round Roast
    • Bottom Round Roast

    The Pakistani Beef Roast With {Tandoori} Masala Ingredients

    To quote Delish.com, a roast beef is a big cut of meat and you can’t go wrong with seasoning it generously! Keeping this in mind the Tandoori Masala is the perfect for this recipe! Once you try it, you’ll be hooked!

    Pakistani Beef Roast With {Tandoori} Masala Ingredients

    I make my own simple Tandoori Masala blend for this recipe. Nothing complicated, just a blend of powdered spices that are usually pantry staples in a Pakistani household.

    If you don’t cook Pakistani food regularly, don’t worry, most of the spices needed can be sourced at a local supermarket. What you can’t find locally can be purchased online at amazon, thespicehouse, curiospice and the savoryspiceshop, to name some of my favorites.

    Ginger, Garlic, Green Chilies and Yogurt provide a thick base for the dry powdered spices. The result is a paste that stick to the meat really well and helps tenderize the meat. As the roast cooks, the marinade thickens naturally to become a delicious gravy. 

    Tip: If you’re in a real rush just add a store bought Tandoori Spice Blend to the rest of the ingredients rather than assembling all of the individual spices!

    The Marinade

    My marinade is simple and doesn’t require any whole spice or complex ingredients like black cardamom or green cardamoms that need to be ground and blended. The garam masala powder contains all of these and is available in most grocery stores nowadays.

    Similarly, instead of lemon juice or a cup of vinegar, I use amchoor powder to give a slight citric flavor to the spice blend. This makes the marinade thicker and it sticks better to the meat. This too is often available in grocery stores or online. If for some reason you can’t source it, some substitutes you can use are:

    • Pomegranate powder
    • Loomi (Persian dried Lemon powder)
    • Chaat Masala
    • Tajin
    Pakistani Beef Roast With {Tandoori} Masala Marinade

    Since we’re aiming for a tandoori flavor, my recipe uses red chili powder and Kashmiri chili powder rather than the more conventional black pepper or pepper flakes.  

    The last and in many ways most important ingredient is the salt. The rule for this is one teaspoon salt per pound of meat.

    Generally speaking, since you’re cooking such a large cut of meat, it does well with bold seasoning. This is why this Tandoori seasoning makes this a great recipe!

    Combine yogurt with all the ingredients in a medium bowl, poke some holes in the meat with a knife and rub generously all over the beef and place meat in an airtight container. Marinate the roast overnight so the seasoning can really flavor the meat.

    Pakistani Roast Beef

    The Cooking Technique

    I use a traditional Pakistani Method for cooking my Pot Roast called “Dum” rather than in an oven. I personally like this method as it allows me more control over the cooking process. You’re welcome to use the oven if you prefer.

    Since I use a single pot to cook my roast, I sear the meat and slow cook it all in one pot. If you’re cooking it in the oven, then take a large heavy skillet or large pan and sear the roast well on all sides before cooking in the oven.

    Pakistani Tandoori Roast

    After Searing the meat to seal in the juices add enough water to cover the meat halfway. This will probably be 4-6 cups of water depending on the size of your cooking pot or roasting pan.

    Cooking Pakistani Roast Beef

    Stove Top Method (recommended)

    After searing the beef, turn the stove on to medium high heat and cover your pot. Once you see steam coming out of the pot, reduce to low heat. Cook for the number of hours recommended, checking intermittently and adjusting the heat as necessary.

     I usually check the meat to see if a knife goes in easily. At that point, I uncover the pot and adjust the heat to a medium flame and let the water evaporate. The meat cooks further and the long hours of cooking make it fork tender.

    If it seems that the liquid is thickening and the meat is sticking to the pot, gently remove it and continue cooking down the liquid till the gravy thickens to a thick curry like consistency.

    Cooking Tandoori Roast Beef Stove Top Method

    Oven Method

    I like to sear my roast on the stovetop first and then place it in a roasting pan with the remaining marinade and a cup of water. Seal it tightly with foil and bake it in a preheated oven at 325 degrees farenheit for an hour per pound.

    Check for doneness using a thermometer. I like my roast medium well for this recipe, which means you should get a temperature reading of 150 degrees fahrenheit. As always, my favorite thermometer is the thermapen-one by thermoworks.

    Once the meat is done, set it aside, keeping it covered, and pour the juices in the pot you used to sear the meat. Cook the liquid on medium heat till it reduces to a thick gravy. This should take 20-30 minutes.

    I do not recommend a pressure cooker or Instant Pot for this recipe. A good Beef Roast needs to be Seared and then slow cooked for best results. Ideal cooking time is about 1 hour per pound of meat. For the average size roast this is 3-4 hours of cooking time.

    Serving The Pakistani Beef Roast With {Tandoori} Masala

    The meat needs to rest for 20-30 minutes before being carved. This allows the juices to settle and not flow out as you cut the meat. The meat tastes much juicier this way.

    I like to serve my beef roast with oven roasted potatoes and a side of my air-fryer-french-beans. I usually have some crusty French bread to mop up the delicious gravy. If you prefer, you can add some lemon wedges for presentation and serve it with traditional Pakistani flat bread instead of crusty bread.

    This is a great recipe to have on hand when you want some spicy food but not a traditional meat curry. With the holiday season fast approaching you may want to try this recipe for your next family gathering!

    Please don't forget to leave a rating and comment below! If you take a picture then please tag me on instagram ! Thank You!

    Pakistani Beef Roast With {Tandoori} Masala

    Pakistani Beef Roast With {Tandoori} Masala

    Nosheen Babar
    Pakistani Beef Roast With {Tandoori} Masala is a delicious fork tender roast beef marinated in a traditional Pakistani tandoori spice blend
    5 from 1 vote
    Print Recipe
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    Prep Time 30 mins
    Cook Time 3 hrs
    marination time 12 hrs
    Total Time 15 hrs 30 mins
    Course Main Course
    Cuisine American, British, Indian, Pakistani
    Servings 8 people
    Calories 572 kcal

    Ingredients
      

    • 3 lb chuck roast (SEE NOTES)
    • 3 tsp garam masala
    • ¾ tsp turmeric powder
    • 3 tsp amchoor powder
    • 3 tsp salt
    • 3 tsp kashmiri chili powder
    • 3 tsp red chili powder
    • 3 tsp ginger paste
    • 3 tsp garlic paste
    • 3 green chilies (grind to a paste)
    • 3 cups yogurt (SEE NOTES)
    • ¾ cup cooking oil (SEE NOTES)

    Instructions
     

    • Mix the yogurt, ginger, garlic, green chilies and all the spice powders in a bowl.
    • Wash and pat your meat dry and poke some surface holes with a knife to allow the masala to really flavor the meat.
    • Marinate the meat overnight in a tupperware with a tight lid.
    • When you're ready to cook your roast, heat the oil in a large wide pot.
    • Sear the meat on all sides till its a nice dark brown.
    • Add in the remaining marinade and add enough water to cover the meat to the halfway point. Cover the pot and cook on high till the liquid starts to boil.
    • Reduce the heat to a medium low and cook the roast covered for 3 hours.
    • Uncover after 3 hours, turn the flame on high and cook till the liquid is reduced to a thick gravy {SEE NOTES}

    Notes

    Chuck Roast - I like to use chuck roast for my recipe but Bottom Round Rump Roast, Top Round Roast, Eye of Round Roast and Bottom Round Roast are all good affordable options as well. For a special occasion tenderloin works really well!
    Spices - If you're in a hurry or have trouble sourcing ingredients, you can substitute a store bought tandoori spice powder blend to replace the dry spices above. Since these blends vary in strength by brand, follow recipe instructions on the box to figure out how much to use per pound of meat. 
    Yogurt - I like to use full fat yogurt as it results in a creamier gravy, but if you're counting calories or can't source it, feel free to use the non fat variety. However, I don't recommend Greek yogurt, as it tends to curdle when cooked.
    Cooking Oil - I always use avocado or olive oil but you can use your preferred variety.
    Thickening The Gravy - At the end, as you turn the flame on high to thicken the gravy, the meat may start scorching at the bottom. If that starts happening, remove the roast and cover it with foil and continue to thicken the masala.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1personCalories: 572kcalCarbohydrates: 9gProtein: 36gFat: 44gSaturated Fat: 12gPolyunsaturated Fat: 8gMonounsaturated Fat: 24gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 129mgSodium: 1134mgPotassium: 749mgFiber: 2gSugar: 5gVitamin A: 558IUVitamin C: 3mgCalcium: 149mgIron: 4mg
    Keyword Holiday Roast, pakistani style roast beef, Pot Roast, roast beef, sunday roast, Tandoori Roast
    Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

    More Pakistani Recipes

    • Mutton or Lamb Karahi Gosht
    • Pakistani Chicken Steam Roast
    • Gobi Gosht (Meat & Cauliflower Curry)
    • Aloo Palak (Pakistani Spinach & Potato Curry)

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Leslie Dsouza

      September 30, 2022 at 10:50 pm

      It looks yummy.Will definitely try it

      Reply
      • untoldrecipesbynosheen

        October 01, 2022 at 9:49 am

        Let me know how it turns out!

        Reply

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    Hi, I'm Nosheen! Welcome to my world of Authentic South Asian recipes and much
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    I’ve loved to cook from a very early age and my cooking style incorporates authentic recipes that hail from my mother's and grandmother's kitchens as well as many that I’ve developed and created along the way. 

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