Heat Mustard Oil and fry the onions till they are golden brown. Strain the oil and keep aside to use in marination later. Grind the onions (with yogurt optional) finely.

Heat another clean pan. Add green cardamom, bay leaves, poppy seeds, coriander seeds, white cumin, black cumin and red button chillies. Roast these for 1-2 minutes on medium-high heat until they are fragrant.

Cool slightly and add to your grinder. Grind until they turn into a powder.

In this powder, further add mace powder, nutmeg powder, salt, red chilli powder, paprika powder and garam masala. Mix. This is your Bihari kebab seasoning.

To the beef strips, add the prepared seasoning, yogurt, ginger garlic paste, meat tenderizer and the left over mustard oil. Mix well and leave to marinate for 2-4 hours. If you plan to marinate overnight, then add the meat tenderizer just 2 hours before cooking.

Take the metal or wooden skewers. If wooden, pre-soak them in water for 30 minutes to avoid burning. Take a strip of beef strips onto each skewer (it may vary depending on the length of your skewer) in zigzag position.

At this point, you can barbecue these kebabs on a charcoal grill or bake them in oven.

For pan-frying, heat 1-2 tbsp mustard oil in a pan. Then place your skewers and cook until they are no longer pink and cook through.

Put all bihari kebab in a deep pan with a lid. Place a piece of foil in the middle and put a hot charcoal in it. Drizzle some oil and immediately cover the pan with the lid or foil tightly. Give smoke for 8-10 minutes.

Garnish with fresh coriander, lemon wedges and red onion slices.

TIPS:

I) Use 4-6 Unsalted Cashews if poppy seeds are not available.

ii) In Pakistan, you can ask your butcher to give you 'pasanday' meat or undercut meat for best taste of Bihari Kebab.

iii) If you have whole nutmeg and mace, then add it to the grinder with the roasted spices.