Tanzanian Braised Beef Short Ribs, Coconut & Tamarind

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Ngorongoro Crater

📍 Where this dish comes from: Tanzania · Ngorongoro Crater
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Tanzanian Braised Beef Short Ribs, Coconut & Tamarind, plated and ready to serve

This is the one cut of beef this chapter hadn’t touched yet — bone-in short ribs, braised for a full two hours until the meat falls cleanly off the bone. The sauce leans on the same coastal coconut tradition running through this book’s Tanzanian dishes, brightened here with a sour edge of tamarind that cuts through the richness of the ribs.

What You’ll Need

Ingredients for Tanzanian Braised Beef Short Ribs, Coconut & Tamarind

Tanzanian Braised Beef Short Ribs, Coconut & Tamarind

Bone-in short ribs braised low and slow in a coconut-tamarind sauce — a genuine special-occasion cut, given the long, patient cook it deserves.
Print Recipe
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 2 hours
Total Time: 2 hours 15 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: East African
Servings: 6 servings
Calories: 440kcal

Ingredients

  • 3 lb bone-in beef short ribs
  • 2 tbsp coconut oil
  • 1 onion diced
  • 4 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 tbsp fresh ginger grated
  • 2 tbsp tamarind paste
  • 1 1/2 cups coconut milk
  • 1 cup beef broth
  • Fresh cilantro, chopped
  • Salt to taste

Instructions

  • Heat coconut oil in a large heavy pot over medium-high heat. Season ribs with salt, brown well on all sides, about 8–10 minutes total. Set aside.
  • In the same pot, sauté onion 5 minutes until softened.
  • Add garlic and ginger, cook 1 minute.
  • Whisk in tamarind paste, coconut milk, and broth, scraping up any browned bits.
  • Return ribs to the pot, nestling them into the liquid.
  • Bring to a simmer, cover, and cook 1 hour 45 minutes to 2 hours until the meat is completely fork- tender and pulling from the bone.
  • Season with salt, top with cilantro, and serve hot.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 440kcal | Protein: 36g | Fat: 30g | Fiber: 1g
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Cooking Tanzanian Braised Beef Short Ribs, Coconut & Tamarind in the kitchen

Health Benefits

  • Beef short ribs provide dense, bioavailable iron and zinc along with complete protein.
  • Coconut milk delivers MCTs, a fast-burning fat source popular in ketogenic diets.
  • Tamarind has a long traditional history of culinary and digestive use across East African and South Asian cooking.

Pairs Well With

  • Tanzanian Coconut & Herb Salad, Zanzibar Style
  • Tanzanian Grilled Vegetables, Coconut Marinade
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