Prepare your beef stew. We are using 3 lbs of beef stew cubed meat.

Grate your ginger and mash it into a pasty consistency

Mince garlic finely until you have 1 tsp

Finely chop your cilantro into very small cuts using only the leafy part, not the stems.

Cut 4 tomatoes into large diced pieces, a bit larger than a quarter size coin

Peel and grate your carrots.

Dice 1 onion and set aside.

In a pestle pound down your whole cumin.

Add the beef stew meat into a large bowl with 3 tsp salt. Add the garlic, cilantro, and ginger. Add in 1 tsp cumin. Add 3 tsp of palau spice mix. Mix this all very well together.

Now add to the meat mixture 1 can tomato paste, grated carrots, diced tomatoes, diced onions, and mix well until evenly well incorporated.

Add 45 oz of yogurt (a 32 oz container, and then 1/3 of a second container of the same size). Add 1 cup of buttermilk and mix well. Marinate in the refrigerator for at least an hour, preferably overnight.

Place the entirety of the beef stew mixture into a large pot. Add ¾ cup of oil on top of the beef stew mixture. Boil on medium low heat for about an hour until the liquid has boiled down and it is a very thick stew

Cut your ½ onion into large rings by cutting across an onion. Place the onion rings into a pan with oil and fry until golden brown. Set aside.

Prepare your rice. Measure rice, wash rice, add to a pot with enough water to cover and have about 3 inches of water above the rice, can add more.

Let it come to a boil until the rice is cooked partially, when you touch the grains you can see three lines and feel it firm but slightly soft.

Strain your rice into a colander and rinse with cold water. Set aside

Crush saffron into a fine powder. Place 1-2 ice cubes in a small bowl, sprinkle with crushed saffron, and let it melt at room temperature. This will create a brightly colored bloomed saffron liquid. Set aside.

Now begin layering the rice. Start with 1/2 of the rice on the bottom of a pot. Pour saffron water over some of the rice, creating two long stripes in the rice that are now colored with saffron. Add your fried onions evenly across the top.

Now place the remainder of the rice on top of the fried onions. Again pour saffron water over the rice creating two long orange/yellow stripes.

Using the back of a cooking spoon, create 4 holes in the rice to allow it to steam. Cover the top of your lid with a cloth. Place the lid on top of the rice.

Cook on high heat for 5 minutes, medium high heat for the next 5 minutes, and low heat for another 20 minutes. Do not at any point remove the top of the rice as it steam cooks.

Once the rice and stew have cooked, begin to serve. Mix the rice well so that the colored and white grains are mixed well. Serve alongside the stew. It is often eaten with yogurt on the side of the dish as well.