Tender chunks of beef are slow roasted in a mix of spices, coconut slivers, curry leaves and onions to make this Kerala style dish of beef fry. Kerala beef fry is also called Beef Ularthiyathu. Whole30 and Paleo friendly.
This style of making a beef fry is very popular in the Southern Indian state of Kerala. Beef fry is served as an appetizer or as a side to rice and curries. It is also served alongside alcohol, and colloquially called “touchings”.
Kerala is probably the one state in India where beef is not only not frowned upon but also a favorite among many. A huge population in Kerala is vegetarian, as with the rest of India. Those who do not follow a vegetarian diet stick to chicken and fish. Sometimes lamb / mutton is also part of their diet as well.
Even with all these different dietary groups there is still a huge majority of people in Kerala who eat beef and beef features prominently in most restaurant menus.
Traditionally this beef fry recipe is made by slow roasting the beef for hours to make it absolutely tender. These days, most everyone uses the pressure cooker to cook the beef and then roast it over the stove top. This makes it a lot faster to cook it.
This beef fry recipe is
- Deliciously spiced
- A great appetizer as well a side to rice or breads
- Tender, juicy and spicy at the same time
How to make Kerala Beef Fry
- Marinate the beef with turmeric powder, salt and cracker black pepper.
- Pressure cook it with a little water.
- Heat coconut oil and saute the onions, garlic and curry leaves.
- Add the beef with the liquid and more salt and ground black pepper to taste.
- Roast over medium heat. Add the homemade meat masala when almost done.
- Toast the coconut slivers over medium heat and add this to the meat as well.
- Cook over medium low heat. Meat is done with most all of the moisture is gone and the spices coat the meat.
- Garnish with some more curry leaves.
For the homemade meat masala
Homemade meat masala definitely makes the beef fry a lot more tastier and flavorful. You can use a store bought one in a pinch, but I highly recommend making this at home.
Dry roast green cardamom, cloves, star anise, fennel seeds, cumin seeds, cinnamon stick, ground nutmeg and dried red chili. Let it cool a little and grind to a fine powder.
Serving suggestions for beef ularthiyathu
Beef ularthiyathu or beef fry is generally served as an appetizer. When serving it as a side, serve it alongside Malabar porotta, the flaky Southern Indian flat bread or rice.
Tips to making a tender Kerala beef fry
- Chuck roast is best but beef for stew is an easy and accessible option.
- Use fresh ground spices for the best flavor. You can buy store bought Meat Masala from any Indian grocery store. But since this dish does not have a lot more other than the meat and spices going on, fresh spices make all the difference.
- Pressure cooking helps cook the meat to tender pieces, so all you have to do is roast it on the stove top with the spices. Otherwise it will take hours to make this recipe.
If you love meat and Indian spices, here are some recipes for you to try
📖 Recipe
Kerala Beef Fry
Ingredients
- 2 lbs beef cut in 1 inch cubes
- ½ teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3 tablespoon coconut oil
- 1 medium red onion sliced
- 6 cloves garlic
- ½ cup coconut slices
- 8 curry leaves
For the meat masala
- 2 pods green cardamom
- 1 ½ tablespoon fennel seeds
- 2 cloves
- ½ teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 stick cinnamon
- 2 dried red chillies
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½ star anise
Don't forget to check out Step-by-step instructions with photos in the body of the post above
Instructions
- Marinate the beef with turmeric powder, salt and cracker black pepper for about an hour.
- Add ½ cup water to this and pressure cook in a traditional pressure cooker for 15 mins and 2-3 whistles (pressure releases). If using the Instant Pot to do the pressure cooking, set to MANUAL for 15 mins. Close and seal the lid and start. Wait for 10 mins of natural pressure release and then do a manual pressure release by turning the pin to release.
- Heat coconut oil in a heavy bottomed pan like a Dutch oven. Add the curry leaves, onion and garlic to this. Sauté till onions soften.
- Add the beef to the pot with the water it cooked in. Reduce heat to medium and let it cook in the liquids for some more time.
- Meanwhile, get the meat masala ready. Toast the spices over low heat till aromatic and fragrant. Be careful to not let it burn. Let it cool a little and grind to a fine powder.
- Also, in another skillet, lightly toast the coconut slices till some of them are golden brown.
- Once the liquid has halved in the pot with the beef, add the meat masala and mix well.
- Add the toasted coconut to it as well and mix well.
- Cook for a few more minutes till all the liquid is gone and the masalas stick to the beef chunks.
- Garnish with more curry leaves and serve hot.
Notes
- Chuck roast is best but beef for stew is an easy and accessible option.
- Use fresh ground spices for the best flavor. You can buy store bought Meat Masala from any Indian grocery store. But since this dish does not have a lot more other than the meat and spices going on, fresh spices make all the difference.
- Pressure cooking helps cook the meat to tender pieces, so all you have to do is roast it on the stove top with the spices. Otherwise it will take hours to make this recipe.
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