I can’t believe I still haven’t blogged about one of the most famous non-vegetarian preparations from Kerala, the good old beef fry! Succulent beef pieces cooked in freshly ground spices and sauteed dry with onions and coconut slices, this is one of those famous Thattukada dishes.

Thattukada is Kerala’s version of a fast food joint. While the beef fry is not fast food, the fact that time works in favor of the flavors in this dish and it actually tastes better after reheating makes it an ideal candidate for the fast paced Thattukadas. Beef fry is normally served with hot Kerala Parathas at these places, and it used to be the cheapest non-veg dish in most restaurants when I was young.  I hear that things have changed now, beef is more expensive than chicken due to the reduced supply of cattle and wide spread chicken farming.

My roommate and I used to eat out almost every day when we were in college since the hostel food was completely unpalatable. Some days we were totally broke, this beef fry used to be the savior those days. It was only 10 rupees a plate (about 25 cents), divide that by two, you can’t get anything cheaper than that! I still remember how good it was and how the slight sweetness of the fried coconut slices contrasted the heat from the spices. I don’t think I can ever recreate that exact taste, but over time I have come very close to the taste of that Thattukada beef fry.

This is one of those dishes where you really need tons of curry leaves to get that authentic taste, but due to the curry leaves ban in the US, I had to make it without those.

Kerala Beef Fry

Ingredients

To roast and grind

Method

Heat a skillet and dry roast the ingredients under to “to roast and grind” section. Grind these to a smooth powder in a spice grinder or a coffee grinder.

Place the beef pieces in a pressure cooker. Add the spice powder, garlic, ginger, coconut, mayonnaises and vinegar and mix well. Keep it marinated for about 15 minutes. Add 1/4 cup water and pressure cook for about 8 minutes after the first whistle.

(If you don’t have a pressure cooker, add about a cup of water and cook in a pan with a tight lid, occasionally stirring to make sure that the bottom doesn’t burn. Cook for about 20 minutes till the beef pieces are tender. )

In a large frying pan, heat the oil and add the onions and curry leaves. Add salt to taste and saute till the onions start to brown.

Stir in the cooked beef mixture to the pan, and saute on medium heat for about 15-20 minutes till it is completely dry.

Serve with some lime/lemon wedges. This goes best with cold beer. I love having it with white rice and yogurt.

Note: This is a pretty hot dish. You can reduce the quantity of the chillies and peppercorns to tone down the heat.


Comments

20 Responses to “Kerala Beef Fry (Beef Ularthiyathu)”

  1. Miri on April 21st, 2008 10:49 pm

    I can’t digest red meat easily and usually stay away from it - but my friend’s cousin Mercy makes the best Syrian Catholic beef fry EVER!!! More than the beef , its the yummy flavour of curry leaves, coconut and spices that makes my mouth water!

  2. Raaga on April 22nd, 2008 12:02 am

    I have eaten this (feels like another life) :-) and your post made me remember the taste… easter at my roomie’s home in Trivandrum!!

  3. sunita on April 22nd, 2008 12:54 am

    Sig, that looks delish :drool: …so there’s a curry leaf ban? :shock:

  4. indosungod on April 22nd, 2008 3:45 am

    Sig, I don’t eat beef but that dish looks delicious. Maybe our curry leaves come from a place different from CA or FL, I got some even yesterday.

  5. Swati Jain:Sugarcraft India on April 22nd, 2008 4:25 am

    I am a vegetarian Sig but this does look delicious..

  6. rachel on April 22nd, 2008 4:41 am

    Ahh…Now that is one authentic kerala meat recipe.. coconut slices and all..now why are curry leaves banned in the US?

    I have a curry leaf plant in my very own kitchen :grin:

  7. Nags on April 22nd, 2008 5:27 am

    oooooh lovely pic! i dont eat beef but cant help thinking yumm lookin at that pic.

    even i cant believe u hadn’t blogged this one yet :D

  8. richa on April 22nd, 2008 6:33 am

    that must be one spicy dish :grin:
    and who can forget the hostel specials :wink:

  9. Revathi on April 22nd, 2008 8:41 am

    I dont eat beef but look a lot of mutton chukka fry !! :drool:

  10. rina on April 22nd, 2008 11:36 am

    That is a lovely enticing picture Sig. :(Flower): Yet another tasty meat fry. :razz:

  11. molly on April 22nd, 2008 12:42 pm

    It looks traditional until the ingredient mayonnaise caught my eye - so that won’t make it traditional right? :razz: Anyways, what is with the mayonnaise? Was that something you stumbled upon or a happy accident?

    Hi Molly… Adding the mayo is a trick I learned from a friend long time ago…. it adds a bit of fat and moisture to the beef while cooking… You won’t be able to taste it, it is kind of like adding a little bit of yogurt to meat while cooking, but mayo won’t add any extra sour taste… Try it next time :)

  12. TBC on April 22nd, 2008 1:12 pm

    We don’t have a curry leaves problem yet. I suspect we’re getting the stuff illegally… :mrgreen: :sealed:

  13. musy on April 22nd, 2008 2:52 pm

    Where’s the thattukada style parotta, girl? :drool: I have had food at such a joint once, but it was lip-smacking, totally yummy!

  14. Kaykat on April 22nd, 2008 3:24 pm

    I ain’t eating no beef, but the spices here sound *so* good!

    Did I say I’m honnggrrreeeeeee? :drool:

  15. Sandeepa on April 22nd, 2008 5:49 pm

    Hey how come you are not even jet lagged :eek:
    You are whipping up one delight after the other soon after landing

  16. sig on April 22nd, 2008 6:05 pm

    Hi all, thank you for your lovely words.
    Our local Indian grocers said that there is a ban on curry leaves. I have heard different reasons for this ban, starting from how unprofitable it is for Indian exporters to export curry leaves due to the diminished dollar value to detection of some pests in curry leaves shipped from Hawaii.

    Here is one link I found at Mahanandi. If any of you can still find curry leaves, stock’em up :) , and send me some too :razz:

  17. sra on April 23rd, 2008 6:30 am

    Just tried a piece of beef recently - after many, many years. I’ve eaten only by accident :) My friend says I should eat this dish to get the real taste of beef!

  18. Kalai on April 23rd, 2008 8:24 am

    Wow, love the flavors in this dish. Will definitely try it with mutton sometime! :)

  19. Radhika on April 25th, 2008 12:25 am

    Love your blog and have tried many recipes from here.

    Where do you get coconut slices? and can I substitute grated coconut?

    Hi Radhika, the Indian grocery stores here in Seattle stock the frozen sliced coconuts. If you don’t have it, you can just skip it, don’t add grated coconut, it will change the taste completely.

  20. JZ @ Tasty treats on May 27th, 2008 10:10 am

    Great recipe Sig….I’ve been following this recipe two times in a row now! My husband who is a good non-veg citique loves it! But both times I cudnt get coconut slivers. They wud’ve tasted heavenly!!

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