No Kerala household is complete without the kerala beef fry. I used to be a pescatarian who only started liking beef after I turned 40. The only beef I liked was the dry beef fry. For Malayalis, any form of beef is beloved, but this was my first foray into beef dishes. Then, my mother-in-law began preparing this specially for me because it was the only one I liked. In my version of beef fry, it is cut into long strips as opposed to the classic cubes.
Very easy to prepare and slightly different from the classic recipe, it is extremely tasty and has the classic coconut flavour. This is one dish that I prepare purely for myself and thoroughly enjoy eating.
How to prepare in three steps?
- Prepare the masala paste.
- Next, marinate beef and pressure cook.
- Fry masala paste and fry beef in the ground masala. Add fried coconut and curry leaves.
What to serve with this dish?
It is an excellent starter that can also be served as a main course with rice or Kerala Porotta. I personally enjoy this most with rice and dal.
Check out the video recipe here!
For Indo-Chinese lovers, check out this beef fry recipe for you!
Kerala Beef Fry – A Classic
Ingredients
Instructions
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Cut tenderloin into long strips. Wash and drain.
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Grind fennel seeds, cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, pepper. To this, add ginger, garlic, shallots, chilli powder, coriander powder, and grind to a thick paste adding vinegar. Add 1 or 2 tbsp of water if needed.
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Add 2 tbsp of ground spice paste and curry leaves to the beef. Drizzle 2 tbsp of coconut oil and rub the mixture. Keep it aside for 10 minutes.
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Place a pressure cooker on high flame, add one tbsp of coconut oil. Now add beef and fry for 10 minutes on high flame. Add 1 tsp of salt and pressure cook for 5 to 8 minutes. (As you fry beef, it will release a lot of juice and moisture. So there's no need to add extra water to cook the beef)
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Meanwhile, fry coconut pieces in coconut oil in a heavy bottom skillet. Once coconut is half fried, add curry leaves and green chillies. Fry for 2 minutes and keep aside. Reserve the oil.
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Once the pressure releases, take out the beef pieces and reserve the liquid.
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Add the rest of the ground masala paste to the reserved oil and fry for a few minutes. Add reserved liquid and cook for 2 minutes.
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To this, add cooked beef. Add salt if necessary. Continue to cook beef on medium to low flame, stirring continuously. Once beef starts to turn darker, add fried coconut, curry leaves and chillies.
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Continue to fry on low flame for a few minutes more.
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Add more curry leaves if needed. Serve warm.
Note
Beef - I prefer tenderloin strips to make this dish. Tenderloin cubes could also be used. Make use of its tender beef cut.
Ginger garlic - Use Indian ginger and garlic for maximum flavour.
Cast iron skillet - Use a heavy bottom skillet or uruli (traditional cooking vessel made of bronze) to prepare this beef fry.
Coconut oil - A good quality cold pressed coconut oil is preferred for this recipe.
