Beef Ularthiyathu - Pan Roasted Beef - Kerala Style

 Most of my Australian friends here in Melbourne think that Indians do not eat beef.  Not if you are from Kerala.  Keralites love their beef and there is a treasure trove of Kerala Beef recipes that I have tasted and enjoyed. Most of the beef dishes have an element of coconut and coconut oil which is very distinctive.  I have not used coconut oil, but you can use it to get a feel for what it tastes like.

This recipe is based on my mother's instructions.  She is long gone, but the taste of her food still lingers in the corners of my mind and heart.  This week my friends in Kerala have kicked off their Onam or harvest festival celebrations and I find that my heart is longing to go back home.

Though Onam is a vegetarian festival, this dish jogs my memories of home which is why I have cooked it today.  Hope you enjoy this as much as my family does.

Ingredients:

For braising:

1 kg beef - washed and cut into cubes

1 large red onion, sliced

2 teaspoons coriander powder

2 teaspoons chilli powder (reduce for less heat)

1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder

1 1/2 tablespoon ginger garlic paste

1/2 cup water

1/2  teaspoon salt

Meat masala - to grind to a fine powder:

1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds

1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds

2-3 cloves

1/2 inch piece of cinnamon

1/2 a star anise

1 teaspoon black pepper corns

Ingredients for frying:

4 tablespoons oil 

2-3 stalks of curry leaves

1/2 a cup of finely sliced coconut pieces

1 to 1 1/2 red onion, sliced

1 tomato, sliced

Method:

Put all the ingredients that need to be braised in a heavy dish - like a Dutch oven, cover it and cook till the meat becomes tender.  This can take up to an hour to an hour and a half.  The meat should be tender when you have finished cooking but still retain its shape.

Once the meat is cooked, open the lid and let the excess gravy evaporate.  You will get something like this:

In a heavy bottomed flat saucepan, add oil and heat.  Next add the coconut pieces and let them start to become golden.

Once the coconut pieces turn golden, add the onions and the curry leaves.  Sauté till the onions start to caramalise.  

 

Next, add the tomatoes till they go mushy and incorporate with the onions.  Meanwhile, powder your spices and keep it ready.

Lastly, add the cooked beef chunks and the meat masala into the onion - tomato mix and sauté over a low fire for 15 to 20 minutes.

Sauté the beef carefully so it does not break - but browns uniformly.  Add salt if needed.  Serve hot with chappaties, Kerala parottas or rice.