- Submitted by Dahlia
(Kerala Beef Curry, Thattukada Beef Curry, Maatu Erachi Kuzhambu)
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My paternal grandparents lived in Kerala for 40 years. She used to cook many Kerala dishes. As a result, our whole family developed a liking for Kerala food. Today's Beef Curry is one such childhood favourite of mine.
This Kerala style Beef Curry is spicy and tastes delicious with any tiffin items. I especially love it with boiled tapioca or Malabar Parotta. My grandmother used to cook the beef on a clay pot for about 2 hours till it becomes tender. The taste of the final dish when beef is cooked this way is incomparable. These days none has the patience and time to make it in this traditional way. Pressure cooker is used to make the meat tender.
There are some other types of beef curry that grandma used to make - with coconut milk, with roasted coconut etc. I will share those in future. Today's beef curry is bachelor friendly one, as it requires no coconut and hence no grinding. The curry is spicy and will surely make you lick your fingers. I have also tasted similar beef curry at a thattukada during our munnar trip. So here is my recipe of the spicy beef masala curry.
Recipe for Beef Curry
Preparation Time: 15 minutes
Cooking Time: 30 minutes
Serves: 3-4
Ingredients
- Beef - 1 lbs (1/2 kg cut into cubes)
- Shallot onions - 15 (about 100 gms)
- Onion - 2 (sliced)
- Tomato - 1 (chopped))
- Ginger (crushed) - 2" piece
- Garlic (crushed) - 15 cloves
- Green Chilies - 2
- Turmeric Powder - 1/2 tsp
- Red Chili Powder - 2 tsp
- Kashmiri Chili powder - 1 tbsp
- Coriander Powder - 1 tbsp
- Black Pepper Powder - 1 tsp
- Garam Masala - 1/2 tsp
- Lemon Juice (or Vineger) - 1 tsp
- Salt - to taste
- Curry Leaves - 2 strings
- Coconut Oil - 3 tbsp
Method
- Cut the beef into small pieces and wash it thoroughly. Add some lemon juice, turmeric powder, 1 tsp red chili powder, 1/2 tsp black pepper powder, salt, some curry leaves and 1 tsp of coconut oil.
- Mix everything together and leave it to marinate for half an hour. If you are in a hurry, skip this marination step and make the curry directly.
- Put this beef into a pressure cooker and let it cook for 10 whistles till the meat turns tender. No need to add any water. The liquid the comes out of the beef is sufficient to cook it. Meat in India needs 10 whistles to become soft. In other countries, beef cooks faster in 3-4 whistles.
- While this is cooking, in another burner, let's make the masala.
- Heat a heavy bottomed pot, add 2-3 tbsp of coconut oil. Add thinly sliced onions and the shallots.
- Saute for 5-7 minutes till it becomes golden brown in colour.
- Add crushed ginger, crushed garlic and sliced green onions. Saute for a minute or two.
- Add chopped tomato and cook together.
- Add the spice powders - turmeric powder, rest of the red chili powder, kashmiri chili powder and coriander powder. Saute for a minute for the raw smell to disappear.
- Add the liquid that has come out of the beef. Cook the masala for 2-3 minutes.
- Now add the cooked beef and about 1 cup of hot water. Also add some salt. Cook together for 10 minutes on medium flame, till the spices and the beef blends well.
- By now the gravy thickens well. Add the rest of the black pepper powder, garam masala and some fresh curry leaves. Reduce the flame, simmer for another 5 minutes and switch off.
Detailed Steps to make Beef Curry
Cut the beef into small pieces and wash it thoroughly. Add some lemon juice, turmeric powder, 1 tsp red chili powder, 1/2 tsp black pepper powder, salt, some curry leaves and 1 tsp of coconut oil.
Mix everything together and leave it to marinate for half an hour. If you are in a hurry, skip this marination step and make the curry directly.
Put this beef into a pressure cooker and let it cook for 10 whistles till the meat turns tender. No need to add any water. The liquid the comes out of the beef is sufficient to cook it. Meat in India needs 10 whistles to become soft. In other countries, beef cooks faster in 3-4 whistles.
While this is cooking, in another burner, let's make the masala. Heat a heavy bottomed pot, add 2-3 tbsp of coconut oil. Add thinly sliced onions and the shallots.
Saute for 5-7 minutes till it becomes golden brown in colour. Add crushed ginger, crushed garlic and sliced green onions. Saute for a minute or two.
Add chopped tomato and cook together.
Add the spice powders - turmeric powder, rest of the red chili powder, kashmiri chili powder and coriander powder. Saute for a minute for the raw smell to disappear.
Add the liquid that has come out of the beef. Cook the masala for 2-3 minutes.
Now add the cooked beef and about 1 cup of hot water. Also add some salt. Cook together for 10 minutes on medium flame, till the spices and the beef blends well.
By now the gravy thickens well. Add the rest of the black pepper powder, garam masala and some fresh curry leaves. Reduce the flame, simmer for another 5 minutes and switch off.
Serving Beef Curry
- This spicy Kerala style beef curry tastes great with nei choru (ghee rice), pulao, parotta, puttu, kappa vevichathu, aapam, idiyappam, dosa, pathiri, chapati etc. My favourite combo is with Malabar Parotta.
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