What You Need:
500gms boneless beef (diced into 1-inch chunks)
1 large ginger root (roughly chopped)
10 garlic cloves (roughly chopped)
5 garlic cloves (crushed)
3 large red onions (chopped)
10 shallots (finely sliced)
2 large green Thai chillies (julienned)
2 tbsp black pepper (lightly ground)
½ tsp garam masala
1 tbsp Kashmiri chilli powder
1½ tbsp coriander powder
2 lemons (juiced)
¼ tbsp turmeric powder
2 tbsp aniseed
2 small pieces of cinnamon bark
4-5 cloves
4-5 cardamoms
Handful dried coconut strips
Fresh curry leaves
Steps:
Marinade:
Mix together the beef, chilli powder, 1 tbsp coriander powder, turmeric, ¼ tsp garam masala, 1 tbsp ground pepper, a portion of chopped ginger and garlic, one-third of the red onions, green chillies, curry leaves, lemon juice and salt.
Make sure every piece of beef is properly coated with the spices and let the marinade sit for 10 mins.
Cook in a pressure-cooker (or Instapot) for 6 whistles. No additional water is needed as the beef will cook in its own juices.
Dry Spice Roast:
In a hot, dry pan, toast the aniseed, cinnamon, cloves and cardamom until lightly brown. Once toasted, grind into a powder and set aside.
In another clean pan, fry up the remaining garlic till lightly brown, add some curry leaves for a quick fry and set aside. This will be part of the masala used for the stir-fry..
Stir-fry:
In a wok, over medium heat, add coconut oil and shallow fry mustard seeds until they start popping
Add the shallots and when they soften, add the coconut pieces and saute until they all turn brown.
Next, add the beef and cook everything on a high flame.
Add the masala powder and stir the curry well.
Keep the curry on a high flame for around 10-12 mins until all the liquids evaporate.
Once the stir-fry is mostly dry, add in the remaining red onions.
While onions are softening, add the remaining coriander powder, black pepper and garam masala so that the beef is able to get as rich in spices and flavour as possible.
Add the toasted garlic and curry leaves.
Lower the heat and stir-fry the beef for around 40 mins – 1 hour or until it’s dry.
Pair it:
The Kerala Paratha is the ideal companion for the Kerala Beef Fry. Why this specific paratha? A Kerala Paratha is simply more flaky than other types and the layers just add to the yum factor!
Switch it up:
Substitute the Kashmiri chilli powder with something stronger (e.g. Bird’s Eye Chilli powder) for a spicier kick.
Substitute the Thai Chilli with Peri-peri or Naga for extra heat!
This is a gluten-free recipe so it can be made for those who have gluten allergy or celiac disease. Avoid pairing with the Kerala Paratha as that does contain gluten.
If you want a halal version of this recipe, just make sure your poultry is halal.
If you want to veganise this recipe, substitute meat with jackfruit. The fibrous chewy texture of jackfruit will mimic the texture of beef quite well.
