Friday, January 8, 2010

Beef Fry/Irachi ulathiyathu- Kottayam Style

     Kottayam is a town in central Kerala where I come from.  Today I am sharing beef fry, a favorite among  people from my state, made in the Kottayam style.  Some of the best versions of this dish I hear is served in toddy shops. Toddy is the liquor from coconut tree/Palm Tree. There is an interesting read on toddy in Wikipedia. It's also interesting to note how these small shops considered taboo at one time is gaining popularity.

 Disclaimer: if you are travelling to our state make sure a local person helps you buy things from the toddy shop or only go in after checking its okay to do so.  I cannot gaurantee the safety of these places but only say that the food is excellent.  In some of the popular tourist locations these place are safe but always use your judgment before making the decision

Beef Fry

Ingredients:

Beef- 1lbs
Shallots/ Onion- 1/2 cup+1/2 cup
Red Chilli powder-1tsp
Ginger-Garlic Paste-1 1/2 Tbsp
Curry leaves- 1- 2 Sprigs
Vinegar- 1tsp
Oil-3 Tbsp

For Garam Masala
Tejpatta/Bay leaf- 1
Cinnamon -1 small piece
Cloves-2
Fennel seeds- 1 Tsp
Black Pepper corns- 5-6

For seasoning and frying:
Mustard seeds-1/4 tsp
Garlic sliced- 1/4 cup
Green chillies(slit)-2
Curry leaves-1 Sprig
Coconut Oil- 3 Tbsp


Method:

1.Grind everything listed under Garam masala, together.
2.Heat oil in a pressure cooker/ the pan you are planning to cook beef.Saute the 1/2 cup onion till it turns translucent.
3.Add the ginger-garlic paste and saute till the raw smell leaves.Add the chillipowder and masala and saute for 2-3 minutes.
4.Throw in the beef pieces along with a sprig of curry leaves and vinegar.Add a few tablespoon of water and cook well.(I do it till 2 whistles come )
5.Heat coconut oil in a frying pan,splutter the mustard and saute the remaining shallots, till it turns translucent.
6.Add the garlic slices and green chillies and saute for 3-4 minutes.
7.Add the curry leaves and cooked beef into this and fry till the beef turns dark brown in color.This will take 45 mins to 1 hour, on low heat.
8.Switch off the flame and wait for at least 1/2 an hour before you serve.

Whenever I make this, half the dish will be gone towards the end of the frying because some of the family will be snacking on it, and never wait for 30 minutes before serving :D)

Beef Fry

Notes:
1.The recipe I have given is less spicy (for kids)
2.If you want to taste the authentic one, just add more peppercorns and chilli powder
3.Use coconut oil for the authentic taste :-)
4.You might be surprised to see that coriander powder is missing ;it's not a mistake :-)
5.You could add coconut pieces (thengakothu) while cooking the beef.
6. You could replace beef with lamb or mutton, if you do not take beef.

Contributor: Namitha

38 comments:

  1. Everytime I visit your blog it makes me realise the power of food !!!! I am dying with hunger right now looking at those pictures:((

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  2. The Photo's are just awesome...I can only admire the photo's...you know why:)
    Have a great weekend:)

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  3. wow!!njan beef kazhikuella pakshe ethu kanditu kothiyavunu..looks spicy and detectable..will try ur version in chicken !!Nice click da.:)

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  4. ayyo enikku vayya.enganai kothippikkallai njangalai.

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  5. Beef fry looks crispy, will try out with chicken..

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  6. Adipoli!!!! looks mouthwatering..nice clicks...munbil irikkunna pole thonnunnu..
    enikkum innu chapatiyum Beef fryum ayirunnallo ;)
    Ithu kazhikkunna athrem satisfaction vere onninum illa enn athonnunne..

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  7. Wow................dear lovely clicks.

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  8. oh yummy love the recipe on your blog

    Rebecca

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  9. i was looking for this recipe,i had this from my friend's home...Looks yumm,try cheyyanam...

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  10. oh I love the background of this dish - thanks for sharing!

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  11. wow!!looks so crispy and yum yum!!

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  12. By looking at the spices, I bet it must taste very good !!

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  13. woww...its so tempting...neril kanda pole aayi.ennittum kayyil kittiyillaa....awesome click dear.. :)

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  14. Wow this looks super savory, flavorful, and delicious. You've got some great color on that beef.

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  15. We used to have this cooked with pork or wild boar, We often eat them just as a snack :)
    Thanks for the recipe, now I can make it myself :)

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  16. wow......curry looks superb...spicy and soooo tempting!

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  17. love beef fry..i too have posted a beef fry.
    u r right ..even i have heard that the best beef fry and njandu curry are served in toddy shop

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  18. This beef fry looks awesome. I know that I would enjoy this dish.

    I am going to look-up Toddy Shop in wikipedia-sounds like something that would be very interesting to learn about. Thanks for sharing.

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  19. Fry looks superb! Photos are absolutely amazing, as always :) Nice info about palm wine, I am reading more now,.

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  20. Lovely fry,I'll try it with chicken or lamb.

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  21. Wow, looks crispy and tempting...

    Heard lot about toddy, guess...I drank it my mistake... they told me its 'palm milk', was fooled by some village vendors...but I really enjoyed it, anyway.:)

    Thanks for the beautiful award:) Congrats on your awards, dear.:)

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  22. Can we make with chicken? I am pretty much tempted with ur fry...I never heard of toddy I will look around :)

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  23. This looks so good, I want some right now. Lovely photos, and blog.

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  24. Now I know what is toddy- We use for Paal Appam to ferment :)

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  25. looks so good....haven had beef in sometime....its one of my faves....LOved those pin wheeled cookies ....thats is something on my to try list ever sinc ei saw it on B.F. varugese cook book:)....they look really soo good:)...nice pics....as usual...

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  26. Tempting recipe...just can't wait to try this recipe...

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  27. I love garam marsala! This must be so good!

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  28. Dear, I would like to share Kreative blogger award with you. Please collect it from my blog!!

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  29. Adipoli beef fry.....It reminds of the hotels in kerala :).

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  30. I have tasted toddy but from the coconut trees at home :):) and I understand why they serve this delicious dish along with it; as it is hot and rich in spices, no wonder it goes well with toddy!!!

    nice recipe I'm bookmarking; will add more peppercorns and chilli powder sure ( my teddies eat hot food) I love this preparartion!!!

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  32. oh my nami..This is my fav fav fry..I make this too.During my hostel days we used to get delicious beef fry in our mess...Became a dead fan of beef fry since then..

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  34. Perfect! Kothi vannittu vayye..

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