Beef Ularthiyathu

A dry Kerala beef roast with crisp coconut slices, shallots, curry leaves and black pepper.

TIME BREAKDOWN
Prep: 20 min
Cook: 2h 20m
Total: 2 hours 40 minutes
Vegetarian
❌
Nuts
❌
Serves
4 people
Difficulty
Medium

Ingredients

  • 1kg beef braising steak, cut into 3cm pieces
  • 1 tsp ground turmeric
  • 2 tsp Kashmiri chilli powder
  • 1 tbsp ground coriander
  • 1 tbsp fresh root ginger and garlic paste
  • 1 1/2 tsp salt
  • 400ml water
  • 4 tbsp coconut oil
  • 40g unsweetened coconut flakes
  • 10 banana shallots or 8 round shallots, finely sliced
  • 15 fresh curry leaves
  • 1 tsp fennel seeds
  • 2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 tsp Kashmiri chilli powder, for the roast
  • 1 tsp garam masala

Method

  1. Put the beef in a heavy pan with the turmeric, chilli powder, coriander, ginger and garlic paste, salt and water. Bring to the boil, cover and simmer on a low heat for 1 hour 30 minutes until the beef is tender. Uncover and cook until only 3 to 4 tbsp of thick liquid remains.

  2. Heat the coconut oil in a wide, heavy pan over a medium heat. Fry the coconut flakes for 1 to 2 minutes until golden, then remove with a slotted spoon.

  3. In the same oil, add the fennel seeds, shallots and half the curry leaves and cook for 10 minutes until the shallots are deep golden.

  4. Add the beef and its remaining liquid, the black pepper and 1 tsp chilli powder. Stir-fry on a medium heat for 15 to 20 minutes until the beef is dark and dry and coated in the masala.

  5. Stir in the garam masala, the fried coconut and the rest of the curry leaves and serve with parotta or rice.