Kerala Beef Roast

A dark, glossy Kerala beef roast, slowly browned with caramelised onions, garam masala and pepper.

TIME BREAKDOWN
Prep: 20 min
Cook: 2h 30m
Total: 2 hours 50 minutes
Vegetarian
❌
Nuts
❌
Serves
4 people
Difficulty
Medium

Ingredients

  • 1kg beef braising steak, cut into 4cm 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
  • 300ml water
  • 5 tbsp coconut oil
  • 1 tsp fennel seeds
  • 3 large onions, finely sliced
  • 3 green chillies, slit lengthways
  • 15 fresh curry leaves
  • 2 tomatoes, chopped
  • 2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 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 and little liquid remains.

  2. Heat the coconut oil in a wide, heavy pan over a medium heat. Add the fennel seeds and the onions and cook for 20 minutes, stirring often, until deep brown and caramelised.

  3. Add the green chillies and half the curry leaves, then the tomatoes, and cook for 6 minutes until the oil separates.

  4. Add the beef with its liquid and the black pepper. Cook on a low heat for 20 to 25 minutes, stirring often, until the masala turns very dark and coats the beef.

  5. Stir in the garam masala and the remaining curry leaves and cook for 2 minutes. Serve with parotta, appam or rice.