Kerala Beef Roast (Kuttanadan Beef Varattiyathu)

• ¾ kg beef with some bone, washed with salt and vinegar and cut small
• 1½ tbsp coconut oil (for the masala)
• 1½ large onions, sliced
• 1 small piece ginger, crushed
• 4 garlic cloves, crushed
• 3 green chillies, slit
• curry leaves: 1 sprig for the masala, plenty to finish
• salt to taste
• ¼ tsp ground turmeric
• ¾ tbsp chilli powder
• 1 tbsp ground coriander
• 1 tsp meat masala, plus ½ tsp garam masala
• ¼ tsp ground fennel
• 2 tsp white vinegar
• 1 tbsp coconut oil (for roasting)
• 2 tbsp thin coconut slivers (thenga kothu)
• 20 shallots (small onions), sliced
• 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 tsp finely chopped ginger
• 3 more green chillies, slit
• 1 tsp ground black pepper

Method

The cook speaks Malayalam; every step is written here in English. Tap a time to watch that step in the video. The video’s English subtitles come on by themselves.

1. Wash the beef well with salt and vinegar and cut it into small pieces. 1:18
2. Heat the 1½ tbsp coconut oil in a kadai and sauté the sliced onion, crushed ginger and garlic, green chillies, a sprig of curry leaves and some salt on medium heat until brown. 1:35
3. Turn the heat to low and stir in the turmeric, chilli powder, coriander, meat masala, garam masala and fennel until the raw smell goes, then add the vinegar. 4:06
4. Let the masala cool and grind it to a fine paste with a little water. 5:45
5. Put the paste in a pressure cooker with a little more salt (it should taste slightly salty) and cook it for a few minutes. Add the beef and mix well, then without adding water cook for 2 whistles or until tender. 6:00
6. In a wide pan heat 1 tbsp coconut oil and fry the coconut slivers until golden. Add the shallots, chopped garlic, ginger, green chillies and curry leaves and sauté until golden. 8:34
7. Add the cooked beef with its juices and keep roasting, stirring and tossing, until the gravy has dried and the beef turns dark. 11:54
8. Stir in the pepper and plenty of curry leaves and roast 5 minutes more. 13:44

Tip. Serves 3 (our estimate for ¾ kg beef on the bone). Her written list says 4 tbsp oil for the masala; on camera she uses about 1½ tbsp. Tough beef needs more whistles. Eaten with rice or appam; cauliflower rice is lower in carbs.

The method is a summary in our words — the video shows every step.