Kerala beef fry
Kerala is one of the only places in India where you can eat beef. The beef fry I had there was undoubtedly the hottest thing I’ve ever eaten, but with all the tastes and sensations of the spices which means that it won't burn the hell of your mouth. Well, perhaps not too much... This is a poor relative.

For the marinade
1 small spring onion
3 cloves of garlic
½ stick of cinnamon
6 cloves
2 bird chilis
4 peppercorns
Ginger (the size of three pound coins)
Vegetable oil

Beef.

For the fry
Butter
One small onion
One large green chili
Curry leaves
Coriander stalks

To accompany
Boiled rice
Coriander
Raita

Put all the marinade ingredients into the blender, and make a paste. Mix in the beef (which should be top quality steak, cut into cubes the size of very large dice). Leave for an hour or so.

Melt the butter, and add the curry leaves and coriander stalks, When the butter boils, you may need to add a little vegetable oil to stop it burning. Then add the onion and the green chili to the butter, and simmer until cooked. Reserve this, leaving as much of the fat in the pan as possible.

Add more butter if necessary, and fry the steak in its marinade. It should be quite dry, but if not, what the hell. If you want it wetter, you could always add a tomato or two. When it is still very tender, add the onion mix you have reserved, stir well, and serve on top of rice sprinkled with chopped coriander.

The beef should be tender and tasty, covered in the oil it has been fried in, the onions adding an extra little moisture. The raita (just yoghurt and cucumber, anything else is superfluous) adds the moisture needed for the rice and goes well with the beef.

Drink? Well, anything, so long as it is long and cold…
(groover j lazerus, Sun 1 Jul 2012, 19:16, Reply)