Tender chunks of beef are slow-roasted with aromatic spices, coconut pieces (thenga kothu) and curry leaves to make this classic Kerala style beef fry.
You will need:
For homemade garam masala,
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
Fennel seeds - 1 tsp
Green cardamom - 1 pod
Cloves - 2
Star anise - a small piece
Cinnamon - ½" piece
Black peppercorns - 1 tbsp
For beef ularthiyathu,
Beef - 1 lb, boneless and cut into small chunks
Turmeric powder - ¼ tsp
Red chili powder - 2 tsp
Coriander powder - 1 tsp
Salt - ½ tsp
Green chilies - 2, chopped
Curry leaves - 2 sprigs, divided
Coconut oil - 3 tbsp
Cumin seeds - ½ tsp
Mustard seeds - a pinch
Red onions - 2, thinly sliced
Coconut slivers - 2 tbsp
Ginger-garlic paste - 1 tbsp
Homemade spice mix - 2 tsp
White vinegar - 1 tsp
How to:
Homemade garam masala: Take all spices in a small skillet and roast them on low heat till lightly aromatic. Do not use high heat or it will burn. Cool and grind slightly coarsely in a spice grinder or mortar-pestle.
Par-cook the beef: Mix together beef with turmeric, chili, coriander and salt. Add roughly ¼ cup of sliced red onions, chopped green chilies, a few curry leaves and ¼ cup of water. Mix everything well and pressure cook the beef for 3-4 whistles until tender. (Usually you don't need to add a lot of water because the meat will let out enough water while cooking.)
Beef ularthiyathu: While beef is cooking, heat the coconut oil in a large, thick-bottomed pan. Add the cumin and mustard seeds and let them crackle.
Add the rest of the curry leaves, coconut slivers and onions. Saute till onions are golden.
Then add the ginger-garlic paste and saute till the raw smell goes away.
Add the cooked beef along with the cooking liquid to the pan. Cook on medium-high heat till all the liquid reduces, stirring often so as not to let the meat stick to the bottom of the pan.
When almost all the gravy has reduced, stir in the homemade garam masala and vinegar. Check seasoning, then lower the flame and pan-roast the beef for 15 minutes or until the beef is fairly dry, dark and tender. Feel free to drizzle some more oil if needed.
Scrape up all the browned bits of gravy from the bottom and sides of the pan and mix in with the meat. Keep beef ularthiyathu covered until serving time.
Serve hot along with plain rice, parathas, appam, idiyappam, etc.
Notes:
1. A note about the coconut slivers (thenga kothu): Use a sharp paring knife to cut out thin slivers of fresh coconut flesh. Nowadays, you also get dehydrated coconut pieces in any ethnic grocery store which works quite well. If you do not get either of these, here's a neat trick that is almost as good as the original recipe - roast some frozen shredded coconut until golden-brown and mix in with the beef ularthiyathu when it is almost done.
Recipe by At The Corner of Happy And Harried at https://www.happyandharried.com/2018/01/24/beef-ularthiyathu-kerala-beef-fry/