Thattukada Beef Curry and Kappa Veyvichathu

Thattukada is a nostalgic feeling for many pravasi mallus(Malayalis). It is an evening/night time roadside fast food shops/ eatery in Kerala, India. If have you have never tried this fast foods before, I recommend you should try those foods ones (I won’t recommend this as a regular eating outlet though: P). Many thattukada cuisines are so famous and dishes like thattudosa (pancake), paratha & chicken fry etc., has so many fan followers all over the world.  My mom never allowed me to have this dishes from there as she is so “over” concerned about the hygiene aspect and she always say “what is so special about it, if you want something I will cook here for you?”  But I heard this “yummy stories” from my friends and cousins about this thattukada food so I requested my moms shopping helper/ personal gossip suppler person called Labo to buy some thattukada food for me. Without my moms knowledge he bought me thattukada beef curry and paratha.. Drool…I can still feel that taste. My father doesn’t eat beef but once in a while he bought this for me from that tattukada.  Because I am a very picky eater my father used to wonder what is so special in this food. That too red meat? Every time my father says, this is the last time I going to buy this for you. But there is always a next time. Now I am away from home, so can’t have that thattukada beef curry again. So last time I asked my father another favour will you get that beef recipe for me from that tattukada. The chef was so happy to share the recipe, my father said, he wrote that in a paper and came home and handed over to ‘guess who’ my mom. Any way my mom shared the recipe over the phone. Tell you the truth; something is missing this is not exactly that thattukada beef, may the personal touch of that chef and his expertise. But it is yummy and one of the beef curries I ever made. So I want you to try this, if you are a red meat lover; you won’t regret. Happy cooking.

Warning : This is an extremely spicy dish, so adjust the masala to suit your tolerance level.

Total cooking Time : 9 hours.

Ingredients

1. Fresh Beef, cut into small cubes  – ½ kg

2. Masala:

Ginger crushed – 1 table spoon.

Garlic crushed – 1 table spoon

Shallots crushed - 2

Black pepper crushed – 1 table spoon

Fennel powder – ½ table spoon

Star anise one, cinnamon one or two, cloves one –powdered

Chilli powder – ½ table spoon

Coriander powder – 1 table spoon

Turmeric powder – ¼ table spoon.

Vinegar – 1 table spoon

Marinate the beef in all this ingredients and keep aside for at least 8 hours that is the most important part of this beef curry.

Curry :

Ingredients

1.       Marinated beef

2.       Onion sliced – 2

3.       Ginger sliced – 1 table spoon

4.       Coconut pieces- 1 table spoon

5.       Green chilli – 2

6.       Curry leaves – few

7.       Coconut oil – 1 ½ table spoon

8.       Curry leaves

1.       Heat oil in a pressure cooker and fry onion, ginger, pinch of salt, coconut, green chilli and curry leaves for 6- 8 minutes in low flame or till it is transparent.

2.       Add the marinated beef and fry in medium flame for another 2- 4 minutes.

3.       Add 1 cup hot water and cook, till the beef is tender. Serve warm.