Spices for Kerala Beef Roast (Beef Ularthiyathu)

Kerala beef roast (beef ularthiyathu) gets its flavour from three spice layers: coriander, chilli and turmeric to cook the beef, a freshly crushed mix of fennel, cinnamon, cloves, cardamom and black pepper for the roast, and more crushed pepper at the end. Coconut oil, curry leaves and fried coconut slices hold it together.

Which spices go into Kerala beef roast?

Quantities below are for about 1 kg of boneless beef, cut into small cubes.

To cook the beef

• ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
• 1½ to 2 teaspoons Kashmiri chilli powder (for colour more than heat)
• 2 tablespoons coriander powder
• 1 teaspoon black pepper, freshly crushed
• 1 teaspoon garam masala
• 1 tablespoon vinegar and salt to taste

For the roasting masala (crush fresh)

• 1 teaspoon fennel seeds (perumjeerakam)
• 4 cm piece of cinnamon or cassia
• 4 cloves (grampoo)
• 3 green cardamom pods (elakka)
• 1 to 1½ teaspoons black peppercorns (kurumulak)

Everything else

2 large onions or 15 to 20 shallots, sliced. A 2 inch piece of ginger and 10 to 12 garlic cloves, crushed. 3 or 4 green chillies. 3 or 4 sprigs of curry leaves. Half a cup of thin coconut slices (thenga kothu). 4 to 5 tablespoons of coconut oil.

How to make it, step by step

1. Marinate. Mix the beef with the cooking spices, vinegar, salt and half the ginger and garlic. Rest for 30 minutes, or overnight in the fridge.
2. Pressure-cook. Add a quarter cup of water and one sliced onion. Cook on medium for 4 to 5 whistles, or until the beef is tender but not falling apart. Cooking time depends on the cut, so check after 4.
3. Make the roasting masala. Dry-roast the fennel, cinnamon, cloves, cardamom and peppercorns in a pan over low heat for 1 to 2 minutes, just until fragrant. Cool, then crush coarsely in a mortar or pulse briefly in a mixie.
4. Fry the coconut. Heat the coconut oil in a wide, heavy pan (an uruli or cast-iron kadai is ideal). Fry the coconut slices until golden, then lift out half for garnish.
5. Build the base. Add the remaining onion, ginger, garlic, green chillies and half the curry leaves. Fry on medium until the onions turn golden brown, about 8 to 10 minutes.
6. Add the masala and beef. Stir in two-thirds of the roasting masala for 30 seconds, then add the cooked beef with its liquid. Cook on high until the liquid dries up.
7. Roast. Lower the heat to medium-low. Keep stirring and scraping every minute or two for 20 to 30 minutes, until the beef is dark brown and slightly crisp at the edges.
8. Finish. Add the rest of the roasting masala, the remaining curry leaves and the fried coconut. Stir for 2 more minutes and take it off the heat.

Why add black pepper at the end as well?

Pepper's heat survives long cooking, but its fragrance doesn't. Pepper added at the start seasons the meat right through. Pepper crushed in at the end gives the sharp, fresh smell that makes this dish taste like Kerala. That's why most cooks use it in both places.

Crush the pepper coarse rather than fine. Bigger pieces give small bursts of heat as you eat.

What does each spice do?

Mistakes that keep the roast pale

• Rushing the roast. The dark colour comes from time on the heat, not extra chilli. If it's pale, keep going.
• Too high a flame while roasting. The masala burns before the beef browns. Medium-low and patient stirring works better.
• Overcooking in the cooker. Mushy beef breaks up during roasting. Aim for tender pieces that still hold their shape.
• Using stale pre-ground masala. The roasting masala is the point of the dish. Crush it fresh from whole spices.
• Too little oil. This is meant to be a rich dish. The oil is what fries the beef dark.

Beef roast keeps well in the fridge for 3 to 4 days and tastes even better on day two. Serve with porotta, appam, rice or kappa.

If you'd rather keep a jar of mixed masala ready, our Kerala garam masala recipe uses the same whole spices. The same pepper-and-fennel logic also runs through our Kerala chicken curry with whole spices.

For the pepper, our whole Kerala black pepper crushes coarse the way this dish needs.