SOUTH INDIAN KERALA STYLE “DRY FRY”
This item can be served with a simple curry & rice or with “Mori Daar” ( Plain split pigeon peas, also known as Toor or Arhar dal in India) and rice, or with other vegetable preparations. It is quite simply an accompaniment to a main meal.
INGREDIENTS
BEEF OR LAMB Rump or leg of lamb 500Gms. Cut into small 1cm. Cubes.
CHILLI POWDER Top teaspoons
CORIANDER POWDER Three and a half teaspoons
TURMERIC POWDER One teaspoon
CUMIN POWDER one and a half teaspoon
OIL OR GHEE Two tablespoons ghee or three of oil.
ONION One large finely sliced.
GARLIC Six to eight finely minced.
CURRY LEAVES Twelve to fifteen.
FRESH COCONUT Half a coconut, sliced with a mandoline or slicer or with the help of a strong peeler. The best would be a sharp knife.
SALT To taste.
METHOD
Roast all the ground spices on low heat in a frying pan and gently stir for one or two minutes, till fragrant.
Once cool, rub along with the salt into the meat of your choice. Allow to rest for at least two to three hours.
At this stage if you like to add ginger, then avoid the chopped garlic and use instead three tablespoons of ginger garlic paste. This is personally my preference, as the ginger garlic paste increases the taste quotient!!
Heat one tablespoon of the ghee or one and a half of oil in a frying pan and gently brown the coconut until it has a pale golden colour. Do not use a high flame as this will destroy the coconut and make it smell oily and bitter.
Remove and drain on a paper towel and keep in a cool place .
transfer any oil from the frying pan and add the remaining oil or ghee into a casserole roughly 9” in diameter.
Saute the curry leaves for a minute and add the garlic/ginger paste & onions.
Saute until the onions are well browned.
Remove with a slotted spoon so that the oil remains in the pan. Keep the fried product separate.
Add the meat to the pan and saute on a high flame initially for the first five to six minutes, scraping well regularly and tossing so that all the meat gets direct heat at some stage.
When the initial liquid begins to evaporate reduce the flame and continue cooking for a further five to six minutes. Check the seasoning.
At this stage check the meat to see if it is half cooked, if not, cook covered for about five minutes.
Remove the lid, add the onion & garlic mixture and cook uncovered until the meat is almost cooked on a slow to medium flame.From time to time , you can add a few tablespoons of warm water to scrape the bottom and sides of the pan.
Add the coconut when the meat is almost done and cook until cooked.
This meat is supposed to be dry and is an ideal accompaniment with curries and rice.
It can also be eaten with plain rice and yoghurt
Credit for this Recipe goes to Cyrus Rustom Todiwala OBE DL DBA of the ” Spice Cafe Namaste ”
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