Chilly beef fry!

Tis the season to be jolly, fa la la la la.....Yayyyyy! It's the month of December, Christmas time, woohoo! Time for Santa Claus to come to town, which means, time for all of us to pull up our socks and be good, at least pretend to be, if we need to get into his good books, he he!

We had a mini get together at our place on Thursday night, just my cousins, but oh what a blast we had. I actually wanted to cook a 3 course meal, but unfortunately, had time to cook only 2 mains. One was my Prawns Roast, and then I thought I'd make some beef. This particular beef recipe has been adapted from Dr. Lakshmi Nair, who happens to be one of my all time fav chefs, as I have mentioned before, simply because she makes cooking seem so effortless. This particular recipe uses soy sauce as well, but trust me, at the end of it all, it is a nice, spicy dish with a very "naadan" (traditional) touch to it. In fact, did you know, that at the "kallu shaaps" (toddy shops!) in Kerala, they use soy sauce to make the beef look really dark. See, the toddy shops are not so "naadan" (traditional) after all, he he! I would like to dedicate this dish to Ranjith cheta, Ravin and Sheetal, who helped us have a memorable weekend. We should do it more often! Special mention to Sheetal for taking some lovely pics! Thanks darlin!

INGREDIENTS

• Beef- 1 kilo
• Ginger Garlic paste- 2 tablespoons
• Soy sauce- 4 tablespoons
• Black pepper powder- 1 tablespoon
• Vinegar- 1 teaspoon
• Turmeric powder- 1/2 teaspoon
• Red chilly powder- 1 teaspoon
• Onions- 2 or 3 medium, finely sliced
• Green chilies- 2
• Coconut oil/Refined Oil - 2 tablespoons
• Curry leaves- plenty
• Salt to taste

METHOD

• Clean beef thoroughly and drain all the water. Place in a pressure cooker.
• To this add ginger garlic paste, soy sauce, pepper powder, salt and vinegar.
• Mix thoroughly, close the cooker and pressure cook for 2 whistles on a high flame. After 2 whistles, lower the flame slightly and cook for another 7 minutes. Switch off the flame and wait for all the pressure to release before opening the vessel.
• Do not add any water, as the beef releases water while cooking. After opening the vessel, switch on the flame once again so as to evaporate all the water. Keep stirring so that the beef does not stick to the bottom. 
• Ina  separate sauce pan, heat oil and add the onions. Do not add any salt at this stage since salt was added to the beef. 
• Add the green chilies.
• After a few seconds, add the turmeric and chilly powders. 
• Finally add the cooked beef, and lower the flame. Cook for about 10 minutes till the beef gets coated with the masala and turns darker in color. 
• Garnish with curry leaves and serve.

I did not roast the beef for 2 long, since I wanted it to be a bit moist, which makes it better to have with bread, parathas, naan and even rice. So, the final result...

So, what do you think? Do try this dish out and let me know your thoughts. Take care and God bless!