What Is Called Vegetarian Beef in Kerala
Beef on the table is as indigenous to Kerala as tapioca and boiled rice. The meat is served in a variety of curries, roasts, and fries, but the Kerala beef fry is the standout dish.
By MA Deviah
I guess I'm one of those lucky ones; I get to visit Kerala at least once a year. There's lots of greenery, friendly folk who don't laugh at my terrible Malayalam, and there's great food. The food is especially good, both vegetarian and non-vegetarian. Kerala cuisine offers a range of appams (rice pancakes) and puttus (rice cakes), which is supposed to be eaten with a variety of curries and fries. When it's time to leave, I get four or five plates of Kerala beef fry back with me. Kept in the refrigerator, I can binge on them for up to a month.
To put it simply, beef on the table is as indigenous to Kerala as tapioca and boiled rice. The meat is served in a variety of curries, roasts, and fries, but the Kerala beef fry is the standout dish. Others may prefer their T-bones and Chateaubriands, but when it comes to the crunch, the spicy taste of Kerala beef fry is easily the winner. In Kerala, it's available everywhere, from five-star hotels to thattu kadas (roadside stalls), the rich aroma of the meat slowly cooking in urulis (bell metal saucepans) fills your nostrils, excites your senses, and gets your mouth watering.
Image courtesy: YouTube screengrab
The Malayalis call the dish nadan (country) beef fry. Kerala beef fry is what the rest of the world calls it. That name, in fact, suggests that this could almost be a state dish. You do get other dishes, like Goan fish curry, named after states, but when you look more closely you realize they are actually named after communities living in the state rather than the state itself. Most Malayalis, whichever community they belong to, whether they eat beef or not, are quite proud of how famous it is.
While Kerala's large Christian and Muslim populations eat beef, quite a few from other religions do that too. But, originally, Kerala beef fry is a Nasrani or a Syrian Christian invention. There is a saying in parts of Kerala, which when roughly translated into English, means, "A Nasrani meal is not complete without beef fry." Nasranis are proud of their origins. Their ancestors were converted by St. Thomas, one of the 12 original disciples of Jesus Christ, who arrived in Kerala soon after the crucifixion 2000 years ago. The Nasranis are justifiably proud that they were Christians before most of Europe even knew the name of Christ. And, for them, eating beef is probably a 2000-year-old custom.
The best way to eat Kerala beef fry is with the Kerala parota says Praveen Paul, who hails from Kerala, and runs a Kerala-themed restaurant in Bangalore. His restaurant specializes in Nasrani cuisine, and beef fry is one of the menu's highlights. The Kerala parota, KP as it is fondly called by aficionados (to distinguish it from CP or the Ceylon parota), is a layered, flaky flat bread made from maida or all-purpose flour. Made correctly, the KP comes out fat and a wee bit crispy, ideal to eat with coconut-thickened meat curries. It has to be eaten hot.
However, says Paul, Kerala beef fry will go equally well with rice and curry, or it can even be eaten by itself. In fact, that's how most tipplers prefer it with their favourite sundowners. Traditionally, in Kerala, liquor stores and beef fry stalls went hand in hand until the state government shut down liquor bars earlier this year.
So what makes Kerala beef fry so special?
As a meat dish, its taste and aroma is difficult to beat. And that probably comes from the way it is made. Kerala is the land of spices, if a spice isn't grown there, and most are, then it is traded there. Pepper, green chilli, and red chilli powder are all part of the Kerala beef fry, with lime juice or vinegar as the souring agent, and a few other spices including coriander. Onions, ginger, garlic, and curry leaves make up the rest of the ingredients, all of which is fried in generous amounts of coconut oil along with chopped coconut pieces. The beef is stirred continuously as it cooks till the moisture reduces and the meat starts turning black. When the beef is served, the smell of spices cooked in coconut oil and the crunchiness that goes with the coconut pieces elevates the experience. "It is the quintessential comfort food," says Paul.
The meat that is used is normally from the buffalo, which is tougher than bullock meat, but most kitchens pre-cook or pressure cook (if the quantities are lesser) before frying. Over the past few years, Kerala beef fry has found its way into restaurants and specialty Kerala messes in other cities. I no longer have to bring the dish from Kerala, it is available right here in Bangalore. Not surprisingly, many of these restaurants and messes are owned by communities that traditionally do not eat beef. The clientele is mostly Malayalis working for tech companies in Koramangala and the Electronic City area, and they belong to all communities.
In Kerala, we all sit together and drink, and it doesn't matter which religion you belong to, beef fry is a favourite with most people, says Paul. Which is why the events that occurred in Delhi has upset everybody and Malayalis, cutting across political and religious barriers, have expressed so much disappointment. An attack on Kerala beef is an attack on the state. That's how many Malayalis see it.
Source: https://www.firstpost.com/india/why-is-kerala-upset-over-beef-raid-kerala-beef-fry-is-an-iconic-2000-year-old-dish-to-die-for-2491634.html
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