Delicious beef stew in rich coconut gravy, it’s finger linking good…
While thinking about Easter dishes, I saw Appam and Beef Stew lined in front of me. In Kerala, these are the two main dishes served for breakfast on Easter day. Appam has been the top favorite breakfast dish of almost all Keralites. Those who have had stew might know that it tastes delicious with appam. Appam and Stew is definitely one of the faithful couples in the Kerala food world.
In Kerala, stew is a mildly spicy and creamy dish made using potatoes and coconut milk along with other simple spices. It’s such a flexible dish that you could add any kind of meat to it: beef, chicken or mutton (Goat). When vegetarians are seen enjoying potato stew along with appam, on the other side non-vegetarians will be seen enjoying meat stew with appam. At the end of the meal, everyone would be seen equally happy and satisfied, licking their fingers…
Recipe for making Appam, click here
Beef Stew
Preparation Pictures
Cooking potatoes
After adding cooked Beef
- Beef, stew cut cubed- 1 lb
- Ginger-Garlic paste- ½ tbsp
- Ground pepper- ½ tsp
- Green chili, chopped- 2
- Fennel powder- 1 tsp
- Garam masala- ½ tsp
- Curry leaves- 1 sprig
- Salt- ¼ tsp
- Water- ¼ cup
- Coconut oil or vegetable oil- 2 tbsp
- Mustard seeds- 1 tsp
- Small onions or shallots, chopped- 10
- Garlic, chopped- 4 cloves
- Ginger, chopped- 2 inch slice
- Green chili, chopped- 1
- Curry leaves- 1 sprig
- Potatoes, cubed- 3
- Garam masala- ½ tsp
- Fennel powder- 1 tsp
- Ground pepper- ¼ tsp or according to your spice level
- Salt- to taste
- Coconut milk- ¾ cup
- In a pressure cooker, add all the above mentioned ingredients "to pressure cook" and cook till 3 to 4 whistles.
- When the pressure subsides, open the cooker, beef should be cooked well. If not pressure cook for 1 more whistle.
- After the beef has cooked well, reserve the water from the cooked beef.
- Heat a large pan over medium heat, add oil, splutter mustard seeds.
- Add garlic and ginger chopped into the oil, saute till it starts to turn golden in color.
- Add green chili, small onions, curry leaves and salt, saute for a few minutes.
- Add the potatoes and pour the water from the cooked beef over the potatoes, cook covered till potatoes are just cooked.
- Don't over cook or mash the potatoes.
- Now, add the cooked beef to the cooked potatoes.
- Add garam masala, fennel powder, ground pepper and salt if needed.
- Combine well and add coconut milk to the mixture.
- Stir the mixture without mashing the potatoes.
- Let the coconut milk come to a boil and simmer for 3 to 4 minutes to thicken.
- If the stew is too thick you could add little water to thin it down.
- Remove from the heat and serve in a bow. This beef stew goes really well with Appam.
