Indian Beef Fry with Coconut Rice
I first learned about this Indian Beef Fry with Coconut Rice recipe from my sister-in-law, who makes amazing, traditional recipes. These recipes hail from her hometown – Kerala. Kerala is a region in southwest India where beef can and is served. But don’t you dare go looking for a buyer when there are FAR more interesting things to be had – like this amazing beef fry. Tender, bite-sized chunks of beef are fried with shallots, coconut, green chilies, and spices – making for a spicy and aromatic dish that’s hard to stop heaping onto your plate.
I like making this dish almost a little TOO spicy so I can use the coconut rice to cool everything down. The coconut rice here works perfectly to highlight the coconut bits that are fried in with the beef and provides a nice, sweet compliment to the beef’s heat. It’s easily paired with a simple vegetable or even a salad for a balanced meal.
While the dish might look a little complicated, it actually comes together pretty easily, especially if you cut down your beef pieces evenly and bite-sized. We do a good bit of sautéing – first the shallots and chilies, then the beef, then the coconut before tying them all together. While you’re busy with that, the instant pot goes a long way, so that it can handle the coconut rice and be almost completely hands-off! So quick and easy, this dish is a must-try!
If you make this recipe, I’d love to see pictures of your creations on Pinterest, Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok! Hashtag them #thehappyhaandi. And tag me @thehappyhaandi.
Indian Beef Fry with Coconut Rice
Equipment
- 1 Cast Iron Pan (or Skillet)
Ingredients
For the Beef Fry:
- 1 lbs Beef (cut into bite-sized pieces)
- 3-4 Shallots (thinly sliced)
- 1/2 cup Sliced Coconut Shredded Coconut works here too! Maybe 1/3 cup.
- 3-4 Green Chilies (slit)
- 2-3 cloves Garlic (minced)
- 1 tsp Turmeric
- 1 tsp Garam Masala
- 1 tbsp Chili Powder For medium heat, I usually add a little more.
- 1/2 tsp Black Pepper
- 5-6 Curry Leaves optional
- Salt (to taste)
For the Coconut Rice:
- 1 cup Rice Long grain and jasmine work best!
- 3/4 cup Low-fat Coconut Milk
- 3/4 cup Water
- 1 tsp Sugar optional
- 1/2 tsp Salt
Instructions
For the Beef Fry:
- In a hot saute pan, start by frying the shallots with a little oil. As the shallots become translucent, add the garlic, green chilies, and salt along with 2-3 curry leaves (if using) to the pan. Fry until fragrant.
- Next, slowly add the spices to the pan. If the mixture looks dry, add some water - a quarter teaspoon at a time - to wet the mixture and prevent the spices from burning. Be sure not to drown the mixture - I find that just a few of these tiny amounts of water to be plenty!
- Once the shallots are cooked through, we'll add the beef and mix well to incorporate the shallot-spice mixture with the beef. Fry until the beef is cooked through and remove from the heat.
- In a small, separate pan - heat a little oil and add the coconut. Let it sit in the heat for a minute or two before tossing gently as the mixture begins to brown. When it's lightly toasted, remove it from the heat and add it to the beef mixture.
- Mix the coconut flakes to incorporate it through the dish and serve!
For the Coconut Rice:
- To the instant pot, add the coconut milk, rice, water, salt and sugar and mix gently.
- Seal and set the instant pot on high for 4 minutes.
- Once the instant pot goes off at 4 minutes, allow it to naturally release pressure for an additional 10 minutes (the instant pot will count up to this time - just keep an eye on it or set a timer!).
- Once the natural release reaches 10 minutes, manually release any remaining pressure (carefully!) and pop open the lid. Mix well and serve alongside the beef fry!
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