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Beef marinated in spice mix, pressure cooked in an Instant Pot and then stir-fried with coconut slices and curry leaves. Authentic Kerala style beef fry / Beef Ularthiyathu is an easy and delicious appetizer or a great side-dish with rice. Beef Varattiyathu is one of the favorite dishes of Malayalees. An excellent touching for alcohol too ?
Check out other beef dishes:
Instant Pot Beef Curry
Beef curry with potato and coconut milk
Beef Biriyani
Beef and Tapioca Biriyani
Beef Fry using non-electric cooker
If you are new to Instant Pot, it’s a multi-purpose cooker. It can operate as a pressure cooker, slow cooker, rice cooker, yogurt maker, saute pan, steamer, and food warmer. In this recipe, I used it as a Saute Pan and a pressure cooker. I don’t use a non-electric pressure cooker anymore. Like in a regular cooker, you don’t have to count the whistles. In an Instant Pot, once it finishes the programmed time, it goes to the Keep Warm mode. In short, your presence is not needed, once you have scheduled the time. Cleaning is much easier. Cooking time is slightly less than the regular pressure cooker. Instant Pot is incredible and makes your life easy. I use Instant Pot DUO80.
Ingredients
- 1 kilogram beef
Marination
- 2 cups shallot / small onion
- 1 ½ tablespoon ginger (crushed)
- 1 tablespoon garlic (crushed)
- 14 number dried red chilli
- 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
- 4 teaspoon coriander powder
- 2 teaspoon pepper powder
- 2 teaspoon fennel powder
- 2 ½ teaspoon garam masala
- 4 teaspoon vinegar
- 1 teaspoon salt
Fry
- 1 ½ cup Thengakothu (Small square size coconut pieces)
- 4 tablespoon coconut oil
- 4 sprig curry leaves
Instructions
- Crush dried red chilli. Cut beef into 1.5" cube pieces. Marinate cleaned beef pieces with ingredients listed under marination. Keep it aside for 30 minutes.
- Add 3 tablespoon of water to this and add it into the Instant Pot. Close the Instant Pot lid, move the valve to SEAL and cook on MANUAL HIGH-PRESSURE setting for 2 minutes. Refer the notes on time setting. Make sure that beef is not overcooked.
- Once the timer goes off, either do a NATURAL PRESSURE RELEASE or a QUICK PRESSURE RELEASE after 10 minutes. Refer notes for instructions on natural and quick release.
- To dry up the water, switch on SAUTE mode MORE setting. Before it starts sticking to the base, change the Instant Pot setting to SAUTE mode NORMAL setting. Refer notes on how to change the SAUTE setting. Once, water kinda dried up, switch it off.
- Heat oil in a thick bottomed pan (preferably non stick pan or cast iron pan) and fry coconut pieces until it becomes golden brown color. Keep it aside.
- Add more oil into the pan, add lots of curry leaves and fry it. Add cooked beef and fried coconut pieces to it. Stir it well. Cook on low flame for around 15 - 20 minutes. If required, add oil in between. Stir it until it becomes black in color.
Video
Notes
- Instant Pot Pressure Cook Time Setting - I used 1.5 " beef pieces. 2 minutes of pressure cooking time was more than enough for me. If you are using beef with bigger pieces, you should increase the pressure cooking time to 3 or 4 minutes.
- Instant Pot Natural & Quick Pressure Release - For natural pressure release, allow the float valve to drop off without doing anything. It would take some time, around 30 minutes or so. For quick pressure release, once the timer goes off, leave it as it is for 10 minutes. Then turn the valve from sealing to venting and allow the steam to release the pressure until the float valve drops off.
- Instant Pot SAUTE mode setting: You can vary the temperature of the SAUTE mode by using the ADJUST button to cycle through the modes of LESS, NORMAL, and MORE. This is equivalent to low, medium and high heat. Note that the temperature mode must be adjusted within 10 seconds of pressing the SAUTE button. If you want to change the heat setting of SAUTE mode from HIGH temperature to LOW temperature, CANCEL the current SAUTE function. Then program again on SAUTE mode LOW setting. Be cautious, in SAUTE mode, you are not supposed to use Instant Pot lid.
Loved it. Was looking for an instant pot recipe with clear instructions. Not hard to make, my first ever (literally first ever anything)
And that looks so perfect! Thanks a lot for uploading the pic
Thanks for the receipe. Tried cooking pork for the first time. Tasted good as well
Thanks a lot for trying it out!
Hey, I have a silly question. What type/ cut of beef should I buy in the US to make the beef fry? I remember trying to make the beef curry ages ago and it was bland. It was unlike what it tastes in Kerala. Maybe I bought the wrong stuff?
Thanks!
Always buy chuck roast from Costco. Costs nearly $5 per pound. The fat to meat ratio is perfect for a fry
My chuck roast pieces were a little larger than bite sized so I set it for 5 minutes. It still ended up chewy.
Should I play it safe and put it for 10-15 minutes next time?
Additionally, what other cuts of beef can I use? Does stir fry beef that’s available in some stores work?
Thank you so much for the recipe!
This recipe turns out the best when the beef pieces are 1.5" cube pieces. Or max 2" cube pieces (instead of 2 minutes, probably make it 3 minute in this case) Chuck roast pieces available in Costco, USA works out well with this. Beef can become chewy based on the quality/the particular beef cut too…
I made this the other day. Turned out pretty awesome, second time following this recipe, quite flavorful and tasty Kerala beef fry
As a first time cooking beef ever, this recipe was a saviour!! easy to follow and tasty end result
thank you Jane
Thanks again for trying it out and posting the picture Jithin!!
Thanks a lot for trying it out and posting the pic, Anjana!!