Guest recipes with Serene Tharian

Traditional Indian Christmas dish

Daisy’s Kerala Beef Cutlet

Celebrations in a Christian household in Kerala, especially at Christmas, are never complete without the humble Kerala Beef Cutlets. Celebratory meals usually begin with a starter of beef cutlets served with a dipping sauce of choice.

Origins for meat cutlets can be traced back to meat croquettes from 17th century France. With the ‘westerners’ who came to South India, also came recipes that were then ‘Indianised’ by our ancestors in Kerala, who added a selection of spices to add a regional flavour to these crumbed fried rolls.

The recipe here is inspired by my mum’s cutlet recipe. There is no recipe that my mom has written down and the way for me to make a dish, was to watch her, taste it and understand the flavour profile of each thing she cooked. Each time I ask for a recipe or a clarification of a recipe, she says, “Add a little of this and a little of that,” always concluding with “taste it, smell it, and see if you need more of anything.” So here is my mother, Daisy’s Beef Cutlet recipe, an ode to the woman who raised me on food that she cooked from her heart.

 

Meat mix

500g ground beef

3 medium onions finely chopped

2 green chillies finely chopped (or according to taste)

1 sprig curry leaves chopped

½ tsp turmeric powder

salt

2 tsp crushed/ chopped garlic

1 ½ tblsp ginger finely chopped

1 ½ tsp fennel powder

1 tsp pepper powder

1 tsp garam masala

1/2 tsp coriander powder

1/2 tsp cumin powder

2 medium potatos peeled and cubed

For frying the cutlets

1 or 2 eggs beaten well with a fork

1 cup breadcrumbs

Oil for frying (I use coconut oil)

 

Heat oil in a pan. When oil is hot, add the sliced onions, curry leaves, and salt. Adding salt helps the onion to get cooked faster. While it gets sautéed, cube the potatoes and boil till soft. Once onion turns light brown, add ginger-garlic mixture to it. Cook everything on medium fire till the raw smell disappears. Add turmeric powder, fennel powder, pepper powder, coriander powder, cumin powder and garam masala.

Saute the mixture till well combined on a medium flame, and then add ground beef. Stir and sauté until beef is done. Ground beef gets cooked quickly in about 10 to 15 minutes. Saute well till the mixture is fairly dry.

Allow the beef mixture to cool down. Meanwhile, mash the cooked potatoes well. Add the cooled beef mixture to the mashed potatoes. Hand mix it till they are well combined, and add salt and pepper to taste if you like.

Make round balls and flatten it into oval or other desired shapes not more than 2cm thick. Dip each cutlet in the beaten egg and then roll it in breadcrumbs.

Heat oil in a deep fry pan. Fry the cutlets until brown. Do it in batches. It would just take 2 to 3 minutes per batch. Use enough oil to almost cover the cutlet. otherwise, you will find the cutlets cracking.

Serve with a dipping sauce of your choice. These cutlets can also be made and then used to make smashed cutlet sandwiches.

 

Serene runs amateur cooking club The Best Exotic Kerala Kitchen, where cooking lessons are held for friends and family. Tel: 99 222462