5 Must-Try Traditional Kerala Dishes: From Spicy Beef Roast to Flavor Some Seafood Delights

Beef roast is a quintessential dish that brings the rich and spicy flavors of Kerala to life. This iconic beef roast is prepared with a blend of aromatic spices, making it a favorite for food enthusiasts seeking authentic tastes. Whether served with fluffy appams or soft parottas, beef roast steals the spotlight with its tender, juicy texture and fiery seasoning. Many households have their secret recipes for beef roast, enhancing its appeal with a personalized touch. If you’re looking to explore Kerala’s culinary heritage, starting with a perfectly cooked beef roast is an absolute must!

1. Local Beef Roast with a Spicy Taste

Local beef roast, dried with pepper, is a taste that makes you want to eat it again.

Christmas has come and gone. It will be a festive day at home with friends and relatives. To add to the festivities, you need delicious food. What Christmas celebration is without beef and mutton? Serve beef dried with pepper in the local taste. Although the taste is old, it will remain in your mouth forever. Shan Jio introduces this great beef roast recipe through his YouTube channel.

Ingredients

• Green Chilies – 2
• Red Onion – 30
• Beef – 1 kg
• Coriander powder – 1/4 teaspoon
• Salt – 1 1/2 teaspoons
• Lemon juice – 1 teaspoon
• Mustard – 1/2 teaspoon
• Chili powder – 3/4 teaspoon
• Coriander powder – 3 tablespoons
• Crushed black pepper – 1 teaspoon
• Garam masala – 2 teaspoons
• Meat masala – 1 tablespoon
• Garlic – 6 cloves
• Ginger – as needed

Preparation

1. To the washed beef, mix one tablespoon of coriander powder, half a teaspoon of chili powder, a quarter teaspoon of coriander powder, half a teaspoon of crushed black pepper, one teaspoon of garam masala, finely chopped ginger, chopped green chilies, sufficient salt, and one teaspoon of lemon juice.
2. Then, cook the beef coated with these spices in a cooker without adding any water.
3. Take a pan and pour three tablespoons of ghee into it.
4. Add half a teaspoon of mustard and break it.
5. Add a piece of chopped ginger and chopped garlic and fry.
6. Add finely chopped red onion to this.
7. Add curry leaves and salt and cook until the red onion turns golden brown.
   Then add two teaspoons of coriander powder and one teaspoon of garam masala and mix well.
8. Add the cooked beef and mix.
9. Cook it until the water dries up.
10. Add half a teaspoon of crushed black pepper and mix well and turn off the stove. Serve hot.

2. You’ve Probably Never Eaten Fried Mackerel More Deliciously

If you want your fried fish to be special, you should pay attention to the spices used for it, try this recipe.

Even if it’s not a regular thing, it’s good for Keralites to have fried fish with their meals occasionally. You can fry fish very easily by adding chili powder, coriander powder, and salt. But if you want to enjoy and eat delicious fries, its spices should be special. Now, if you get mackerel, fry it deliciously in the traditional style. You can use curry leaves to prevent the fish from burning or sticking to the bottom while frying. Just place the fish on top of the curry leaves and fry it.

Ingredients

• Makola – 500 grams
• Turmeric Powder – 1/2 teaspoon
• Black pepper – 1 tablespoon
• Red chili – 3
• Kashmiri chili powder – 2 1/2 tablespoons
• Garlic – 4
• Tamarind – as needed
• Ginger – small piece
• Vegetable oil – 1 tablespoon
• Curry leaves – 1 handful
• Salt – as needed

Preparation

1. 500 grams of mackerel can be washed and sorted.
2. Add half a teaspoon of turmeric powder, four cloves of garlic, a small piece of ginger, three chopped red onions, as needed, one tablespoon of black pepper, a little curry powder, and a lemon the size of a gooseberry to two and a half tablespoons of Kashmiri chili powder.
3. Pour some coconut oil into it and mix well.
4. Add it to the cleaned fish and keep it aside for half an hour.
5. Pour coconut oil into a heavy-bottomed pan and fry it.
6. Place three or four stalks of curry leaves on top of it.
7. Then place the fish pieces coated with spices on top.
8. Cut half of a coconut into small pieces and add it to it.
9. Remove the fish from the pan after frying both sides.
10. Mix the coconut pieces in the remaining oil and place it on top of the fish. Eat it hot with rice.

3. Kallummakaya Stuffed with Malabar’s Taste Buds

Make arikadkukka with Kallummakaya at least once. It is a great Malabar recipe.

Have you ever fried the clam or kaduka that you hear about in the countryside? It is generally popular in the Kerala Malabar region. Kallummakaya is a thick-shelled fish belonging to the clam family. It is mostly found on the Malabar coast. But today, kalummakaya is widely cultivated in most coastal areas. Its biggest advantage is that it contains a lot of calcium.

Cleaning kalummakaya is a bit difficult. If it is a kalummakaya with a shell, then it is enough to wash it clean and then steam it. The thick shell will naturally fall off. Then, you can press it between your fingers and clean it. Cleaned and packed ones are also available in stores. Using them will help save time.

A very popular item in Malabar is the Kallummakaya stuffed with Arikadkukka. This is a recipe that will make you want to eat it again and again once you try it.

Ingredients

• Kallummakaya – 10
• Rice – 2 cups
• Green Chillies – 2
• Coconut – 1/2 cup
• Red chillies – 15
• Cereal Powder – 3 tablespoons
• Cereal Seeds – 1 tablespoon
• Turmeric Powder – 1/4 teaspoon
• Oil – as required
• Salt – as required

Preparation

1. Soak the cooked rice in two cups of water for three to four hours.
2. Add fifteen red onions, one tablespoon of cumin seeds, and salt as required and grind it.
3. Add half a cup of grated coconut to this and mix well.
4. Put the flour inside the washed and cleaned half-opened Kallumkaya.
5. Steam it for 10 minutes.
6. After it cools down, open the Kallumkaya and remove the shell.
7. Add three tablespoons of chili powder, a quarter teaspoon of turmeric powder, and salt in a bowl.
8. Pour enough oil and mix it.
9. Add the peeled and cooked Kallumkaya to it and coat it well with the masala.
10. Add this to another pan heated with oil and fry it well. Eat it hot.

4. Traditional Dried Sardine Curry with Coconut Milk

Tapioca and fish curry are special traditional Malayalis. There are different types of fish curries available locally. All are better than one. Among them, the special curry with Malabar Tamarind added by the people of Kottayam has many fans. The traditional fish curry with Malabar Tamarind soaked in water and red onion and chopped into small pieces is a great combination. But what if you can prepare fish curry without adding water? All you have to do is add coconut milk and drain the sardine curry.

Ingredients

• Sardines
• Onion
• Ginger
• Caramel oil
• Tomato
• Green chilies
• Garlic
• Cucumbers
• Pepper powder
• Turmeric powder
• Coconut milk
• Curry leaves
• Salt

Preparation

1. Wash and clean small sardines and set aside.
2. Heat a thick-bottomed vessel on the stove and pour enough coconut oil.
3. Add finely chopped ginger and garlic to it.
4. Add sliced ​​onion and tomato and sauté.
5. Add chili powder, a pinch of turmeric powder, two cucumbers, a handful of curry leaves, and enough salt to taste.
6. Add half a cup of thick coconut milk to this and stir.
7. When it boils, add the cleaned sardine pieces and half a cup of coconut milk and drain.

5. Don’t Forget to Prepare Thoran with Clams for Lunch

Try this Thoran recipe that beats roast with clams

Although it tastes good, clams are very scarce. The clams themselves are small and hard to clean. The only drawback is that they are difficult to clean. But with a little patience, it can be done very quickly. The most popular method is to press the clams with your fingers to remove dirt. However, cleaned clams are also available in the market now. You can use that too.

Try a traditional style Thoran instead of a curry with clams.

Ingredients

• Cooking oil
• Green chilies
• Onion
• Curry leaves
• Turmeric powder
• Ginger
• Chilli powder
• Garlic
• Mustard
• Coconut
• Black pepper
• Garlic powder
• Garlic
• Salt

How to Prepare

1. Heat a thick-bottomed vessel on the stove with enough coconut oil.
2. Add a pinch of mustard to it and crackle it.
3. Add a medium-sized onion to it and fry it.
4. Add two chopped green chilies. Add a handful of curry leaves, ginger and garlic, finely chopped and fry it.
5. Add enough salt. When the vegetables are cooked, add the washed and cleaned clams and cook covered.
6. Add half a cup of grated coconut, one teaspoon of turmeric powder, two tablespoons of black pepper, two tablespoons of chili powder, half a teaspoon of garam masala, and two cloves of garlic and mix.
7. After draining the water from the clams, add the paste to it and mix well.
8. If necessary, you can add some salt.

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