‘Thattukada’and Beef Curry – English Video available on Recipe page(scroll down)

This is a very simple but very tasty preparation of Kerala Style Beef Curry, made like the street vendors and small tea shops make them. Very yummy with rice, ghee rice or Kerala Porotta or Ghee Rice. I have a few beef curry recipes here on RAS. I find this to be the easiest one and it gives that flavor reminiscent of Kerala ‘Thattu Kada’ or ‘Chaaya Kada’ (Street Stalls or Tea Stalls) charm.

The Age Old Charm of the Humble ThattuKada.

If you like to travel in Kerala, you have probably made pit stops at several ‘ Thattu Kadas ‘ along the way. For foreigners visiting Kerala, ‘ Thattu Kadas’ are the local the Pioneers in piping hot, fresh restaurant food. There are ‘Thattu Kadas’ that are very small, on the street corner, where you can buy hot delicious ‘Parippu vadas’ (dal fritters) straight from the wok, and there are larger ‘Thattu Kadas’, offering ample seating and more on the menu. There are smaller snack ‘thattu kadas’ that operate in the day time, many times these are food carts, on wheels, and for the night owls, there are speciality ‘thattu kadas’ that operate well into the wee hours.

How do you know it’s a Thattu Kada? Look for a bunch of bananas in a row hooked from the ceiling at the front of the ‘Thattu Kada’ Listen to the music playing softly from that old radio, often playing old Malayalam songs. Old wooden benches can be seen somewhere if the ‘Thattu Kada’ is big enough. And the ‘Thattu kada’, usually has only one or two people running it. Ask the ‘chettan’ (brother) or ‘chechi’ for a strong tea and you will be in for some entertainment in many cases.

Piping hot water is taken from an old boiler tap, Milk is taken from a double boiler that never shuts down. Traditional cloth teabags are seen dipped in hot water. Sugar is added to the ‘kuppiglass’ (Glass tea cups), and then the hot water is poured into it, tea is steeped briefly, milk added and then the magic happens! ‘Chaiya’ is seen flying through the air steel cup to ‘kuppiglass’ 2 -3 times, to and fro. It must be the free radicles in the air that add the flavor, because homemade tea never tastes the same!

Now you have your tea, you need your ‘Kadi’ ( bite ) to go along with it. This is the local lingo for ‘snack’. And the ‘Kadi’ can be anything from various fritters, sweet or savory( Pazham Pori, Parippu Vada, Uzhunnu Vada, Nadancake, ) to meals like ‘Puttu and Kadala‘, ‘Porotta and Beef’, ‘Dosa and Sambar‘, Chapathi and Chicken‘. ‘Kappa’ (Tapioca) and Fish Curry’.

The shops are special to any Keralite that has grown up in Kerala. There are tastes, that never leave you and you crave for them every now and again. The ‘chettans’ and ‘chechis’ are hard working, starting early and ending work late. In any long running Thattu kada, the food is clean, they take pride in that! If you know the hours, you can get fried snacks, hot and fresh!

You can catch all the latest gossip if you visit regularly, you can make friends. So if you have never visited a Kerala ‘Thattu Kada’, ask before you travel and visit a few of them! It’s certainly part of our culture, it’s a legacy…. a tradition. And every ‘Thattu Kada’ has at least one signature special and yummy dish! There are snack ‘thattu kadas’ that operate in the morning and for the night owls, there are speciality ‘thattu kadas’ that operate well into the wee hours.

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Beef Curry (Thattukada Style)

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Recipe Name: ‘Thattukada’and Beef Curry

Recipe Type: Beef/ Curry / Kerala

Author: Shana c/o Recipes ‘R’ Simple

Prep time: 20 min

Cook time 20 min

Total time: 40 min

Yield: ( 8servings )

Watch the Video (above) or click to read Complete Recipe – Below.

‘Thattukada’and Beef Curry -How to make this Beef Curry – Recipe at a glance:

Cut the rinsed beef into small cubes or bite size. Keep drained.
Heat coconut oil in a pressure cooker and crack some whole spice.
Add the fresh ingredients and saute in the order mentioned in the recipe.
Add the spice powders and cook briefly.
Toss in the beef cubes and additional spice.
Pressure cook till done, adding sufficient water and salt. Cook till meat is tender and curry is thickened.
Garnish with coriander leaves.

Other Beef Curry Recipes on RAS:

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