Beef Dry Fry

Kerala’s Crispy Street Food Classic

Beef Dry Fry, also known as Beef Varuthathu, is a popular crispy snack you’ll find in Kerala’s street food scene. It’s often made with buffalo meat and served hot with porotta. But it also pairs well with fried rice or plain rice and moru curry. What makes this dish special is its double-marination method and deep-fried texture-crispy on the outside, soft and juicy inside.

The preparation is done in two main steps: boiling and frying. First, the beef is marinated with a simple paste made using turmeric powder, crushed ginger and garlic, and a little soy sauce. The soy sauce adds both flavour and salt, so it’s good to keep that in mind when seasoning later. After marinating, the beef is cooked just until it becomes 80% tender-not too soft, as it still needs to hold shape while frying.

Once the beef is cooked and cooled slightly, it is sliced into long, thin strips. This cut helps give the fried pieces the right bite and crispiness. Now, the second marination is done. A fresh paste is made with ginger-garlic paste, Kashmiri chilli powder, black pepper, chilli flakes, corn flour, a little of the beef stock from cooking, and salt. The sliced beef is mixed well with this paste and kept aside so that the flavours can absorb into the meat.

Oil is heated in a deep pan, and the marinated beef strips are fried until they turn crisp and deep brown. It’s important to fry in batches without overcrowding the oil, to get an even texture.

Before serving, a quick squeeze of lemon juice over the hot beef gives it a fresh and slightly tangy finish. That small step makes a big difference in taste.

This version of beef dry fry is bold, spicy, and full of flavour-perfect as an evening snack or as a side dish for porotta or rice. It’s simple to make at home and brings the taste of Kerala’s street food straight to your plate.

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Beef Dry Fry

Author: Ushadevi Cooking Method: Boiling, Frying Cuisine: Kerala Courses: Snacks, Starters

Difficulty: Advanced Prep Time 30 mins Cook Time 20 mins Rest Time 15 mins Total Time 1 hr 5 mins

Cooking Temp: 180  C Servings: 6

Best Season: Suitable throughout the year, Rain, Winter

Ingredients

Scale

1/2x 1x 2x 3x

• 500 gram Beef
• 1 ¹⁄₂ teaspoon Ginger crushed
• 1 ¹⁄₂ teaspoon Garlic crushed
• 1 teaspoon Soy sauce
• 2 teaspoon Corn flour
• 2 teaspoon Chilly flakes
• 2 teaspoon Kashmiri Chilly powder
• 1 teaspoon Pepper powder
• ¹⁄₄ teaspoon Turmeric powder
• Salt and Oil as required
• 1 teaspoon Lemon Juice

Instructions

1. First of all, we will marinate the beef — not cut, but as a whole piece.
2. Make a paste using turmeric powder, ½ teaspoon crushed ginger, ½ teaspoon crushed garlic, and soy sauce.
3. Marinate the beef with this paste and keep it aside for at least 30 minutes.
4. Now, cook the beef in a pressure cooker without adding any water. But don’t cook it fully — 80% done is enough.
5. Once it cools down enough to handle, cut the beef into long pieces, about one inch in length. (Don’t throw away the stock water from the cooker.)
6. It’s time to marinate the beef again for frying.
7. Make a thick paste using crushed ginger and garlic, Kashmiri chilli powder, pepper powder, chilli flakes, cornflour, a little of the reserved stock water, and salt. (Be careful with the salt since soy sauce already contains some.)
8. Marinate the beef pieces thoroughly with this second paste.
9. Heat oil in a pan and deep-fry the beef pieces until they turn golden brown and slightly crispy.
10. Beef Dry Fry is ready. Just before serving, drizzle some lemon juice on top.
11. Best enjoyed with Parotta or Kerala Porotta