Kerala Style Beef Curry with Potato

Kerala Beef Curry with Potato is a simple and homely curry you can easily make in your own kitchen. It’s mildly spiced but rich in flavour and comfort.

Though it uses ingredients similar to a stew, this is not a Kerala stew. The taste, texture, and method are completely different. It follows the base of traditional nadan beef curry, but we add potatoes and finish it with coconut milk to make it creamier and fuller.

Scroll down for step-by-step recipe, tips, storage ideas, and serving suggestions to try this classic at home.

What is Kerala Style Beef Curry with Potato?

Kerala Beef Curry with potato is a mildly spiced, creamy curry made with tender beef, soft potatoes, and coconut milk. The beef and potato are cooked separately, then mixed into a sautéed masala and finished with coconut milk.

This type of curry is found across India and the globe. In North India, there is Aloo Gosht. In Indonesia, Gulai Daging is quite similar. The main ingredients are often the same, but the flavour and technique differ. 

The spice blend changes from place to place. You can also make this using leftover Kerala Style Beef Curry by just adding cooked potato and coconut milk.

Why You'll Love This Recipe?

Balanced Flavour: The mild spice, beef fat, and coconut milk blend beautifully. Soft potato thickens the curry and adds body, making each bite rich and satisfying.

Soft and Tender Texture: The beef turns juicy and tender as it cooks slowly. Potatoes soak up the masala and give the curry a soft, comforting finish.

Simple and Comforting: The recipe is easy to follow, and the ingredients are all pantry-friendly.

Recipe Ingredients

1. Beef: You can use bone-in or boneless cuts, tender or regular beef. Tender beef cooks faster and has a lighter color. Regular cuts are darker and take longer to soften. Only the cooking time changes based on the type of meat.
2. Potato: Cut the potatoes in two sizes. One should be the usual curry-sized cubes, and the other slightly smaller. The smaller pieces break down during cooking and help thicken the gravy. The bigger ones stay intact and give a soft bite to the dish.
3. Coconut Milk: If using fresh coconut, extract first and second milk separately. First milk is thick and used at the end for creaminess. Second milk is thinner.If fresh coconut is not available, use canned coconut milk. You can also mix coconut milk powder with warm water. Another option is to blend desiccated coconut with water and strain it to get coconut milk.
4. Other Ingredients: Onion, green chili, tomato, curry leaves, and coriander leaves complete the flavour base. These bring balance, freshness, and aroma to the curry.You’ll find the full ingredient list, step-by-step instructions, and nutrition info in the recipe card below.

Variations to Try

You can replace potato with raw banana (pachakaya) or vellarikka (yellow cucumber). Raw banana takes longer to cook, while vellarikka cooks quickly, so adjust timing accordingly.

Coconut milk can be skipped if you prefer a lighter version. For a richer texture, you can add cashew paste instead.

The same recipe works well with mutton too. Just follow the same steps and adjust cooking time based on the meat.If you want a completely different texture, try our spicy Nadan Beef Ularthiyathu. It uses the same base spices but is roasted down to a dry, intense masala. This version has no potato or coconut milk .

How To Make Kerala Style Beef Curry with Potato (Step-by-Step Guide)

1. Cook potato in a cooker upto 2 whistles.
2. Finely slice onion and saute it by adding salt, green chilli, curry leaves and oil. Saute until it becomes light brown color.
3. Grind garlic and ginger into a paste form and add it. Saute it well.
4. Add turmeric powder, chilli powder, coriander powder, garam masala and saute well. ** Beef should be cooked just with salt and turmeric powder. In case beef is cooked with masalas (leftover beef), remember to adjust the spices in the recipe.

5. Add finely sliced tomato and saute till tomatoes are done.
6. Peel cooked potato and cut into cube sized pieces. Mash half of the potatoes. The gravy gets thickened with this. Add potato to the onion tomato gravy.
7. Add cooked beef to the above gravy.
8. Add medium thick coconut milk to it. Bring to boil and leave it for around 5 minutes. Add finely sliced coriander leaves.Add thick coconut milk. Bring to boil and switch off once gravy is thickened.

If you’re a Kerala cuisine lover and a fan of beef, don’t miss out on trying our Authentic Kerala Beef Biryani Recipe!

Tips And Tricks

1. To prepare fresh coconut milk, grind 1½ cups of grated coconut with ½ cup of lukewarm water. Strain to get ½ cup of thick coconut milk. Then grind the same coconut again with 1 cup of lukewarm water to extract 1 cup of medium thick milk. Using lukewarm water helps extract the milk more effectively.
   
2. Always cook beef first with just salt and turmeric powder. If using leftover beef that was already cooked with spices, reduce the masala in this recipe to keep the flavour balanced.
   
3. Roast the spice powders well in oil. If they are not cooked properly, the curry may taste raw or flat.
   
4. For a thicker gravy, mash a few small pieces of cooked potato directly into the curry. This adds natural thickness and blends in well.
   
5. You can make this curry in a pressure cooker as a one-pot dish. Start by sautéing onion and green chili. Add the spice powders and roast well until the raw smell fades. Add chopped tomato and cook until soft. Then add the beef and sauté until the reddish-pink color turns pale brown. Add the potato and second coconut milk if using. Close the cooker and cook until the beef is done. Finally, open and finish with first coconut milk and garam masala.

Serving Suggestions

This curry pairs beautifully with Kerala white rice or basmati rice. In the Malabar side of Kerala, it is often served with ghee rice. Whatever rice you choose, it goes well with simple sides like pickle, raita, or a quick cabbage or beans thoran.

It’s also a perfect match for appam, nool puttu, puttu, thattukada-style dosha, chapathi, and porotta. Instead of dipping, it’s best to pour the curry over and let it soak in. That’s how you enjoy every bit of the flavour.

Storage Instructions

Kerala Style Beef Curry can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for two to three days. Make sure it cools completely before refrigerating.

Freezing is not recommended. Potatoes may break apart and turn the gravy too thick and grainy after thawing.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

More Kerala Style Beef Recipes To Try

I’d love to hear your thoughts if you have tried this! Please leave a ⭐️ rating and a comment below. Don’t forget to share your photos on Instagram and tag @a_little_bit_of_spice.

Kerala Style Beef Curry with Potato

Jane Jojo

This is an easy peasy beef curry. To be frank, I always prepare it with the leftover beef from previous day. It is well flavored with potato, coconut milk and the spices.This goes well with bread, chapathi, pathiri and appam.

3.15 from 7 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Cook Time 1 hour hr

Total Time 1 hour hr

Course Breakfast

Cuisine kerala

Servings 4 serving

Calories 419 kcal

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• ▢ 1 potato
• ▢ 1 ½ Cups beef (cooked)
• ▢ 2 onion (medium)
• ▢ 2 Chilly Green
• ▢ 2 ½ Teaspoons garlic
• ▢ 2 ½ Teaspoons ginger
• ▢ ½ Teaspoon turmeric Powder
• ▢ 1 ½ Teaspoons Chilly powder
• ▢ 2 ½ Teaspoons coriander Powder
• ▢ 1 Teaspoon garam masala
• ▢ 1 tomato (big)
• ▢ ½ Cup coconut milk Thick
• ▢ 1 Cup coconut milk Medium Thick
• ▢ curry leaves
• ▢ coriander leaves

Instructions

 

• Cook potato in a cooker upto 2 whistles.
• Finely slice onion and saute it by adding salt, green chilli, curry leaves and oil. Saute until it becomes light brown color.
• Grind garlic and ginger into a paste form and add it. Saute it well.
• Add turmeric powder, chilli powder, coriander powder, garam masala and saute well. ** Beef should be cooked just with salt and turmeric powder. In case beef is cooked with masalas (leftover beef), remember to adjust the spices in the recipe.
• Add finely sliced tomato and saute till tomatoes are done.
• Peel cooked potato and cut into cube sized pieces. Mash half of the potatoes. The gravy gets thickened with this. Add potato to the onion tomato gravy.
• Add cooked beef to the above gravy.
• Add medium thick coconut milk to it. Bring to boil and leave it for around 5 minutes. Add finely sliced coriander leaves.Add thick coconut milk. Bring to boil and switch off once gravy is thickened.

Notes

1. To prepare fresh coconut milk, grind 1½ cups of grated coconut with ½ cup of lukewarm water. Strain to get ½ cup of thick coconut milk. Then grind the same coconut again with 1 cup of lukewarm water to extract 1 cup of medium thick milk. Using lukewarm water helps extract the milk more effectively.
2. Always cook beef first with just salt and turmeric powder. If using leftover beef that was already cooked with spices, reduce the masala in this recipe to keep the flavour balanced.
3. Roast the spice powders well in oil. If they are not cooked properly, the curry may taste raw or flat.
4. For a thicker gravy, mash a few small pieces of cooked potato directly into the curry. This adds natural thickness and blends in well.
5. You can make this curry in a pressure cooker as a one-pot dish. Start by sautéing onion and green chili. Add the spice powders and roast well until the raw smell fades. Add chopped tomato and cook until soft. Then add the beef and sauté until the reddish-pink color turns pale brown. Add the potato and second coconut milk if using. Close the cooker and cook until the beef is done. Finally, open and finish with first coconut milk and garam masala.

Nutrition

Serving: 204gCalories: 419kcalCarbohydrates: 11gProtein: 17gFat: 35gSaturated Fat: 23gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 8gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 60mgSodium: 86mgPotassium: 607mgFiber: 2gSugar: 3gVitamin A: 498IUVitamin C: 10mgCalcium: 54mgIron: 5mg

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