Methods

FOR THE BEEF ROAST

1. Heat a tadka spoon or small skillet over medium heat. Add the black peppercorns and toast, swirling the pan occasionally, until they start to smell fragrant and toasty, 45 to 60 seconds. Transfer the toasted peppercorns to a spice grinder, reserving the pan, and let cool for 5 minutes, then pulse into a coarse powder, 3 to 5 pulses. Remove two teaspoons of the ground pepper to use for finishing and transfer the rest of the pepper to a large bowl.
2. Return the tadka spoon or skillet to medium heat. Add the coriander and fennel seeds, and toast, swirling the pan occasionally, until the coriander seeds turn a couple shades darker, 30 to 60 seconds. Transfer the toasted spices to the spice grinder, let cool for 5 minutes, then pulse into a medium-fine powder, 5 to 10 pulses. Transfer the ground spice mixture to the bowl with the black pepper.
3. Cut 2 shallots into quarters and add them to a food processor along with 2-inches finely chopped ginger, 4 garlic cloves, 1 to 2 serrano peppers, chilli powder, 1½ tablespoons salt, apple cider vinegar, garam masala, turmeric, and 12 curry leaves. Pulse until everything is finely chopped and just starting to become a paste, 15 to 20 pulses. Transfer to the bowl with the toasted spices and mix well. Add the beef and toss to coat, making sure each piece is fully coated in the marinade. Let stand for 1 hour at room temperature, or cover and refrigerate for 2 hours, up to overnight (the longer it can marinate, the better!).
4. To cook the beef, heat the oil in a Dutch oven or large, heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat. Add 18 curry leaves—be careful, these will crackle and pop!—and fry until bright green and translucent, 10 to 30 seconds. Add the beef and all of the marinade, and cook, stirring frequently, until the beef starts to lose its rawness and the outside turns opaque, 5 to 10 minutes. Add 1 cup water, bring to a simmer, cover, reduce the heat to low, and cook, stirring occasionally until the beef is tender and easily pulls apart with a fork, 2½ to 3½ hours. Skim as much of the fat off the top as you can (don’t worry if you don’t get all of it) and transfer it to a small bowl. (If you’re cooling and refrigerating the braised beef overnight, you can skip this step because the fat will harden and can easily be taken off the next day.)
5. While the beef is cooking, thinly slice the remaining 3 shallots and finely chop the remaining 4 garlic cloves.
6. Add 3 tablespoons of the reserved fat to a large cast iron pan or skillet, big enough to hold all the beef, and heat over medium heat. When shimmering, add the shaved coconut, sliced shallots, garlic, and remaining 1-inch finely chopped ginger and 1 teaspoon salt, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the shallots soften and both the shallots and coconut start to turn light golden around the edges, 5 to 9 minutes. Stir the beef, all the gravy, and the remaining 2 serrano peppers, and cook, stirring occasionally—the beef will start to break into smaller pieces, and that’s okay!—until the gravy reduces by one-third and the oil starts to separate, 8 to 15 minutes. (If you are making pazham pori, you can cover the beef at this point, reduce the heat, and keep warm while you are frying the plantains.) 
7. To finish, turn off the heat, add the remaining 18 curry leaves, the juice of ½ lemon (about 1 tablespoon), and the reserved toasted black pepper, and gently stir. Taste and season with salt, if needed. Cut the remaining ½ lemon into wedges for serving. Serve hot with pazham pori and lemon wedges.

FOR THE PLANTAIN FRITTERS

1. Combine 1 cup (120g) all-purpose flour, rice flour, cornstarch, sugar, nigella seeds, and salt in a medium bowl, mix well, and place in the freezer for 20 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, prepare the plantains. Cut the stem and bottom ½ inch off the plantain, then using a paring knife, score the peel lengthwise, making sure not to cut into the flesh, then remove and discard the peel. Cut the plantain in half crosswise and then cut each half in half lengthwise, so you’re left with four chubby planks. Repeat with the remaining plantains and set aside until the dry ingredients are well-chilled.
3. Right before you’re ready to batter the plantains, heat 1-inch oil to 325°F in a Dutch oven or large heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat.
4. Place the remaining ¼ cup (30g) all-purpose flour on a plate. Then, remove the dry ingredients from the freezer, add ¾ cup sparkling water, and whisk to combine (you want the batter to be as thick as tempura batter—if it’s too thick, add a tablespoon or two of sparkling water at a time until it reaches the right consistency). 
5. To fry, take one piece of plantain and lightly dredge it in the flour, shaking off any excess, then dip in the batter until it's fully coated, letting any extra batter drip back into the bowl, and carefully place it in the hot oil. Repeat with a few more pieces of plantains, being careful not to overcrowd the pan, and fry until crisp and golden brown on both sides, 4 to 7 minutes, flipping halfway through. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the fried plantains to a wire rack-lined baking sheet and sprinkle with a little extra salt. Repeat with the remaining plantains. Serve hot.

Recipe Note: When picking out plantains, look for ripe ones—not the green ones, which are too starchy and not sweet enough for this recipe—that are completely yellow with some dark brown streaks and are slightly soft to the touch.