Thai red curry with beef
(or: a decent faux gaeng panang nua)
Coconut milk, chilis and brown sugar, onions, curry
Ingredients:
| 1 lb | Beef, thinly sliced |
| 2 tbsp | Peanut oil |
| 2 tbsp | Red Thai curry |
| 1 cup | Coconut milk |
| 1 tbsp | Brown sugar |
| 4 | Green onions, chopped |
| 2 | Green chilis, chopped |
The flaming hot curry bubbling away
Preparation:
Put beef in a pot, and add enough water to cover it. Bring to a boil, then simmer for an hour and 15 minutes, skimming it periodically. Remove beef, save for later. Heat oil in pot, then add curry and cook for one minute, stirring constantly. Add 2 tbsp of coconut milk, and cook for five minutes, stirring constantly. Add the rest of the coconut milk, the beef, brown sugar, onions, and chilis, bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for fifteen minutes, stirring occasionally.The finished curry on a bed of jasmine rice
Notes:
You can find pre-made curry in most grocery stores' asian food section. The brand of curry does matter; the spiciness of different brands of curry varies wildly. I use Thai Kitchen brand which is very hot, some other brands are much milder. Because Thai peppers are not generally available where I live I use cerranos -- they work just fine.Variations on this recipe are endless. You can add vegetables; I often add bamboo shoots, chopped water chestnuts and sometimes roasted cashews. You can also use other types of meat, but boiling the meat ahead of time is recommended; boil pork about as long as beef, and chicken more briefly (fifteen minutes). Chicken especially will change the texture if uncooked before being added to the curry. I think it's really much better when the chicken is pre-cooked.
