Thai Curried Beef Stew with Rice and Basil leaves

Tue, 15 January 2019

Ingredients:

Curry paste

• 3 chillies, seeded
• 1/2 teaspoon sea-salt
• 1 lemongrass stalk, bottom 4' only, tough outer layer removed, cut into 1' pieces
• 2 tablespoons sliced peeled fresh galangal
• 2 tablespoons sliced peeled fresh turmeric
• 3 chopped shallots
• 2 halved garlic cloves

Stew

• 2 pounds trimmed stewing beef ask your butcher to cut into 1 1/2'–2' cubes
• 3 tablespoons soy sauce, preferably Light soy sauce 
• 2 tablespoons ground dried Thai chillies
• 9 cups broth stock, preferably low-salt
• 1 cup halved shallots
• 3 medium carrots, peeled, halved lengthwise, cut crosswise into 1/4'-thick half-moons 
• 6 fresh or frozen kaffir lime leaves
• 1 tin coconut milk 
• Chopped fresh cilantro
• Thinly sliced Thai basil

Method:

Curry Paste

• In a mortar, pound chillies and salt with a pestle until pulverized for about 5 minutes. Add ingredients one by one in the order listed, fully pulverizing each before adding the next, about 15 minutes in total. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 week ahead; cover and chill.

Stew

• Combine curry paste, beef, soy sauce, and ground dried chillies in a pot; stir to evenly coat the beef. Cook, stirring occasionally, over medium heat for 5 minutes. Add broth and coconut milk and bring to the boil. Cover and reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer, stirring occasionally.
• Stir in shallots, carrots, potatoes and lime leaves. Simmer until vegetables are just tender and until the beef is tender but not falling apart (simmer for about 1 hour 45mins in a 180°C oven in a cast iron or casserole dish with lid).
• Serve with rice & garnish with coriander and basil