PASTE
- 5 large dried chillies, due seeded and soaked
- 3/4 cup roasted peanuts
- 1 cup coarsely chopped cilantro, including stems
- 8 cloves garlic
- 6 tbsp roughly chopped galangal (Thai ginger); use ginger if unavailable
- 4 small stalks lemongrass, outer leaves removed and coarsely chopped
- 4 large shallots, peeled and coarsely chopped
- 1/2 nutmeg seed, grated by microplane.
- 3/4 cup fish sauce
- 2 cups coconut milk
- 1 cup chicken stock
- 1 1/2 lb beef sirloin tip
- 1 tbsp oil
- 6 shallots
- 1-4 Thai chillies, diced(optional)
- 4 tbsp shredded kafir lime leaves
- 1/2 cup chopped Thai basil
- 3 cups coconut cream (scooped off the top of a coconut milk can)
- do not shake before
- 3/4 – 1 cup palm sugar (or brown sugar)
Garnish
- 1 cup coconut cream
- 1 cloves garlic(diced)
- 1/2 cup Thai basil
Instructions
- Combine paste ingredients and grind using a mortar and pestle or pulse in a food processor until they form a paste. Add a tiny bit of water to help blend, if necessary.
- Fry the paste in a wok with 1/2 cup of coconut cream. Continue frying and adding 1/2 cup of cream at a time until all cream has been added and mixture is fragrant. Do not burn.
- Season with palm sugar and fish sauce (adding small amounts at a time until it is seasoned as you like it. The curry should taste sweet and salty at this point. Add the coconut milk and stir. If curry is still too thick, thin it out with chicken stock. Set curry aside.
- Preheat oven to 300 degree.
- Cut the beef into small cubes. Marinate with fish sauce and let sit for 5 min. In a large cast-iron Dutch oven, heat 1 tbsp oil on high heat and add beef. Sear meat on all sides, quickly.
- Add curry sauce to Dutch oven and cover. (At this point, you can add diced Thai chillies if you wish to have your curry spicy.).
- Place the Dutch oven in the pre- heated oven and braise, covered, until the beef is tender (about 1 hour).
- While meat is braising, grill the shallots, skin on, until charred on the outside ( or roast for 20 minutes in 350 degree oven until soft). Peel shallots and add to curry when it comes out of the oven. Stir in the shredded lime leaf and Thai basil
- Serve over hot rice. Garnish with thick coconut cream, fried shallots, fried garlic and fried basil.
- This curry should taste sweet, salty, smoky and rich.