This fantastic Thai green curry recipe features tender, thinly sliced pieces of beef or bison simmered together with eggplant and red pepper; these can be replaced with your choice of vegetables, depending on what is fresh and available where you live. This curry is sumptuous - wonderful on a chilly night! The homemade green curry paste is what makes this dish sing, so don't be tempted to substitute the store-bought variety. Top the curry with fresh basil, then sit back and savor the wonderful Thai flavors and aroma this dish brings.
Ingredients
- 1 to 2 medium-size steaks
- 1 can good-quality coconut milk
- Optional: 1/2 eggplant (cut into bite-size chunks)
- 1 red bell pepper (cut into bite-size pieces)
- 1/3 cup fresh Thai basil (or sweet basil)
- 1/2 cup good-tasting chicken (or beef stock)
- For the Green Curry Paste:
- 1 stalk of fresh lemongrass (minced, or 3 tablespoons frozen prepared lemongrass)
- 1 to 3 green chilies (sliced)
- 1 shallot (sliced, or 1/4 cup diced purple onion)
- 4 to 5 cloves garlic
- 1 thumb-size piece galangal (or ginger, sliced)
- 1 cup fresh coriander/cilantro, (chopped, leaves & stems)
- 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon ground white pepper
- 3 tablespoon fish sauce
- 1 teaspoon shrimp paste (available by the jar at Asian food stores)
- 1 teaspoon brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
Steps to Make It
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Place all 'Green Curry Paste' ingredients together in a food processor, blender, chopper, or pestle & mortar. Add up to 1/4 can of the coconut milk, enough to help blend ingredients (reserve the rest for later).
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Process (or pound) well to create an aromatic Thai green curry paste. If you don't have a food processor or chopper, try using a blender, or finely mince all ingredients by hand and stir together well.
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Heat a wok or deep frying pan over medium-high heat.
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Add 2 to 3 tablespoons oil and swirl around, then add the green curry paste. Stir-fry briefly to release the fragrance (1 minute), then add the beef.
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Stir-fry briefly to cover the meat in spices (1 to 2 minutes).
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Add the stock and bring to a boil. Stir and reduce heat to medium or medium-low. Simmer 6 to 10 minutes.
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Set aside 1/4 cup coconut milk, reserving it for use later (the thick cream is best). Add the rest of the coconut milk to the curry, plus the eggplant (if using).
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Stir everything together, cover, and simmer 7 to 8 minutes, or until eggplant is tender enough to pierce with a fork.
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Add the bell pepper. Cover and simmer 2 to 3 minutes, or until everything is well cooked.
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Remove from heat and gently stir in the 1/4 cup reserved coconut milk. Taste-test, adding more fish sauce if not salty or flavorful enough.
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Add more lime juice if too salty or sweet for your taste. Add more sugar if not sweet enough. More chili can also be added.
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Portion out the green curry onto serving plates or bowls.
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Sprinkle with a generous amount of fresh basil and serve with plenty of Thai jasmine-scented rice.
Tip
- For tender results, cook the beef longer before adding the vegetables - the longer you simmer it, the more tender it will become.
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