Curry Recipe

While John is walking Theo back to sleep, I am eating an illicit second helping of tonight's dinner: a thai coconut curry with beef and sweet potato.  I am in love with this recipe (because it's awesome and incredibly easy), so much so that I'm writing it down for posterity below.  Amounts are approximate, since I basically make it up as I go depending on how much of each ingredient I have on hand.  It's not quite authentic, since I rarely make up my own red curry paste, and I use brown sugar instead of palm sugar, but with the results I get from standard supermarket ingredients, I couldn't care less about authenticity.  The sweet potato and coconut milk combine to make the most ridiculous velvety sauce imaginable.  If you'd like to swap out the beef to make this recipe vegetarian, I'd recommend some kind of hearty vegetable that could withstand the hour plus of brasing time in the oven so it doesn't turn into absolute mush.  Ideas?

Beef and Sweet Potato Coconut Red Curry

Ingredients

1-2 T. peanut oil or coconut oil
1 onion, chopped small
1 2-inch piece of ginger, minced
3 - 4 large cloves of garlic, minced
1 large or 2 medium red sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into large rounds or chunks
1 package (1.75 oz) of A Taste of Thai red curry paste or its homemade or rival brand equivalent
1.75 - 2 lbs. chuck roast or other type of beef appropriate for braising, cut into largish 2 or 3-inch cubes1 14 oz. can of coconut milk
1/2 - 1 c. water or broth
1 T. fish sauce (or just use salt to taste)
1 T. brown sugar (OPTIONAL - your coconut milk may be sweet enough on its own that added sugar is unnecessary)

Cooked jasmine rice
1/4 - 1/2 c. cilantro
1 lime, sliced into wedges

Serves 4

Directions

(Note: in an ideal world, I would salt the meat a day or two ahead of time and brown the pieces in oil before beginning the recipe.  But I have found that the time and effort required to pre-salt and brown the meat isn't really worth the payoff when the expediency of dinner is of upmost importance.)

Preheat oven to 325º F.

In a dutch oven or large oven-safe pan, sauté onion in oil over medium heat until soft and almost translucent (5-7 minutes).

Add ginger and garlic, cook until fragrant (30 seconds - 1 minute).

Add sweet potato and beef and stir to coat with aromatics. 

Add curry paste and coconut milk.  Add approximately 1/2 c. water or broth so that the liquid in the pan almost covers beef and sweet potato.  Stir to combine.

Add fish sauce and brown sugar, stir.  Bring to simmer, then cover pot and put in the oven.

Cook for 1.5 - 2 hours or until beef pulls apart with fork.

Serve over jasmine rice with chopped cilantro and a healthy squeeze of lime (these garnishes aren't required, but they really amp up the awesome).



... And because no post would be complete without it, here are some some shots of Theo:

Getting his boots tied by his papa.

On our way home from a mid-afternoon walk.

In Roger's arms at a recent lunch gathering with the old crowd.