Words by Dan Toombs. Photography by Kris Kirkham.
Beef green curry is incredibly delicious and, personally, I prefer it to the more popular chicken green curry. The most important thing is to use the right cut of beef. I used skirt steak in this recipe, which is flavourful and cooks quickly when cut as described below. You could also use thinly sliced strips of ribeye or sirloin which is easier to find at supermarkets but pricier. This curry is delicious served with jasmine rice. I also like to drizzle on a little homemade basil oil as a garnish and for extra flavour.
If you don’t have time to make the green curry paste in this recipe, you could substitute 2–3 tablespoons of shop-bought paste, or add it to taste.
Discover a world of delicious and easy curry recipes in “The Curry Guy One Pot” by Dan Toombs; get your copy here for an effortless culinary journey.
Thai Beef Green Curry
Ingredients
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 tsp coriander seeds
- 11/2 tsp white pepper
- 20 green finger chillies, roughly chopped (more or less to taste)
- 2 lemongrass stalks, white parts only, thinly sliced
- 8 garlic cloves, smashed
- 1 thumb-sized piece of galangal, thinly sliced
- 3 small shallots, roughly chopped
- 10 Thai sweet basil stalks
- 5 coriander, cilantro stalks
- Zest of 1/2 lime
- 5 makrut lime leaves, fresh or frozen
- 1 tsp shrimp paste
- 2 tbsp coconut or rapeseed, canola oil
- 450 g 1lb beef skirt steak, cut into thin strips against the grain
- 250 ml 1 cup unsalted Thai beef or chicken stock (or shop-bought stock)
- 400 ml 1 3/4 cups thick coconut milk
- About 250g, 9oz vegetables such as baby corn, bamboo shoots, aubergine (eggplant), asparagus, broccoli, sliced lotus root
- 3 tbsp fish sauce, preferably Thai (gluten-free brands are available)
- 2 spur chillies, thinly sliced to garnish
- 3 makrut lime leaves, stalks removed and thinly sliced, to garnish
- 1 handful of Thai sweet basil, roughly chopped, to garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Prepare the curry paste by placing all of the paste ingredients in a food processor or blender and blending to a paste. You can add a drop of water if needed to assist blending. There will be a lot of paste, and yes, you do use it all in this recipe.
- Heat the oil in a wok or large frying pan (skillet) and when visibly hot, stir in the beef and fry for about 8 minutes, or until almost tender enough to eat. Add the green curry paste, stirring so that the beef is coated with it.
- Add the stock and bring to a simmer. Continue simmering for about 5–10 minutes, or until the beef is tender. Don’t rush this! The beef is ready when it’s ready.
- Stir in the coconut milk and the vegetables and continue stirring until the vegetables are cooked to your liking. I prefer my vegetables a bit on the crunchy side and not too mushy. Add 3 tablespoons of fish sauce or to taste.
- Garnish with the sliced spur chillies, thinly sliced lime leaves and perhaps some basil leaves.
Curry Guy One Pot by Dan Toombs (Quadrille, £27), Photography © Kris Kirkham