Dish of Beef & Potato Curry
(click to enlarge)

Beef & Potato Curry


Burma

Serves:
Effort:
Sched:
DoAhead:  
4 w/rice
***
3-1/4 hrs
Yes
Burmese curries are quite different from those of both India and Thailand. Some beef is eaten in central Burma, but most by the Shan and Karen (say kaREN) near the border with Thailand.

1
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1/2
1/4
1
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10
8
9
2
3/4
1
2-1/2
1-1/2
2
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1/2
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ar

#
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T
t
t
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oz
oz
cl

in

T
T
c
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c
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Beef, Lean (1)
-- Marinade
Paprika
Turmeric
Salt
---------
Potatoes (2)
Onion
Garlic
Thai Chili (3)
Ginger root
Lemon Grass
Oil
Fish Sauce (4)
Water
-- Garnish
Cilantro Leaves
-- Serve with
Lime Wedges

Prep   -   (35 min)
  1. Cut BEEF into about 3/4 inch cubes.
  2. Mix all Marinade items into Beef and massage well. Set aside until needed.
  3. Peel POTATOES and cut into about 3/4 inch cubes. Hold in cold water until needed.
  4. Chop ONIONS small.
  5. Crush GARLIC and chop fine. Slice CHILIS very thin. Mix.
  6. Cut grungy bits from GINGER and cut lengthwise into slices about about 1/8 inch thick.
  7. Peel hard outer leaves from LEMON GRASS, cut off hard root end. Bruise bottom 6 inches lightly with your kitchen mallet and cut into 2 3-inch pieces. Discard tops.
  8. Chop CILANTRO medium for Garnish.
  9. Cut LIME WEDGES or squeeze LIME JUICE (see Serving).
Run   -   (2-1/2 hrs)
  1. In a wok or spacious sauté pan, heat Oil and fry Ginger slices stirring until they start to brown on the edges.
  2. Stir in Lemon Grass and fry stirring another 2 minutes.
  3. Stir in Onions and fry stirring until well softened.
  4. Stir in Garlic mix and fry stirring over decreasing heat until Onions are nearly dry and start to color.
  5. Stir in Beef and Fish Sauce. Fry stirring until well coated with Oil and Onions.
  6. Stir in Water and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer until Beef is almost tender, about 1-1/2 hours.
  7. Drain Potatoes and stir in. Adjust Water if needed. Bring to a boil, cover and simmer another 20 minutes until Potatoes are cooked through.
  8. Serve hot, garnished with Cilantro. Accompany with Lime Wedges and plenty of steamed Jasmine rice. For Buffet service I just squeeze 1 Tablespoon Lime Juice and stir it in just before serving.
NOTES:
  1. Beef:

      Weight is with all excess fat removed. This can be a stewing cut such as round.
  2. Potatoes:

      White Rose or similar work well in recipes of this sort. Avoid Klondike Gold type potatoes - they quickly turn to mush with long cooking. For details see our Potatoes page.
  3. Thai Chilis:

    Two chilis gives this recipe a noticeable but not imposing heat. For details see our Chilis - Thailand & Southeast Asia page.
  4. Fish Sauce:

      This clear liquid is as essential to Southeast Asian cuisine as it was to Imperial Rome. If you are unfamiliar with it, see our Fish Sauce - Introduction page.
  5. Comments:

      The pattern recipe is from a Burmese restaurant in Oakland, California owned and staffed by Burmese immigrants. They add about 1/2 tablespoon of Madras curry powder and 1/3 teaspoon of garam masala to this recipe. All my other Burmese cookbooks assure me dry spice mixes are not used in Burma. I presume this is an adjustment for American expectations, and I have omitted these. They also included 1 Bay Leaf. Bay Leaves (a little different from ours) are used in India, but I don't know if they are used in Burma.
  6. U.S. measure: t=teaspoon, T=Tablespoon, c=cup, qt=quart, oz=ounce, #=pound, cl=clove in=inch, ar=as required tt=to taste
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