Dish of Green Curry with Beef
(click to enlarge)

Green Curry with Beef


Thailand   -   Gaeng Kiow Neua
Serves:
Effort:
Sched:
DoAhead:  		 2 main
**
1-1/4 hrs
Part		 This is a classic Thai curry. Though most often made with chicken, beef, pork, fish and shrimp are also popular. For a popular variations and other meats, see Variations.

12
6
3
2
1/3
1-1/2
2
14 oz
1
1/4
oz
oz


c
T
T
can
T
t
Beef, Lean (1)
Eggplant, Thai (2)
Kaffir Lime leaves (3)
Chili red (3)
Thai Basil leaves
Oil
Green Curry Paste
Coconut Milk
Fish Sauce
Salt
Prep   -   (20 min)
  1. Slice Beef about 1/8 inch across the grain and cut into strips about 1-1/2 by 3/4 inches.
  2. Cut EGGPLANTS lengthwise into 6 wedges (if Thai eggplants - see Note-2 for options). Keep eggplants in cold water acidulated with some Citric Acid or Lemon Juice until needed.
  3. Roll up LIME LEAVES tightly and slice into fine threads. Chop the threads into smaller lengths.
  4. Slice CHILIS into thin strips.
  5. Remove BASIL LEAVES from stems and start soaking in cold water (this is so they stay green longer in the curry).
Run   -   (50 min)
  1. In a wok or spacious sauté pan heat Oil over moderate heat and stir in Curry Paste until it is well distributed and aromatic, but no browining.
  2. Stir in the Beef and stir fry a few minutes until all raw color is gone and all exuded liquid has evaporated. It needs to be fried a bit more than chicken or pork or it will make the curry muddy, but don't overdo the heat as there should be little browning. See also Note-6.
  3. Stir in Coconut Milk, Lime Leaf, Fish Sauce and Salt. Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer until Beef is tender, about 35 minutes.
  4. Stir in Eggplant and continue to simmer until just tender but not mushy, about 13 minutes for Thai eggplants, a bit less for others. See also Note-7
  5. When ready to serve, stir in Red Chili for just a minute, then stir in Basil Leaves. Serve immediately with plenty of steamed Jasmine rice.
NOTES:

  1. Beef:

      Weight is for boneless with all excess fat removed. I prefer Chuck (Shoulder) which is tender enough and has good flavor.

  2. Thai Eggplant:

      These are green and white and golf ball size. They cook significantly differently from other eggplants and are well worth searching out. If you don't have them use Indian eggplants which are purple and egg size, so cut them into more pieces and cook just a bit less. Lacking even those use Japanese or Italian eggplants split in half lengthwise and cut crosswise about 3/4 inch thick. Cook those even less. For details see our Eggplant Page.

  3. Kaffir Lime Leaves:

      These come 2 leaves to a stem, so this recipe needs 1-1/2 stems. For details See our Kaffir Lime page. If you don't have them, grate the zest of the limes before you squeeze them for lime juice.

  4. Chili:

      I usually use red Fresnos (moderately hot). You could use fresh red Thai chilis (much smaller but much hotter) or Holland Red (moderately hot) - your choice. For details see our Thai Chilis page.

  5. Green Curry Paste:

      This is one of the essentials of Thai cooking - and the hottest of the Thai curry pastes. It is available commercially (with a lot of variation between brands), but the amount in this recope is scaled for our recipe Green Curry Paste, which is fairly hot.

  6. Method:

      If you want beef curry to be as light in color as other green curries, after cutting the beef, put it in a sauce pan with water to cover, bring it to a boil for about 1 minute, then strain and rinse.

  7. Pea Eggplants:

      Thai cooks often toss in a handful of Thai Pea Eggplants along with the green eggplants. Unfortunately these are nearly impossible to get even in Los Angeles.

  8. Variations:

      Long Beans have a great affinity for Beef, so some recipes cut the Eggplant to 4 ounces and include 2 ounces of Long Beans. For details see our Long Beans page. Because methods differ somewhat, we have prepared separate versions for Chicken, Pork, Shrimp, and Fish Green Curries.
  9. 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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