What can I say about this dish? It’s just the perfect warming, comforting, luscious meal for those horrible days when the world seems to be crumbling around you. It’s deeply rich and hearty, with a slick and oily finish that just coats your mouth with the numbing heat of the curry paste and makes you want to go in for more again and again. It will warm you from the inside out, and bring a smile to your face.
Finished with lime, the sweetness is really nicely pronounced, and the overall flavor profile is both nuanced and complex at the same time. Serving with rice is key here - I wouldn’t recommend a roti as an accompaniment, and I wouldn’t recommend eating the curry on its own either; it’s much too fatty for that. The lime provides freshness in terms of flavor, yes, but the rice is still needed to give some relief to the oily mouthfeel of the standalone curry. Then there’s the most obvious winning feature of the dish: the meat. The meat is fall apart tender. If you’re not careful while transferring it from the slow cooker to your serving bowls, it will just actually fall apart and become part of the sauce. That’s how fall apart tender it is. And since it is salted and seared before being added to the slow cooker, it retains all its moisture and flavor so it isn’t stringy or bland. Clearly, I can’t rave more about this dish. Just make it and let me know what you think.
Butter Count: 2 Tbsp
INGREDIENTS:
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
3.5 lbs stew beef, cut into ~2-inch cubes
salt and pepper for seasoning
1 onion, diced
2 Tbsp butter
1 red bell pepper, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp ginger, peeled and minced
2 Tbsp red curry paste, to taste
1/2 cup beef broth
14 oz tomato passata, or puréed tomatoes
2 Tbsp tomato paste
2 tsp sugar
14 oz can full fat coconut milk
Rice for serving
Lime juice for serving
INSTRUCTIONS:
Heat the vegetable oil in a large pan over high heat.
Season the beef on all sides with salt and pepper. Add the beef to the hot pan and sear on all sides, about 10 minutes. Depending on your pan size, do this in batches so as not to overcrowd the beef.
Transfer the beef to a plate using tongs so that the rendered liquid remains in the pan.
Reduce the heat to medium and add the onion. Cook about 3 minutes until the onions are translucent and just begin to brown.
Add the butter, bell pepper, garlic, and ginger. Cook about 1 minute, stirring continuously.
Add the red curry paste and combine. Cook another two minutes.
NOTE: The first time you make this, use the recommended 2 Tbsp of curry paste so that you can understand the resulting spice level of the finished dish. Next time you make it, adjust the curry paste amount according to your tastes. Personally, I use 3 Tbsp.
Add the beef broth, tomato passata, tomato paste, sugar, and coconut milk. Use a whisk or a fork to smooth out the curry paste mixture. When the mixture has come to a boil, transfer it to the slow cooker, along with the beef and any juices that have come out of it while it rested.
Cook for 6 hours on high, or 8 hours on low, with the lid on.
Serve over rice, and don’t forget to add a healthy squeeze of lime!