Thai Beef Curry in Peanut Sauce

If I didn't happen to live in the middle of nowhere, I never would have attempted to make my own Thai food. I mean, why bother if you live near even ONE good Thai place? It's much more fun to eat it out in my opinion. But since the nearest Thai restaurant is an hour away I figured I had nothing to lose.

At first glance this recipe might seem too complicated due to some of the exotic ingredients, but once you buy them you are good to go for many meals. It is actually quite easy to put together (I slice the meat up ahead of time so all I have to do is throw it in the pot) and if you own a rice maker, it's really a breeze. Even though it calls for beef I think you could easily substitute any meat, seafood or tofu, since the star of this dish is the curry sauce.

I have made this recipe twice now; once with fresh lemon grass stalks I bought at an Asian grocery, and once with lemon grass paste I bought at Hy Vee supermarket. I couldn't tell the difference personally, and since the lemon grass in the tube will stay good for a while I think that's what I'll stick with.


Thai Beef Curry in Peanut Sauce

Serves four to six

2 1/2 C coconut milk
3T Thai red curry paste
3T Thai fish sauce
2T light brown sugar
2 lemon grass stalks, bruised (or 1 tsp lemon grass paste)
3/4 C ground roasted peanuts
2 fresh red chillies, sliced (I omitted)
5 kaffir lime leaves, torn (I omitted and instead served with a lime wedge)
1lb rump (round) steak cut into thin strips
2 salted duck eggs cut into wedges for garnish (obviously omitted this too)
6-10 sprigs of Thai basil leaves for garnish (I used regular basil)

1. Pour half the coconut milk into a large, heavy pan. Place over a medium heat and bring to a boil, stirring constantly until the milk separates.

2. Stir in the red curry paste and cook for 2-3 minutes until the mixture is fragrant and thoroughly blended. Add the fish sauce, sugar and bruised lemon grass stalks. Mix well

3. Continue to cook until the color deepens. Gradually add the remaining coconut milk, stirring constantly. Bring back to the boil.

4. Add the beef and peanuts. Cook, stirring constantly, for 8-10 minutes, or until most of the liquid has evaporated. Add the chillies and lime leaves. Season to taste (I never add salt or pepper and it tastes fine since the fish sauce is salty). Serve garnished with wedges of salted duck eggs and Thai basil leaves over rice.