Asian Recipes - Penang Beef Curry Recipe

Ingredients

• Cream from 1 can (14 oz/400 ml size) coconut milk

• 2 to 3 tsp/10 to 15 ml fish sauce, or to taste

• Sugar, pinch

• Black pepper, pinch

• 1/2 to 3/4 lb/250 to 375 g lean tender beef, cut in small thick slices

• 2 tbsp/30 ml crushed roasted peanuts

• Fresh Thai basil leaves and thinly sliced red chilies fro garnis

Seasoning:

• 2-3-inch/8-cm pieces of lemon grass

• 1 to 2 tbsp/I15 to 30 ml Thai red curry paste or Penang curry paste

Serves 4

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Method:

1. Prepare all ingredients and have at hand. Preheat a non-stick frying pan over medium high heat.

2. Add 3 to 4 tbsp/45 to 60 ml of the coconut cream to the frying pan and reduce it by boiling vigorously and stirring until the cream separates (this can take a few minutes). Do not allow the reducing cream to burn.

3. Add the lemon grass and the curry paste and stir well so that the coconut oil absorbs the aromatic oils from the curry paste and lemon grass.

4. Add the beef and fry it with the curry paste until it changes color on all sides. Do not over-stir. Let the pieces sizzle for a moment on a side, then stir to color the other side. (The meat does not need to brown, but the sugars from the coconut cream will brown. Be careful not to let the sugars burn.)

5. Add the remaining coconut cream, the crushed peanuts, a dash of fish sauce and a pinch each of sugar and black pepper. Bring the sauce to a gentle boil for 3 to 4 minutes or until the beef is cooked to your liking and the sauce is thick and coating the pieces of meat.

6. Control the heat to avoid burning the sauce. Taste the sauce before the cooking is done and adjust seasoning, adding more sugar or fish sauce as desired.

Penang-Malaysia has always been a crossroads for many different cuisines and cultures. The cuisine reflects Thai, Chinese, Indian and Western colonial influences. This is a popular recipe for a Muslim-influenced Thai curry in the Penang style. Penang Nuea, as the Thai call it, is so popular it can be found all over Thailand. It's a great example of what is known as a dry curry. The sauce is reduced to coat the pieces of meat and intensify the flavor.