Green Curry with Braised Beef Shank (Gaeng Kiew Waan Neua)

October 20, 2011

Green Curry with Braised Beef Shank (Gaeng Kiew Waan Neua) © kvalifood.com

Thai green curry gets its character from fiery green bird’s eye chilies, making it one of the spicier curries. This version uses beef shank, a tough cut that becomes tender through braising and produces a rich stock that deepens the curry sauce. The beef is braised separately to preserve the curry’s green colour, which would fade to yellow with prolonged cooking.

Ingredients

Serves 4

Green Curry

450 g boneless beef shank, bite-sized, 1 ½ cm thick slices
4 ¾ dl coconut milk
1 recipe green curry paste (or 5 Tbsp store-bought)
1 tsp salt
6-7 dl water
4 kaffir lime leaves, torn into chunks
3 Tbsp palm sugar, finely chopped, packed
1-2 Tbsp fish sauce
4 ¾ dl bamboo shoots, julienned (use pre-cooked, canned (or vacuum-packed))
1 spur chili (or 1/4 red bell pepper), julienned
1 ¾ dl Thai basil leaves
Jasmine rice (or rice vermicelli), for serving

Green Curry Paste

2 tsp coriander seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp white peppercorns
15 green Thai chilies
1 tsp salt
15 Thai basil leaves, finely julienned
3 Tbsp lemongrass, thinly sliced
1 Tbsp galangal, finely chopped
2 tsp kaffir lime zest, finely chopped
2 tsp cilantro roots (or 2 Tbsp cilantro stems), finely chopped
3 Tbsp shallots, finely chopped
2 Tbsp garlic, finely chopped
1 tsp shrimp paste (gapi)

Directions

Braising the Beef

Put the beef in a medium pot with 1/4 cup of the coconut milk, 1 Tbsp of the curry paste, and the salt. Add enough water to fully cover the beef and bring to a simmer. Braise loosely covered for 1 1/2 to 2 hours until fork tender, adding water as needed to keep the beef submerged. Remove the beef with a slotted spoon and set aside. Reserve 1 1/2 cups of the cooking liquid, topping up with water if there is not enough.

Making the Curry Paste

Toast the coriander seeds in a dry pan over medium-high heat, stirring constantly, until aromatic and slightly darkened, about 4 minutes. Cool on a plate. Repeat with the cumin seeds.

Grind the toasted coriander, cumin, and white peppercorns to a fine powder in a mortar and pestle. Remove and set aside.

Cut 8 of the green Thai chilies in half and scrape out the seeds and pith with a paring knife, then finely chop these along with the remaining 7 whole chilies. Removing seeds from some of the chilies tones down the heat while keeping the green colour.

Add the chopped chilies and salt to a heavy-duty mortar and pound into a fine paste. If the mixture gets too wet, add some of the ground spices to absorb the liquid.

Add the basil leaves and pound into a fine paste.

Add the lemongrass, galangal, kaffir lime zest, and cilantro roots. Pound into a fine paste.

Add the shallots, garlic, and any remaining ground spices. Pound into a fine paste.

Add the shrimp paste and pound to combine.

Making the Curry

Reduce 3/4 cup of the coconut milk in a medium pot over medium heat until very thick and the clear coconut oil starts separating from the white portion, 10 to 15 minutes. If separation does not happen, just proceed once it is thick - some coconut milk is processed to prevent this.

Add the curry paste to the reduced coconut milk and cook over medium-low heat for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring constantly, until the paste is very thick. Add the remaining 1 cup coconut milk and stir to combine. Turn the heat up to medium-high and add the reserved beef cooking liquid, kaffir lime leaves, palm sugar, and 1 Tbsp of the fish sauce. Bring to a boil.

Add the cooked beef and bamboo shoots and simmer for 3 to 4 minutes so they absorb the curry. Remove from heat, taste, and adjust seasoning with the remaining fish sauce. Stir in the spur chilies and Thai basil.

Serve garnished with a Thai basil sprig over jasmine rice. Green curry also works well poured over rice vermicelli for a one-dish meal.

Notes

The beef and curry paste can both be prepared 1 to 2 days ahead. The entire curry can be made in advance - just leave the basil out until serving.
Season the curry strongly since the rice will soften the flavour when eaten together.
The green colour in the paste comes mainly from the chilies. To intensify it without more heat, add green leaves like Thai basil or spinach.
Any meat works with green curry, though beef, chicken, and fish cakes are the traditional Thai pairings.