On my list of favorite ethnic cuisines, Thai food is actually pretty low. I think I always found it too sweet, too spicy, or both. But after going Paleo, I’ve noticed that Thai curries are a popular dish for cavepeople. Sarah Fragoso and Dain Sandoval have posted recipes for green and red curry, respectively. Intrigued, I decided to give Thai cuisine another shot.
I wanted to try my hand at making a Thai green curry but instead of using a quick-cooking meat, I wanted to use one of my favorite cuts for slow cooked stews: boneless short ribs. Forget chuck – without a doubt, boneless short ribs and brisket are my go-to cuts for slow simmering stews. These two cuts will yield perfectly tender, melt in your mouth beefy goodness even when you choose grass fed.
I threw together a Thai green curry that I slowly braised in the oven for a couple of hours and the resulting dish was pretty damn tasty. Plus, this dish can be made ahead on the weekend and reheated during your workweek. Win-win!
Get the recipe after the jump!
Here’s what I assembled to feed 8-10 people:
- 4 pounds of grass fed boneless beef short ribs, trimmed and cut into 1½ inch cubes
- ¼ cup + 1 tablespoon of Thai green curry paste
- 1 cup of coconut cream
- 4 cups of coconut milk
- 3 tablespoons of Red Boat fish sauce
- 1 pound carrots, peeled and cut into 1½ pieces
- 1 large onion, cut medium
- ¼ cup applesauce
- 1 pound of mixed frozen veggies
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Juice from one lime
- ½ cup basil leaves, coarsely chopped
- ½ cup mint leaves, coarsely chopped
Here’s how I made it:
I preheated the oven to 300 F, prepped and gathered my ingredients…
…and tossed the short ribs with salt and pepper.
I heated a large Dutch oven over high heat and added the coconut cream…
…and Thai green curry paste.
I whisked constantly until the the liquid evaporated and the cream separated into oil and coconut solids. I continued whisking until the curry paste became very fragrant.
This step takes about 10 minutes. Be patient!
Next, I whisked in the coconut milk, fish sauce, and applesauce. I brought the liquid up to a boil and simmered for about 5 minutes to thicken the sauce.
I added the short ribs, onions, and carrots…
…and stirred to combine.
I increased the temperature and brought the curry to a boil. Then, I put on the lid and transferred the pot to the oven. I let the curry braise in the oven for 2 hours (or until the short ribs were nice and tender).
At this point, I defatted the curry and transferred everything to a storage container and placed it in the freezer. (If you aren’t freezing your stew, please let it chill in the fridge for at least a day to let the flavors meld.)
When I was ready to serve the stew, I took it out of the freezer…
…nuked it for a few minutes to defrost it and dumped it in a pot on the stove.
I heated stew on high until it came to a boil and then I lowered the heat and let it simmer for about 10-15 minutes.
I added a bag of frozen veggies to the pot and simmered the curry for an additional 10 minutes.
(You should definitely add a bag of frozen veggies because the carrots and onions melt into the sauce.)
I adjusted for seasoning and took the curry off the heat.
Right before serving the stew, I added the basil, mint, and lime juice.
Yummy! Make a big batch of this stew and keep it in the freezer so you can heat up quick, comforting grub at a moment’s notice.
