Beef Red Curry with Eggplant and Betel Leaf
Packed with flavour and easy to prepare, curries are a versatile dish that are worth adding to the weekly menu. Curries can be cooked in batches and frozen and can easily be made vegetarian. In this blog we share a recipe for Beef Red Curry with Eggplant and Betel Leaf.
The recipe is from The Red Spice Road Cookbook by John McLeay (New Holland Publishers), $35. The Red Spice Road is a popular Melbourne restaurant and this cookbook is a compilation of popular recipes from the venue.
The Red Spice Road Cookbook by John McLeay (New Holland Publishers), $35 is available from all good bookstores and online
Beef Red Curry with Eggplant and Betel Leaf
Serves 4 as part of a shared meal
Ingredients
For the beef
300 g (10 oz) cleaned beef cheek, cut into 4 pieces
750 ml (11⁄2 pints) coconut milk
4 kaffir lime leaves, shredded
100 g (31⁄2 oz) palm sugar, grated
50 ml (2 oz) light soy sauce
750 ml (11⁄2 pints) coconut milk
4 kaffir lime leaves, shredded
100 g (31⁄2 oz) palm sugar, grated
50 ml (2 oz) light soy sauce
For the eggplant
1 large eggplant, cut into rounds
50 ml (2 oz) light soy sauce
100 g (31⁄2 oz) tapioca starch 300 ml (10 oz) vegetable oil
50 ml (2 oz) light soy sauce
100 g (31⁄2 oz) tapioca starch 300 ml (10 oz) vegetable oil
For the curry
250 ml (8 fl oz) coconut cream
50 ml (11⁄2 fl oz) red curry paste (see Basics)
350 ml (11 fl oz) reserved cooking liquid from the beef
100 ml (31⁄2 fl oz) fish sauce
100 g (31⁄2 oz) palm sugar, grated
3 cm (11⁄4 in) lemongrass, white part only, sliced finely
3 kaffir lime leaves, finely sliced
2 large red chillies, sliced
1 large handful Thai basil leaves 5 betel leaves, torn
1 large handful coriander (cilantro) leaves
2 kaffir lime leaves, finely sliced
50 ml (11⁄2 fl oz) red curry paste (see Basics)
350 ml (11 fl oz) reserved cooking liquid from the beef
100 ml (31⁄2 fl oz) fish sauce
100 g (31⁄2 oz) palm sugar, grated
3 cm (11⁄4 in) lemongrass, white part only, sliced finely
3 kaffir lime leaves, finely sliced
2 large red chillies, sliced
1 large handful Thai basil leaves 5 betel leaves, torn
1 large handful coriander (cilantro) leaves
2 kaffir lime leaves, finely sliced
The beef
Step 1
Heat a little oil in a wok and seal the beef. Transfer to a heavy-based saucepan, add the coconut milk, lime leaves, palm sugar and the soy sauce.
Step 2
Bring to the boil and cover with baking paper and foil. Reduce heat and simmer for 21⁄2 hours, checking occasionally that it hasn’t reduced too much (if it has, top up with a little water).
Step 3
When cooked, remove the beef from the saucepan and set aside until required. Reserve about 350 ml (11 oz) of the cooking liquid.
The eggplant
Step 1
Combine eggplant and soy sauce in a large bowl. Set aside for 30 minutes, then drain.
Step 2
Coat eggplant with tapioca starch.
▪ Heat the vegetable oil in a wok until it’s almost smoking.
Step 3
Fry the eggplant until golden then, using a slotted spoon, remove the eggplant and allow it to drain on paper towels.
The curry
Step 1
Heat the coconut cream in a heavy-based saucepan until the cream starts to split apart. Add the curry paste and cook, stirring, for 3 minutes. Add the reserved cooking liquid from the beef, the fish sauce, palm sugar, lemongrass and kaffir lime. Bring to a boil, then add beef and cook until the beef is heated through. Add eggplant, red chillies, Thai basil and betel leaves, stir gently.
Step 2
Serve curry garnished with coriander and kaffir lime leaves.