Beef Curry Noodles (pokus)

Ingredients

• 1400g boneless beef shank, cut into 2-inch cubes
• 3 tablespoons fish sauce, divided
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar or 1 tablespoon of granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup red curry paste (I use the whole can; if your heat tolerance is lower, you can use half or ¾ of a can. Watch out if you use red curry paste that comes in a plastic tub; it tends to be much spicier than the type that comes in a can.)
• 2 heaping tablespoons of Madras-style curry powder (If I can’t find a Thai brand, I use Roland.)
• 1 tablespoon turmeric powder (This is kind of optional since there’s already turmeric in the curry powder. But additional turmeric results in a curry with more vibrant color.)
• 2 cups water
• One 400g can coconut milk
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• One large shallots, peeled and thinly-sliced lengthwise, or 2 medium onions
• About 200g bean sprouts
• About 200g green beans, cut diagonally into 1-inch pieces
• About 220 g of dried flat rice noodles
• 4-6 large eggs

Instructions

1. About 10-12 hours before you plan to eat this dish, put the beef, red curry paste, curry powder, 1 tablespoon of fish sauce, brown sugar, and turmeric in your slow cooker; stir until the beef cubes are thoroughly coated with the seasonings. Pour the water on top. Turn on the slow cooker and set to low (120°C). Leave the slow cooker on, undisturbed, for 10-12 hours.
2. About half an hour before the cooking time for the beef ends, soak the dried noodles.
3. At this point, open the coconut milk can, and gently stir the coconut milk into the beef mixture along with the remaining fish sauce; set the cooker to either the lowest setting or warm.
4. Now, boil the eggs to desired level of doneness.
5. While the eggs are boiling, make crispy fried shallots. Put the oil and sliced shallot in an unheated small pan. Place the pan on medium heat and stir almost constantly. The shallots will sizzle slowly then turn crispy and golden brown in about 5-7 minutes (keep an eye on them; they burn easily). Once that’s done, transfer the fried shallots to a paper towel-lined plate; set aside.
6. By this time, the eggs should be done. Remove them from heat.
7. Put lots of water into a large pot and bring it to a boil.
8. While waiting for the water to boil, peel and halve the eggs; set aside.
9. Once the water is boiling, blanch the bean sprouts and sliced green beans separately; set aside.
10. In the same pot of boiling water, blanch the noodles until they’re soft enough to eat (but don’t overcook!), drain, and divide the noodles among 4-6 serving bowls.
11. Divide the blanched bean sprouts and green beans equally among the bowls. Spoon the beef curry over the noodles and vegetables. Arrange the eggs on top. Sprinkle the reserved fried shallots over the whole thing.
12. Serve immediately with extra fish sauce, limes, and red pepper flakes on the table for people to season their noodles to taste.

Beef Biryani

Masala Beef:

2 tablespoons neutral oil
1 kilo boneless chuck or blade steak, cut into chunks
1 large onion, chopped roughly
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 inch piece of ginger, grated
1 green chili, chopped
¼ cup of cilantro stalks, chopped
¼ cup mint leaves, chopped
4 – 5 tablespoons biriyani spice mix*
2 large tomatoes, chopped
¼ cup beef or chicken stock
Salt and pepper to taste

Biriyani Rice:

I tablespoon oil
½ tablespoon unsalted butter
1 inch piece of cassia bark
4 – 5 whole cloves
4 – 5 whole green cardamom pods
1 star anise
1 bay leaf
3 cups basmati rice
4 ½ cups boiling water
¼ teaspoon salt
A generous pinch of saffron

Garnishes:

2 tablespoons neutral oil
1 large onion, finely sliced
¼ cup unsalted cashew nuts
¼ unsalted raisins
Splash of rosewater
Small handful finely chopped cilantro
Small handful finely chopped mint
4 boiled eggs (optional) 

Raita:

1 cucumber, seeds removed, and finely diced
¼ cup plain Greek style yogurt
¼ teaspoon ground cumin
Salt to taste

Method:

Preheat oven to 300 F.

In a heavy, oven safe pot, drizzle in some oil, then sear the beef chunks on all sides, until caramelized and sealed. Do this in batches to avoid crowding the pan, and add more oil, as required. Remove the beef pieces to a plate.

Add the onion to the same pan, and fry, scraping up any caramelized bits of meat. Fry for a few minutes, until the onion starts to go brown around the edges, then add the garlic, ginger and green chili. Fry for 30 seconds, then add the cilantro and mint. When the herbs wilt, add the biriyani spice mix, and fry for an additional minute. Take off the heat, and scrape into a food processor or blender. Blend this onion mixture into a fine paste.

Add an extra splash of oil into the same pot, and return the onion masala to the pot. Add the tomatoes, beef and stock and bring to a gentle simmer.  Season with a little salt. Place a cartouche made of parchment paper on top of the sauce, then cover with a lid, and transfer to the oven. Let the meat slow cook in the oven for at least 2  - 3 hours, checking on the liquid level, every hour or so. Top up with extra stock, if it looks like it is drying out.
Meanwhile make the rice and garnishes.

Place the oil and the butter for the rice in a heavy based pan. When hot, add the cloves, cardamom, cassia, star anise and bay leaf. Fry for a minute until the spices are fragrant, then add the rice. Fry the rice for an additional minute.

Add the saffron, salt and boiling water to the rice. Use aluminium foil or a tight fitting lid, cover and cook the rice over a low heat for 15 minutes. Turn off the heat, and let the rice steam for an additional 5 – 10 minutes. Carefully open the lid and fluff the rice up with a fork.
For the garnishes, place the oil in a small pan, and add the onions. Caramelize the onions on a low heat for 20 – 30 minutes, until sweet and brown. Add a pinch of sugar to speed up the process, if you wish. To the same pan, add the cashews and raisins, and toast for a minute. Remove to a bowl and keep aside. When the beef is cooked, add a tablespoon of almond paste to the sauce. Taste and season with salt and pepper.

Start layering the biriyani. In a large, oven safe pot, or serving dish, place a layer of rice. Then add about a third of the beef masala on top. Sprinkle over a few caramelized onions, raisins and cashews, then a sprinkle of rosewater, cilantro and mint. Add a second layer of rice, then a second layer of beef , caramelized onions, raisins, cashews, rosewater, cilantro and mint.

Finish with a layer of rice. Sprinkle over the remaining onions, raisins, cashews, cilantro and mint and another splash of rosewater. Tuck halved eggs on top of the rice (if using) then cover with foil or a tight fitting lid and transfer back to a 200 F oven until ready to serve.

To make the raita, mix together the cucumber, yogurt and cumin. Season to taste with salt.

Serve the biriyani with the raita on the side.


*

3 inch stick of cinnamon or cassia bark

10 cloves

10 cardamom pods, lightly crushed (if using black cardamom, reduce to 5 pods)

4 bay leaves, dried

4 tbsp coriander seeds

2 tbsp whole cumin

1 tsp fenugreek seeds (methi)

1 tbsp fennel seeds

1/4 tsp of ground nutmeg (freshly grated is better)

3 or 4 pods of black cardamom, opened and lightly crushed (optional)

2 long mild red chillies

In a hot, heavy pan, add all the spices, except the nutmeg, and toss them around, constantly stirring, for around 1 - 3 minutes until they are lightly toasted and the kitchen smells heavenly! Do not allow the spices to burn, keep a sharp eye out. 

In a powerful spice blender, grind the spices till they are a fine powder. Add the grated nutmeg to the mix, stir and it is ready to use. If making a big batch, store in an airtight container.

Beef Vindaloo

Slightly adappted from Rick Stein's India


750g boneless shin of beef, cut into 3cm-thick medallions . 

For the marinade 
5cm piece of cinnamon stick 
1 tsp black peppercorns 
1 tsp cloves 
1 tsp cumin seeds 
Seeds from 10 green cardamoms 
1 medium onion, roughly chopped 
40g/8 cloves garlic, peeled 25g/5cm ginger, roughly chopped 
2 tbsp Tamarind liquid 
1½ tsp salt 
1 tsp sugar 
2 tbsp Kashmiri chilli powder (check the spiciness of the powder, if hot use paprika and chilli powder)
½ tsp turmeric 
5 tbsp white wine vinegar 

2 tbsp (30g) ghee or vegetable oil 
1 medium onion, chopped 
3 medium, ripe tomatoes, sliced 
3 fresh green chillies, halved lengthways, seeds removed 
100ml water 

For the marinade, grind the cinnamon, black peppercorns, cloves, cumin seeds and cardamom to a powder. 
Put the onion, garlic, ginger, tamarind, salt, sugar, chilli powder, turmeric and vinegar and all the ground spices into a mini food processor and blend together to a paste. 
Mix the beef and the paste together in a large bowl, coating the beef well. Cover the bowl and transfer to the fridge for 12 hours. 

To cook the vindaloo, heat the ghee in a large, sturdy pan or casserole over a medium heat. 
Add the onion and fry for 10 minutes until golden. 
Increase the heat to high, add the beef and all its marinade paste and fry for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. 
Stir in the tomatoes, green chillies and water, cover with a lid and cook for around 2 hours until the meat is tender, checking every so often that it’s not sticking or becoming dry, in which case add a splash of water. 
If using pressure cooker, cook for at least 1 hour!

Serve the beef vindaloo immediately. 

 

Indonesian Chili Beef

Serves 4

For marinade:
 
¼ cup kecap manis
2 ½ teaspoons sambal oelek
2 tablespoons water
2 cloves garlic, crushed
½ teaspoon ground coriander
1 tablespoon grated palm sugar or soft brown sugar
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon peanut oil
 
550g beef fillet, partially frozen and thinly sliced

To garnish:
 
2 tablespoons  chopped roasted peanuts
3 tablespoons fresh cilantro leaves, chopped

1.)  Combine the kecap manis, sambal oelek, garlic, ground coriander, palm sugar, sesame oil, and 2 tablespoons water in a large bowl. Add the beef slices and coat well. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 20  minutes.

2.)  Heat oil in wok. Add the meat in batches and cook for 2-3 minutes or until browned.

3.)  Arrange the beef on a serving platter, sprinkle with chopped peanuts and cilantro leaves, and serve with steamed rice.

Recipe from Rice and Curry  for personal use only !!!

Mussaman beef curry

Less than 30 mins preparation time
Over 2 hours cooking time
Serves 6-8


Ingredients

For the tamarind water

60g tamarind pulp (available at Asian grocers)

150ml warm water

For the curry paste

10 dried red kashmiri chillies, seeds removed, roughly chopped

2 tbsp coriander seeds

1 tbsp cumin seeds

1 tsp green cardamom seeds (from about 20 green cardamom pods)

16 cloves

1 x 5cm piece cinnamon stick

2 large pieces blade mace (muskatovy kvet)

3 tbsp vegetable oil

200g shallots or onions, roughly chopped

25g garlic cloves, peeled, roughly chopped

1 tsp shrimp paste (available at Asian grocers)

25g fresh root ginger, roughly chopped

2 lemongrass stalks, tough outer leaves removed, soft inner core chopped

120ml coconut milk

For the curry

1.5kg/3lb blade or chuck steak, cut into 5cm/2in chunks

600ml/1 pint coconut milk

6 black cardamom pods (available at Asian grocers or online)

1 x 10cm cinnamon stick

1 tsp salt

300g waxy new potatoes, such as Charlotte

8 shallots, peeled, halved

2 tbsp fish sauce

1 quantity tamarind water (see recipe above)

1 tbsp palm sugar (available at Asian grocers; substitute golden caster sugar if unavailable)

75g peanuts, shells removed, roasted

1 handful fresh Thai sweet basil leaves (optional), to garnish

Preparation method

For the tamarind water
Place the tamarind pulp into a bowl and cover with the warm water. Work the pulp between your fingers to break it down, and so that the seeds are released. Strain the mixture through a fine sieve, reserving the liquid and discarding the fibrous material that is left behind.

For the curry paste
Heat a dry, heavy-based frying pan over a medium heat. Add the dried chillies and fry for 1-2 minutes, shaking the pan frequently to prevent the chillies from burning, until the chillies are lightly toasted. Transfer the chillies to a spice grinder or mortar.

Return the pan to the heat and add the coriander, cumin and cardamom seeds, cloves, cinnamon and blade mace and fry for a few seconds, shaking the pan frequently, until the spices darken slightly and release their aromatics. Add the toasted spices to the spice grinder or mortar and grind or pound to a fine powder.

Heat the oil in a frying pan, add the onion and garlic and fry slowly over a medium heat, stirring occasionally, for 20 minutes or until caramelised. Add the shrimp paste and spice mixture and fry for a further 2-3 minutes.

Transfer the mixture into a food processor, add all of the remaining curry paste ingredients and blend to a smooth paste. Set aside.

For the curry
Place the beef into a heavy-based pan with 350ml of the coconut milk and an equal amount of water. Add the black cardamom pods, cinnamon stick and salt, then bring to a simmer and partially cover the pan with a lid, leaving just a small gap for the steam to escape. Cook for two hours, stirring occasionally, until the beef is just tender.

Meanwhile, peel the potatoes and cut into 2.5 x 2.5 x 1cm pieces.

Remove the lid from the curry and discard the black cardamom pods and cinnamon stick. Stir in the rest of the coconut milk, the potatoes, shallots, the curry paste, fish sauce, tamarind water and sugar and simmer gently, uncovered, for a further 25-30 minutes, or until the potatoes, shallots and beef are tender. Stir in the peanuts.

To serve, spoon the curry into serving bowls and scatter over the basil, if using.

Beef Rendang

Start by making the Rendang paste:

100g grated fresh coconut - or unsweetened dessicated coconut
8 dried Kashmiri chillies
2 tablespoons coriander seeds
1 teaspoon of cumin seeds
1 teaspoon of turmeric powder
225g shallots
30g garlic - roughly chopped
50g peeled galangal or ginger
6 hot red birds eye chillies - seeded and roughly chopped

How to do it:
Heat a dry, heavy based, frying pan over a medium heat. Add the coconut and stir for a few minutes until it is richly golden - don't let it burn.
Tip into a food processor and leave to cool.
Meanwhile, put the dried kashmiri chillies, coriander seeds and cumin seeds into a spice grinder and grind to a fine powder.
Add this to the processor with the rest of the spice paste ingredients and 100ml of water. Blend to a smooth-ish paste.

With that done, we can get on with the Rendang!

To serve 6 you will need:

3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1.5kg of chuck steak (braising steak in the UK) - cut into 5-6cm chunks
1 quantity of rendang spice paste - as above
800ml canned coconut milk - don't buy the reduced fat stuff
4 fat lemon grass stalks - bruised - (just bash them lightly)
12 dried kaffir lime leaves - crumbled
2 x 7.5cm cinnamon sticks
125ml Tamarind water - all you do is soak the 60g of pulp in 125ml of hot water and leave for 5 minutes. Break up the pulp with your fingers and then strain the syrupy mixture through a fine discarding the fibrous material and seeds.
1 tablespoon of palm sugar (sold as a golden/tan paste) - or you can use brown sugar, palm sugar will taste better in this dish.

How to do it:
Heat the coconut oil or vegetable oil in a large, heavy based frying pan. Add the beef and fry briefly until it has changed colour but not browned. Add the spice paste, coconut milk, lemon grass, lime leaves and cinnamon sticks and 1 and a half teaspoons of salt.

Bring to the boil, reduce the heat, add the tamarind water and leave to simmer, uncovered for 2 and a half hours, stirring occasionally, and more frequently towards the end of cooking, until the beef is tender and the sauce has reduced and thickened.

Remove the lemongrass from the rendang and stir in the palm sugar and season to taste.
Serve straight away with some Jasmine rice.


http://www.aglugofoil.com/2010/09/beef-rendang.html