Spring may be peeking demurely around the corner in Brooklyn, but not too long ago, we seemed to be getting the Blizzard of the Year weekly. To prepare for the most recent of those storms, I turned to the crockpot to keep us warm and fed during the blizzard days and the cold ones that followed. Particularly, beef stew. I have loved beef stew since I was a little girl, especially my grandmother's which I used to request as a birthday dish, even in May (the rest of my family fired up the grill....I guess I wasn't so seasonal then!).
This time around, I thought I would try to create a new twist, yet another attempt to bring one of my more simply flavored family dishes into my husband's stomach which, as is by now well documented here, craves Asian flavors. In the cold weather, I also like some extra spice and so the Red Curry Beef Stew was born.
With some lovely local red creamer potatoes, frozen green beans, and a zucchini just screaming for use, the dish came together in the crockpot quickly and allowed me to stare at the snow for the afternoon. I've always got at least one or two cans of coconut milk and various jars of curry paste or bean paste around to make a quick basic coconut curry. With all of the vegetables, it really is a one dish meal, but a green salad could lend some crunch and freshness to the meal if you so desire. Feel free to experiment with the vegetables as well - the onions are really the only must here because they really add a lot of nice flavor.
Red Curry Beef Stew
- 1 tbsp. olive oil
- 2.5 lbs cubed sirloin tips (or any stew meat)
- 3 medium onions, thinly sliced
- 1 lb. red creamer potatoes, cut into chunks or left whole if small enough
- 1 can light coconut milk
- 2-4 tbsp. red curry paste (I like 4, but 2 gives good flavor without too much kick)
- 2 hot chilis, sliced (optional, remove seeds for lighter spice and omit entirely if desired)
- 3 tbps fish sauce
- 1 tsp. brown sugar
- 1-2 cups green beans, fresh or frozen (no need to defrost if frozen)
- 1 zucchini, cut into half moon slices
- Heat olive oil in saute pan. Add beef cubes and brown on at least two sides.
- Layer onions, beef, chilis and potatoes in crockpot (mine is about 3 quarts).
- Mix coconut milk, curry paste, sugar and fish sauce well in a bowl. Pour mixture over crockpot ingredients.
- Turn on low for 7-8 hours.
- Add beans and zucchini in last 30 minutes of cooking.
- Serve with rice or noodles.