Simple, fast, and delicious, this Thai red beef curry recipe is set to become one of your go-to midweek dinners. It's so easy to make, yet the combination flavours produce a restaurant-quality dish that anyone can make.
So, follow the step by step instructions, look out for my top tips, and enjoy this quick and easy classic Thai beef curry recipe.
Why you'll love this Thai red beef curry recipe
- It's lightning-quick from start to finish.
- All natural ingredients, with a variety of flavours produce a sensational taste.
- This is one recipe that the whole family will love.
- Highly adaptable – you can tweak it to your tastes.
Equipment you'll need for this recipe
There are a few key kitchen items that you'll need to make this recipe:
- Large wok – go for a traditional cast iron wok. It'll be able to withstand very high heat, which is key when it comes to making quick and delicious stir fries and curries
- Mortar and pestle – if you decide to make your own curry paste, you'll need this indispensable combo tool
How to make Thai red beef curry
Sear the rump steak. Set aside.
Fry the onion and garlic until softened.
Add the red curry paste, chillies, lemongrass and lime leaves. Fry for another few minutes.
Add the coconut milk, beef stock, sugar and lime juice.
Add the peas and sweet potato. Stir it and simmer gently until the vegetables are just cooked.
Stir in the sliced beef rump and garnish with fresh chillies, cilantro, and crushed peanuts. Serve with rice. Enjoy!
Top tip
Don't overcook the beef! Sear it hot and fast, then take it off the heat before it's done. It'll continue cooking in the sauce with the rest of the ingredients in the pan.
What to serve with this Thai beef curry recipe
Sides
This Thai red beef curry pairs well with jasmine rice or rice noodles. You can also garnish it with additional fresh herbs, aside from coriander, like Thai basil or mint, to bring a wonderful fragrance and freshness.
Wine pairing
A vibrant red with fruity notes is ideal. Go for a Beaujolais, Gamay, or a light-bodied wine like Pinot Noir.
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Variations to this recipe
- Feel free to add different vegetables into the mix, such as courgette, green beans, broccoli, red pepper, mushrooms, or bamboo shoots, to customise the curry to your liking.
- Add extra lime leaf if you're a fan of sour flavours.
- If you have lots of free time, you can make Thai red curry paste! It's usually made from a combination of red chillies, garlic, ginger, shallots, shrimp paste, salt, lime leaves, coriander, cumin, peppercorns, and lemongrass.
- You can thicken the sauce and make it extra delicious by adding a tablespoon of coconut cream to the wok after adding the red curry paste.
- Add a splash of soy sauce for a little extra richness.
Popular substitutions for this recipe
- If you prefer fish, replace the beef with white fish and add some fish sauce for extra flavour.
- You can make this Thai red curry a vegan curry by replacing the beef with wild mushrooms or tofu, and the beef stock with vegetable stock.
Top tips
- When searing the rump steak, do it on a high heat. You want to get that nice brown crust on the outside while keeping the inside rare. It'll continue cooking when added back to the curry.
- Always taste the curry as you're cooking. You must balance sweet, salty, sour, and spicy flavours.
What is a Thai red curry?
Probably Thailand's most iconic dish, red curry is made using red chillies. This gives it that fiery, scarlet colour and tongue-tingling heat. Aside from red chillies, Thai red curries typically contain coriander, lime leaves, and lemongrass.
What's the history of Thai red curry?
Red chilli-based curries have been made in Thailand for centuries. It's said that Thai chefs were influenced by Indian spice traders and Buddhist missionaries almost 2,000 years ago. Around this time, spiced dishes that resemble today's Thai red curry first started to appear.
More recently, curry pastes such as 'nam prik', a classic paste made from lemongrass, tamarind, fish sauce, and even more, fish sauce and various spices, became popular across Thailand. They also took further inspiration from other cuisines, including India, Malaysia, and even Portugal, due to visiting Portuguese missionaries in the 19th century.
What's the secret to a good Thai beef curry?
Thai curries are oh-so-simple and taste fabulous. However, a few essentials to get right when making a great Thai curry. They are:
Choose a good cut of beef. See below for my recommendations.
Go for full-fat coconut milk. The flavour and consistency of the curry sauce will be so much better.
Lime leaves and lime juice are essential when bringing acidity to the dish.
You can go for a good quality curry paste. There are some fantastic ready-made curry pastes, which is excellent news for those of us on a busy schedule with so little time! I recommend using Mae Ploy Thai red curry paste.
What's the best cut of beef for a Thai red curry?
For me, rump steak is the best. It's inexpensive, versatile, and excellent for stir-frying.
You can also use beef tenderloin – versatile and great for searing – or flank steak – the most commonly used cut of beef in Asian stir-fries.
Do all Thai curries have coconut milk?
The majority of Thai curries use coconut milk. The amount of coconut milk used differs per recipe. Some call for a lot, for a beautiful creamy sauce, while others need only a subtle flavouring of coconut milk.
You can get a can at most stores, if you pick one up at an Asian market, learn how to read the nutrition label here.
What's the best oil to use in Thai curry?
Traditionally, Thai curries have vegetable, coconut, peanut, and soybean oils.
How do you thicken Thai red curry?
Coconut cream is an excellent ingredient for thickening Thai red curries. It helps to achieve a smooth, silky texture without compromising on the critical flavours required for a traditional Thai curry.
However, you can also use cornflour to thicken Thai curry sauce.
How do you store Thai red beef curry leftovers?
Great news... Thai red beef curry tastes even better the next day! I like to make a big batch, more than we need on the first serving, so we have extras for later. Storing leftovers is easy – wait for everything to cool completely, then transfer into an airtight container.
Place the container in the fridge, and you're good to go! Thai red beef curry leftovers will be kept for up to three days.
Can I freeze beef curry?
Yes, you can. Thai curries freeze better than other creamy curries because there's no dairy – only coconut milk.
Place any leftovers in a freezer-safe airtight container. Freeze for up to four months.
More amazing Thai recipes
So, now you're hooked on Thai food? Well, I have some fantastic Thai recipes for you to fall head over heels in love with!
- Thai spring rolls – the perfect deep fried snacks for starters or parties
- Pad ka pow gai – a spicy chicken dish that's so tasty
- Lamb massaman curry – this hearty lamb curry is an absolute marvel
- Whole baked Thai sea bass – sensational flavours that make for a memorable meal
📖 Recipe
Thai Red Beef Curry Recipe
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 4 portions 1x
- Diet: Low Lactose
Description
Spice up your dinner with our Thai Red Beef Curry recipe. It's a symphony of flavors, featuring tender beef and a rich, aromatic sauce!
Ingredients
- 30ml oil
- 1 (about 500g) rump steak
- 1 onion, thinly sliced
- 2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- 2 fresh red chillies, sliced
- 2 lemongrass stalks, bruised
- 2 kaffir lime leaves, finely sliced
- 400ml coconut milk
- 90ml red curry paste
- 375ml beef stock
- 1 lime, zest and juice
- 3 tbsp brown sugar
- 200g sugar snap peas
- 400g sweet potato, peeled and cut into bite-sized pieces
- 75g roasted peanuts, crumbled
- salt and pepper, to taste
- fresh coriander leaves, to garnish
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a wok over medium-high heat.
- Place the whole rump steak in the hot wok and sear it for 2-3 minutes on each side until it's nicely browned on the outside but still rare in the center.
- Remove the seared steak from the wok and set it aside to rest.
- In the same wok, add the thinly sliced onion and garlic cloves. Stir-fry for a few minutes until they start to soften.
- Add the sliced fresh red chillies, lemongrass stalks, and finely sliced Kaffir lime leaves to the wok. Continue to stir-fry for another minute or until fragrant.
- Stir in the red curry paste and cook for about a minute, stirring constantly to release its flavors.
- Pour in the coconut milk and beef stock, stirring to combine and form a flavorful sauce.
- Add the lime zest, lime juice, and brown sugar to the wok. Adjust the amount of lime juice to taste, depending on your preference for acidity. Stir everything together and allow it to simmer for a few minutes to let the flavors meld.
- Toss in the sugar snap peas and sweet potato Simmer gently until the sweet potato is cooked.
- Season the curry with salt and pepper to your liking.
- Thinly slice the rested rump steak and add it to the curry. Stir to heat through.
- Just before serving, sprinkle the crumbled roasted peanuts over the top for a delightful crunch and garnish with fresh coriander leaves.
- Serve the curry over rice or noodles, and enjoy your delicious homemade meal!
Notes
- Rump Steak Searing: When searing the rump steak, aim to get a nice brown crust on the outside while keeping the inside rare because it will continue cooking when added back to the curry. Adjust the searing time based on your preferred level of doneness.
- Customize Spice Level: Adjust the number of fresh red chillies to control the spiciness of the curry. You can add more or fewer chillies based on your heat tolerance.
- Lime Zest and Juice: The lime zest and juice add a vibrant, citrusy flavor to the curry. Start with a bit of lime juice and taste, then adjust as needed for your preferred level of tanginess.
- Peanuts: The roasted peanuts provide a satisfying crunch and nutty flavor. Crush them before adding to the curry, or sprinkle them on top before serving.
- Serving Options: This curry pairs well with jasmine rice or rice noodles. You can also garnish it with fresh herbs like Thai basil or mint for extra freshness.
- Adjust Seasoning: Taste the curry before serving and adjust the salt, pepper, and sugar levels to your liking. Thai cuisine often balances sweet, salty, sour, and spicy flavors.
- Variations: Feel free to add other vegetables or proteins, such as bell peppers, bamboo shoots, or tofu, to customize the curry to your preferences.
- Meal Size: The recipe is designed to serve 4, but you can easily scale it up or down based on your needs.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Pan fry
- Cuisine: Thai
Nutrition
- Serving Size:
- Calories: 737
- Sugar: 11.6 g
- Sodium: 804.7 mg
- Fat: 46 g
- Saturated Fat: 22.2 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 40.8 g
- Fiber: 6.6 g
- Protein: 37.8 g
- Cholesterol: 75 mg
Michelle
You're right, Phil. Anything freshly home made is the best. Unfortunately, I'm the only person in the house who loves curry and don't eat it as often as I would have liked to. That's why I use the ready-made paste and I'm sure there are other people in a similar situation. One day though I'll make it completely from scratch!
Phil
Making a thai curry paste isn't very difficult at all if you have a blender and access to a decent supermarket (which I know everyone doesnt). Barts curry paste for example, which this recipe suggests, isn't very good and a homemade one will inevitably be much better and fulfilling. Also because of the spices involved with making your own curry paste it will keep in the fridge for weeks so you don't need to eat curry every day. You could also alternatively keep it in the freezer for a much longer period of time.
Sure if you don't have access to anything but the paste then go for it, but really it is much better to always try and make it yourself. It's not exactly a difficult process and the rewards are worth it. Im assuming people reading the GreedyGOURMET would prize flavour over convenience?
michelle
Thanks for the great input, Phil. I will definitely look into make my own pastes!
Juls
I use the Mae Ploy brand of paste that I was introduced to by a Thai lady. I crush coriander and cumin seeds with coriander stems (and roots if I can get hold of them) and dry fry these, then add the curry paste. Then a small amount of the coconut milk to loosen it and then the rest of the coconut milk. The addition of kaffir lime leaves, then before serving, holy basil and the coriander leaves. I season with fish sauce, sugar and salt. This works for me and I use green or red depending on what I have open and they last me AGES so I can't have both on the go.
This recipe with peanuts or peanut butter sound interesting, I will have to give the peanuts a go.
may
I like the Thai brand of curry paste, very hot and authentic.
Michelle
Álvaro: How unfortunate! Coconut milk is part of the charm of this dish but a quick search revealed the following suggestions - http://www.buzzle.com/articles/coconut-milk-substitute.html.
Álvaro
Absolutely no chance of finding coconut milk where I live.
Is there another way of cooking this delicacy?
Thanks!
maria
i make this curry so often because its so easy and quick...i also made it with green thai curry paste with the same method and its turned out amazing too...i use prawns and chicken mostly rather than beef. i found the recipe on the back of the curry paste container some two odd years back!
Kathy
Curry and peanut sauce is really an interesting combination. Different herbs also adds up to the wonderful fusion of tastes and flavor. Your pictures are great and wonderful! Thank you for sharing your recipe!
Anh
This looks really good! I like curry with lots of peanut in it.. 🙂
Kath
This looks so good! Our favorite Thai restaurant closed. There are others around, but we miss Sam's restaurant. I'll have to try your recipe!
Sarah, Maison Cupcake
Looks fabulous, very pretty presentation. I love satay type things.