Thai Red Beef Curry | Greedy Gourmet

Question 1

What is a Thai red curry?

Accepted Answer

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.

Question 2

What's the history of Thai red curry?

Accepted Answer

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.

Question 3

What's the secret to a good Thai beef curry?

Accepted Answer

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.

Question 4

What's the best cut of beef for a Thai red curry?

Accepted Answer

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.

Question 5

Do all Thai curries have coconut milk?

Accepted Answer

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.

Question 6

What's the best oil to use in Thai curry?

Accepted Answer

Traditionally, Thai curries have vegetable, coconut, peanut, and soybean oils.

Question 7

How do you thicken Thai red curry?

Accepted Answer

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.

Question 8

How do you store Thai red beef curry leftovers?

Accepted Answer

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.

Question 9

Can I freeze beef curry?

Accepted Answer

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.

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