Hairy Bikers Panang Beef Curry Recipe

Hairy Bikers panang beef curry braises 1cm cubes of stewing beef in a pounded homemade paste, finished with coconut milk and diced red pepper. Since most of its 2 hours 40 minutes is braising, this Asian Adventure curry asks little of you, at about 500 calories a bowl.

Thai cooks pound their pastes “with what looks like a policeman’s truncheon”, as Si and Dave put it, “instead of using a grinding motion”. And they reckon the recipe “shows just how good Thai curries can be if you make your own pastes”, with cardamom and turmeric in theirs.

Nothing creamy goes in until the beef is tender, because it braises in stock first, lid on, for the best part of 2 hours. Then the coconut milk, tomatoes and pepper get just 10 minutes, so the pepper keeps its crunch.

Hairy Bikers Panang Beef Curry Recipe

Author: Alex Saidani Cooking Method:Simmering Cuisine:British Thai Courses:Dinner

Difficulty:BeginnerPrep time: 30 minutesCook time:2 hours 10 minutesRest time: minutesTotal time:2 hours 40 minutesServings:4 servingsCalories:500 kcal Best Season:Summer

Description

Beef braises low and slow with green peppercorns and slashed bird’s-eye chillies, so expect proper heat. Plus my calorie count on this card leaves out the rice.

Ingredients

For the curry

• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 750g lean stewing beef, chopped into 1cm cubes
• half the curry paste (below)
• 5 lime leaves
• 2 stems of fresh green peppercorns, or 1 tbsp sweet brined green peppercorns from a jar
• 250ml beef stock
• 2–3 red bird’s-eye chillies, slashed
• 200ml canned coconut milk (low-fat is fine)
• 3 fresh tomatoes, skinned and roughly chopped
• 1 red pepper, deseeded and cut into small dice
• fresh coriander leaves, to garnish
• steamed rice sprinkled with roasted chilli flakes, to serve

For the curry paste (makes enough for 2 curries)

• 6 green cardamom pods, seeds only
• 6 large dried red chillies
• 1 tbsp coriander seeds
• 1½ tsp cumin seeds
• 20g galangal, peeled and finely chopped
• 2 lemon grass stalks, white part only, finely chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
• 10 kaffir lime leaves, finely shredded
• 5 large Thai shallots (or 2 banana shallots), roughly chopped
• 2.5cm piece of fresh turmeric root, finely grated, or 1½ tsp ground turmeric
• 1 tsp shrimp paste
• 4 tbsp fish sauce
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil

Instructions

1. Toast the spices: Lightly crush the cardamom pods, split them open and put the seeds in a spice grinder or pestle and mortar. Then dry roast the dried chillies in a small frying pan for 2 to 3 minutes until slightly browned, and add them too.
2. Make the paste: Roast the coriander and cumin seeds in the same pan for a minute. Then add them and grind or pound everything to a powder, before pounding in the remaining paste ingredients. Or grind the spices first and blitz with the rest in a food processor.
3. Brown the beef: Heat the oil in a medium casserole dish with a lid and brown the beef on all sides, working in batches. Once it’s all browned, tip it back in, stir in half the paste and cook for 2 to 3 minutes.
4. Braise: Add the lime leaves, green peppercorns, stock and chillies, then cover and cook gently over a low heat for about 1 hour 45 minutes. Or cook it in an oven preheated to 140°C/Fan 120°C/Gas 1 for a couple of hours, until tender. Either way, check now and then and add a little water if it looks dry.
5. Finish: Once the beef is tender, stir in the coconut milk, tomatoes and red pepper. Cook for 10 minutes more so the pepper keeps a bit of crunch. Then garnish with coriander and serve with steamed rice sprinkled with roasted chilli flakes.

FAQs

How much of the paste do I use?

The bikers say the paste makes enough for 2 curries, so I stir in half of it here. And the rest keeps in the fridge for 2 to 3 weeks or the freezer for a month, as they suggest.

Their Thai massaman curry from Asian Adventure works the same way, with a homemade paste that makes double.

Why are there no peanuts?

Most panang I’ve eaten is a quick, thick curry with peanuts, but this one is a slow braise in stock with no nuts.

So if you miss them, I’d scatter chopped roasted peanuts over the top.

Can I use chicken, pork or prawns?

Yes, Si and Dave say it works with prawns, pork or chicken, as long as you adjust the cooking times. For pork shoulder I’d keep the slow braise, while I’d add prawns with the coconut milk.

For chicken thighs, I’d give them about 30 to 40 minutes, until there’s no pink and they reach 70°C.

Can I use low-fat coconut milk?

Yes, they say low-fat is fine, and with only 200ml going in, it saves roughly 60 calories a bowl.

That’s a light touch next to the Auntie Daeng Thai green curry, where the Bangkok chef cooks down 600ml of coconut milk in three goes.

Does it keep, and can I freeze it?

I keep leftovers for 2 days in the fridge and reheat them until piping hot. As for freezing, their advice only covers the paste, so I’d freeze the braised beef before the creamy finish goes in.

For another slow beef curry with coconut, their Meat Feasts beef rendang simmers chuck steak uncovered for 2½ to 3 hours.