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Beef and Potato Curry with Lemon Grass and Coconut

Beef and Potato Curry with Lemon Grass and Coconut

  • Makes
    4 servings
  • Cook Time
    45 minutes

Southeast Asian curries combine Indian influences with regional ingredients such as lemon grass and star anise. For this one, we took inspiration from a recipe in “Best of Malaysian Cooking” by Betty Saw, but instead of calling for a long list of spices, we use Indian curry powder as an easy flavor base; sambal oelek, an Indonesian-style chili paste, adds bright heat to the dish. Look for sambal in well-stocked supermarkets and Asian grocery stores; if it’s not available, chili-garlic paste is a good substitute. Serve the curry with lime wedges and jasmine rice.

Tip

Don’t forget to trim off any silver skin from the short ribs before slicing. The silver skin is stringy and fibrous unless the meat is cooking for a long time, and if left in place, it will cause the slices of beef to curl during simmering.

Ingredients
  • 1½

    pounds boneless beef short ribs, trimmed and sliced ⅛ inch thick against the grain

  • Kosher salt and ground black pepper

  • 2

    tablespoons grapeseed or other neutral oil

  • 1

    medium red onion, halved thinly sliced

  • 3

    medium garlic cloves, smashed and peeled

  • 1½

    tablespoons finely grated fresh ginger

  • 2

    stalks fresh lemon grass, trimmed to the bottom 6 inches, dry outer layers discarded, bruised

  • 2

    tablespoons curry powder

  • 2

    star anise pods

  • 1

    pound small Yukon Gold potatoes (about 1½ inches in diameter), unpeeled, halved

  • 14

    ounce can coconut milk

  • 1

    tablespoon sambal oelek or chili-garlic paste, plus more as needed

Step 1

Season the beef with salt and pepper; set aside. In a large Dutch oven over medium-high, heat the oil until shimmering. Add the onion, garlic, ginger, lemon grass, curry powder, star anise and 1 teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring often, until the onion begins to soften and the mixture is fragrant, about 3 minutes.

Step 2

Add the beef, potatoes, coconut milk and sambal, then bring to a simmer, scraping the bottom of the pot. Reduce to medium-low, cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until a skewer inserted into the largest potatoes meets no resistance, about 30 minutes.

Step 3

Off heat, taste and season with salt, pepper and additional sambal. Remove and discard the star anise and lemon grass.