Thai Red Curry Beef

Method

1. Prep the vegetables first. Cut 6 mini sweet peppers into strips and set them aside. Cut the ends off 1 medium sweet onion, stand it on the flat side, cut it in half down the middle, peel off the first couple of layers, and slice it into strips. Peel the outer layers off 1 stalk of lemongrass and pound it to release the oils. Pinch the tops off 3 Thai chilies. Trim the ends off 170 g6 ounces of fresh green beans and leave them about 4 to 13 cm5 inches long. Drain 140 g5 ounces of bamboo shoots.
2. Turn the Ninja Combi on, select Sear/Sauté, set it to level 5, and press Start. The door needs to stay open for the bottom element to heat up. Add 1 tablespoon of avocado oil to the pot and let it warm while you prep the beef.
3. Cut 455 g1 pound of thinly sliced bottom round into 2.5 cm1-inch strips, separating each piece as you go rather than stacking them. Separated pieces stay separated as they cook, which gives you the right texture instead of one large clump of beef. There is no need to trim the fat. Sprinkle ½ teaspoon of salt over the beef, rub it around, and let it sit until you are ready to add it.
4. Once the oil is hot, add 115 g4 ounces of red curry paste to the pot. Spread it out, break it up, and let it sauté in the oil for a few minutes. The oil carries the curry flavor through the whole dish, and cooking the paste takes out any bitterness from the raw ingredients it was made with.

   Our tip Keep it moving. It's ready when the raw smell has gone and the oil turns red and starts to seep out around the paste.

5. Add 1 tablespoon of minced garlic and 1 tablespoon of minced ginger. Stir them in and sauté for about 30 seconds. This part moves quickly, so stay in front of the pot and keep stirring so nothing burns.
6. Open the can of coconut milk and pour off the thinner liquid from the top. Measure 255 g1 cup9 oz of it and stir it into the curry paste. Reserve everything left in the can, including the thick fatty part, for the end of the recipe. If your can is mostly liquid, that is perfectly fine.

   Our tip In an unshaken can the thick cream usually floats to the top. Spoon it into a bowl first, then pour out the thin liquid underneath for this step.

7. Add 4 to 5 kaffir lime leaves, the pounded stalk of lemongrass, and the 3 Thai chilies if you are using them. Stir in 1 tablespoon of brown sugar and ½ teaspoon of fish sauce. The fish sauce smells strong on its own, but it makes a real difference in the finished curry.
8. Pour in 240 ml1 cup of beef broth and stir. The pot has cooled down now that all the liquid is in, so nothing is going to burn. Turn the Ninja Combi off while you build the rice.
9. Add 185 g1 cup6½ oz of jasmine rice to a pan that fits on the rack, without rinsing it, then add 470 ml2 cups of plain water. Cover the pan with a silicone lid, a fitted lid, or foil. Set it aside for a moment.
10. Add the salted beef to the pot and spread it out in an even layer so it sits under the liquid. Do not sauté it and do not brown it. The first part of Combi Bake is essentially steaming, and cooking the beef this way is what gives you tender, fully cooked strips.
11. Add the onion, the mini sweet peppers, and the drained bamboo shoots on top of the beef and give everything a gentle stir. Lay the green beans on top last. Sitting up high keeps them further from the steaming liquid so they hold their texture.
12. Set the small rack into the pot and slide the covered pan of rice onto the rack. Close the door, flip the lever up, and select Combi Bake at 150°C300°F for 10 minutes. Press Start.
13. The Combi builds steam for about 20 minutes, and then the 10 minute countdown begins. You will see a lot of steam at first, which will taper off after about 5 minutes and continue lightly for the rest of the cooking time.
14. When the timer reaches zero, open the door and let the steam clear before reaching in. Lift the pan of rice out and set it aside, then remove the rack. The curry will look a little dry at this point, which is exactly what you want.
15. Pour the reserved coconut milk right over the top and stir. The sauce will thicken as you stir and turn creamy and glossy.
16. Fish out the lemongrass stalk, the kaffir lime leaves, and the Thai chilies if you can find them. The chilies look a lot like the strips of red pepper, so if you cannot find them, let everyone know to watch their plate.
17. Take the lid off the rice and fluff it. Serve the curry over the rice, spooning plenty of sauce on top. Tear fresh basil over each plate right before serving. Basil added at the end keeps its color and its bright flavor, which is why it does not go in during cooking.

    Our tip If the rice is still wet or a little firm, put the lid back on and leave it for 5 minutes; it finishes in its own steam.

Tips from Louise

PREP TIPS

• Separate every strip of beef as you slice it. Pieces left stacked together cook into one large clump instead of tender individual strips.
• Pound the lemongrass after peeling the outer layers off. Pounding releases the oils, which is where the flavor lives.
• Lemongrass, Thai chilies, and kaffir lime leaves all freeze beautifully. Buy them in bulk when you find them, wash and dry the chilies first, and use them straight from frozen.
• Have everything prepped before you turn the Combi on. Once the curry paste hits the oil, this recipe moves quickly.

COOKING TIPS

• The door needs to be open for the bottom element to heat up on Sear/Sauté. That is how the Ninja Combi works, not a fault.
• Sauté the curry paste in oil before any liquid goes in. Oil carries the curry flavor through the dish and cooking the paste removes any bitterness.
• Do not brown the beef. Adding it raw and under the liquid is what produces the tender texture in this recipe.
• Green beans go in last and sit on top. Further from the steaming liquid means they stay crisp tender instead of going soft.
• Combi Bake takes about 20 minutes to build steam before the 10 minute countdown starts, so plan for about 30 minutes in the appliance.

RICE TIPS

• Do not rinse the jasmine rice for this recipe, even though rinsing is usually the right call.
• Use plain water, not broth. The curry underneath brings all the flavor the rice needs.
• The rack only needs to hold the pan above the curry. Any small rack that sits securely in the pot will do.
• Leave the lid on the rice if you are not serving right away. It holds its heat and texture nicely.

SUBSTITUTION TIPS

• No lemongrass or kaffir lime leaves? Tear a little fresh mint over the finished curry. It is not traditional, but it brings back the brightness those two ingredients provide.
• If you have lemongrass but no kaffir lime leaves, use 2 stalks of lemongrass instead of 1.
• For heat without Thai chilies, stir in about ½ teaspoon of sambal oelek, or a full teaspoon if you like things spicy.
• Mini sweet peppers, green beans, bamboo shoots, and Thai chilies can all be left out. The dish is still delicious without any of them.
• Do not skip the red curry paste or the fish sauce. Those two are what make it red Thai curry.

VARIATIONS

• Swap the bottom round for thinly sliced chicken breast or thigh, or for shrimp added in the last few minutes.
• Use 1 orange or yellow bell pepper in place of the mini sweet peppers. Skip green bell pepper, the flavor is wrong for this curry.
• Add snow peas or baby corn along with the bamboo shoots for more texture.
• Serve it over white rice, brown rice, or rice noodles instead of jasmine rice.

SERVING SUGGESTIONS

• Spoon the curry over the rice rather than beside it so the rice soaks up the sauce.
• Tear the basil over each plate at the very end. Cooked basil loses both its color and its flavor.
• A squeeze of lime or a little lime zest brightens the bowl if you have it on hand.
• This makes 4 generous servings, or 6 lighter ones depending on appetites.

STORAGE

• Refrigerator: Store the curry and the rice in separate airtight containers in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
• Freezer: Freeze the curry in an airtight container for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator. The rice is best made fresh.
• Reheating: Warm the curry gently on the stove or in the microwave, adding a splash of coconut milk or broth if it has thickened too much. Add fresh basil after reheating.