Thai Red Beef Curry for Two

Galley Wench's Note:

This is a quick fix dinner that is oh so tasty. Recipe comes from Cook's Illustrated. Note that light coconut milk can be substituted for regular coconut milk, but the sauce will be slightly thinner. If you prefer your curry a little less spicy, reduce the amount of curry paste to 1 teaspoons.

• Total Time: 25 mins
• Prep Time: 10 mins
• Cook Time: 15 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 2

• 1 1/2 teaspoons vegetable oil
• 2 teaspoons red curry paste (to taste)
• 3/4 cup coconut milk
• 1 tablespoon fish sauce
• 2 teaspoons light brown sugar
• 3/4 lb flank steak, cut into 2-inch-wide strips with the grain, then sliced across the grain into 1/8-inch-thick slices
• 1 small red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and cut into 1/4-inch-wide strips
• 1/4 lb sugar snap pea, strings removed
• 1/2 cup coarsely chopped fresh basil leaf
• 3 teaspoons fresh lime juice
• salt

Directions:

1. Heat oil in 12-inch skillet over medium heat until shimmering.
2. Add curry paste and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Whisk in coconut milk, fish sauce, and brown sugar and simmer until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes.
3. Add beef and cook until pieces separate and turn firm, 3 to 5 minutes.
4. Stir in bell pepper and peas and cook until peas are crisp tender, about 5 minutes.
5. Turn off heat, stir in basil and lime juice. Season with salt to taste.

Reviews

[IngridH]

I really enjoyed this! I used 1/2 lb of sirloin steak, and added thickly sliced red onion and zucchini. I like my food moderately spicy, so I only used 1 teaspoon of curry paste, but next time I'll use 1 1/2. The fish sauce was a touch overpowering for me (but that's personal taste), so I'll start with 2 teaspoons next time and adjust from there. I loved how easy this was to prepare, it made just the right amount for dinner plus leftovers for lunch. Thanks for posting a winner!

[Love to Eat!!]

This was excellent and easy to prepare. I served it with coconut rice. Thanks for posting it, I have yet to find a Cook's Illustrated recipe I don't like.