Burmese-Style Beef Curry with Vermicelli Rice
At first glance these eye-catching chile peppers look like red jalapeno. However, they have a different flavor and are less meaty than Jalapeno. Red Fresnos are great roasted and added to salsas. Try grilling them alongside your steaks or in kabobs.
When roasting these they should char, blister, and become soft. Try substituting these in your favorite chile recipes.
Ingredients:
For the paste:
4 garlic cloves, crushed and finely chopped
1 Tbsp. freshly grated ginger
2 red Fresno chiles, seeded and chopped
1 large onion, peeled and chopped
1 tsp. turmeric
1 handful chopped fresh cilantro
1 handful chopped Thai basil leaves
For the beef:
2 Tbsp. peanut oil
2 shallots, peeled and chopped
1 Tbsp. shrimp paste
12-1/2 oz. sirloin steak, cubed
1-1/4 cups coconut milk
1 lemongrass stalk, chopped
1/2 teaspoon brown sugar
1 Tbsp. ground coriander
2 Tbsp. fish sauce (nam pla)
Instructions:
To make the paste:
Blend all the paste ingredients together.
To prepare the beef:
Heat a wok over high heat and add the oil. Stir fry the shallots with the shrimp paste for less than 1 minute and add the paste ingredients. Stir fry for 1 minute and add the steak and stir fry for 2 minutes, or until browned on all sides.
Stir in the coconut milk. (For a thinner sauce, you could also add a little chicken stock at this stage. For a creamier curry, you could add some coconut cream.) Add the lemongrass, the brown sugar, ground coriander and fish sauce. Bring to a boil and sprinkle with a handful of chopped fresh cilantro and Thai basil leaves.
Bring a large pan of water to a boil and cook the vermicelli rice noodles according to the package instructions. Drain the noodlews and place them into 2 individual serving bowls. Ladle the curry over the noodles and serve immediately.
Recipe by Ching-He Huang,from China Modern, (Kyle Books, 2006).