Thai food is known for its intense flavors and complex use of spices. Fresh ingredients nearly always produce the best results, but there are plenty of ready-prepared spice mixes that take a lot of the time and effort out of preparing Thai food.
This beef and pumpkin curry recipe is a good example. Made from ingredients such as red curry paste, coconut milk and fish sauce, which are readily available in supermarkets, this recipe is really easy to make, but the final dish is thick, spicy and bursting with taste.
The only item that may require a little more effort to locate is satay sauce, a sauce popular in many Southeast Asian countries made from ground peanuts, chilli and other spices. It should be available in larger Asian shops.
Vegetarian Curry
The recipe can also be adapted for vegetarians. Simply replace the beef with the same amount of vegetables (for example zucchini, courgettes, carrots diced). Add the pumpkin at the same time as the other vegetables and reduce the cooking time to about 25 minutes - the last 10 minutes with the lid off - or until all the vegetables are soft.
Thai Beef and Pumpkin Curry Recipe
Serves 4.
Preparation time: 10 minutes.
Cooking time: 50 minutes.
Ingredients:
- 1 tablespoon sunflower oil
- 1 medium red onion, cut into rings
- 4 tablespoons Thai red curry paste
- 1 teaspoon cumin powder
- 3 tablespoons satay sauce
- 14 fl oz / 400 ml coconut milk
- 1lb / 500 g lean beef, diced
- 1 cinnamon stick
- Grated rind of a small (organic) lime
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce
- 1 small pumpkin, rind and seeds removed and diced
To garnish:
- Small handful of peanuts, roughly chopped
- Small handful of fresh coriander, roughly chopped
Preparation:
- In a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan heat the oil over a medium flame. Add the onion rings and fry for 3-4 minutes, or until soft.
- Add the curry paste and the cumin and cook until the spices become fragrant, another minute or so.
- Add the satay sauce, coconut milk, beef, cinnamon stick, lemon rind, fish sauce and 8 fl oz / 250 ml of water. Stir until all the ingredients are mixed and bring slowly to the boil. Reduce the heat, put the lid on the saucepan and leave to cook for around 40 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add the pumpkin and let the curry cook for a further 10 minutes with the lid off until the pumpkin is just soft and the source has begun to thicken.
- Serve the curry with steamed or boiled white rice, and garnish with the chopped peanuts and coriander just before serving.
Cecily Layzell - Cecily Layzell is a food and travel writer and founder of restaurant review site www.eat-amsterdam.com.
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