Beef Curry w/ Spinach & Pinneapple
This is a modified red curry recipe I found in one of my Asian cookbooks I have been making for a few years. It is an all-in-one bowl dish which is great for dinner, and the leftovers heat up well for lunch the next day.
Ingredients
Basic Ingredients *
- 1/2 lb Beef (high quality, about 1 inch cubes or strips)
- 1 bag fresh Spinach
- 1 c Pinneapple (fresh is best)
- 2 c Rice
Sauce Ingredients **
- 2 t Fish sauce
- 1 T Garlic (minced, fresh is best)
- 1 t Soy sauce (to taste)
- 1 T Red curry (paste or powder), to taste
- 1 T Seseme oil
- 1 T Basil (fresh or dried)
- 1 can Coconut milk
Cooking
Prepare the rice according to package directions. I use a rice maker and found soaking the grains in water for 10-15 minutes before turing it on makes grains more fluffy with the right stickiness (not too dry, not too wet). After it has finished cooking, let sit/steam for 10 minutes. If you don’t have a rice maker, you’re on your own.
Using a wok or medium pot, heat the oil and then combine the garlic and sautee for 1 minute. Add the soy sauce, fish sauce, basil if using fresh and curry and blend well. Cook for 1-2 mintues.
When the sauce is hot, add your beef chunks and basil if using dried ***. Turn the heat on high and stir constantly (so your curry and garlic do not burn) and brown meat.
If you like medium-done beef, remove beef from pot and put on plate until later. If you like well-done beef, leave in pot to simmer while the sauce is cooking.
Add the coconut milk and pinneapple and bring to boil. Reduce heat to low-medium and simmer for 15-20 minutes. If you like medium-done beef, add it in the last 5-10 minutes.
Preparation
Using a medium size bowl (cereal, not soup sized) scoop about 1 cup rice. Cover the top of the rice with the fresh spinach. Using a spoon, pour the coconut curry sauce over the spinach (it will semi-steam) and scoop a few pieces of beef and pinneapple on top.
Grab a spoon, fork, or some chopsticks and enjoy!
* This dish also works well with lamb, tofu, and shrimp, but I havn’t tried chicken. You can substitute pinneapple for almost any fruit or vegetable. I’ve used Portabello mushrooms, baby corn, snap peas, bamboo strips, etc. I prefer using Jasmine rice for this dish, although any type of rice should taste fine.
** You can use low-sodium soy sauce, olive oil, and low-fat/fat-free coconut milk for a healthier alternative.
*** The fragrance and taste of dried herbs fade the longer you cook them and should be added later in the cooking process than fresh herbs