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3 Comments In the fall and winter season I love making easy curries, such as this Thai beef curry in my slow cooker. It’s the perfect quick fix for busy days as I just turn on the slow cooker in the morning before I leave for work and dinner is ready when I arrive back home. How’s that for convenience?
Thai Beef Curry
So this easy Thai beef curry is made in the slow cooker but I’ll also share how to make this in a regular pan (like a Dutch oven). You can also make this in an instant pot using the slow cooker setting.
It is no secret that I am a fan of my slow cooker. So here are all the slow cooker recipes. Just in case you have a slow cooker but don’t use it often enough. The coming weeks there will be more slow cooker recipes coming online.
I call this dish a Thai beef curry because there are a lot of Asian ingredients in it. The curry itself doesn’t have a lot of vegetables, so I always serve it with cauliflower rice.
What do you need for the slow cooker Thai beef curry?
The ingredients for this Thai beef curry are pretty simple ingredients.
- beef – suitable for a curry or stew
- Thai red curry paste – or use a green curry paste. The amount of curry paste can vary according to your personal preference. Also the heat of the curry can vary dramatically between brands so make sure you know what you’re adding to your dish.
- fish sauce
- brown sugar
- lime juice
- coconut milk – or coconut cream
- lemon grass
Adding vegetables
If you want to add more vegetables to the Thai beef curry itself, you can do so quite easily. For example, you can add sweet potatoes, green beans, bell peppers or diced pumpkin. Keep in mind that sweet potato – if you add it right away – will fall apart after 7 hours in the slow cooker. That’s not a bad thing; it makes the curry nice and thick. Pumpkin tends to fall apart a little less quickly but will eventually also fall apart.
If you want to can prepare the Thai beef curry and add the vegetables later. You can cook those separately and add them once the curry itself is finished. You can serve the curry with something like Jasmine rice or – as I like to do – serve it with cauliflower rice. That way I immediately increase the vegetables in the dish.
Preparing for the slow cooker
Officially you should always first sauté the beef pieces with the Thai curry paste before adding it to the slow cooker. However, I never do that. Call me lazy but while caramelizing the meat no doubt adds flavor I like the taste just fine without the extra step. Also I am not a fan of roasting beef in the early morning so I skip that step. I literally toss all the ingredients in the slow cooker, turn on low heat and go out the door. Can’t be any easier than that! That’s why slow cooking is one of my favorite cooking methods!
In an ordinary pan
If you don’t have a slow cooker, or just don’t feel like waiting 7 hours for your Thai beef curry, you can make it in a Dutch oven. If you do there are a few things to keep in mind.
The first thing is obviously that you will have to stay close to the stove. You also have to check the liquid content of the pan a few times. You will also need more liquid than you would in the slow cooker. So keep some extra stock on hand in case the curry gets too dry. Stir occasionally to see how things are going.
For a regular stew you will need about 3 hours of cook time before the dish is ready or the beef is tender enough. It should easily fall apart if you use a fork.
Check These Recipes As well
Thai salad with chinese cabbage and mango – quick, healthy and delicious
Slow cooker Thai beef curry
Ingredients
- 750 g beef
- 3 tbsp red curry paste
- 2 tbsp fish sauce Go-Tan
- 400 ml coconut milk
- 1 lemon grass stem crushed
- 1 stock cube
- juice of ½ lime
- Pepper and salt to taste
- 800 g Cauliflower rice for serving
- Cilantro for serving
Equipment
- Slow cooker
How to make the beef curry
- Place all the ingredients (except the cauliflower rice and cilantro) in the bowl of the slow cooker. If you want a bit more flavor, you can sauté the beef cubes in a pan first and then add them to the slow cooker, but I never find the difference that big, so I always put them in as is.
- Let the stew simmer in the slow cooker for about 7 hours or until the meat starts to fall apart. If you don’t have a slow cooker, keep an eye on the moisture level in your pan, as it can dry out faster. The cooking time in a normal pan is about 3 hours.
- Serve the Thai Beef Stew with cauliflower rice and cilantro.
Nutrition Information per portion:
Disclaimer:
The nutritional values above are calculated per portion. The details are based on standard nutritional tables and do not constitute a professional nutritional advice.
Absolutely delicious. And so easy to make!
Thanks Renate!
Love my slow cooker. Even if it would just be to make this delicious Thai beef curry!