Slow Cooker Thai Red Curry Recipe
Tender beef, slowly cooked in a rich, creamy Thai red curry sauce, with just the perfect amount of heat.
Servings: 8 - 10
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp oil
- 1.5 kg (3.3 pounds) braising beef
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 1 large onion peeled and chopped
- 4 cloves garlic peeled and minced
- 2 tsp minced ginger
- 2 tsp lemongrass paste
- 90 g (6 tbsp) red Thai curry paste*
- 360 ml (1 1/2 cups) strong beef stock water plus 2 stock cubes is fine. Use gluten free stock to ensure the dish is gluten free.
- 2 tsp sugar
- 1 tbsp Thai fish sauce
- 15 fresh Thai basil leaves
- 400 ml (14 oz) tin full fat coconut milk
- 1 tbsp lime juice (juice from approx. half a lime)
- 200 g (7 oz) fine green beans, sliced in half
Optional:
- 2 tbsp cornflour (cornstarch) mixed with 4 tbsp cold water
Serving suggestions:
- Sticky rice
- chopped coriander (cilantro)
- Thai basil leaves
- finely chopped fresh Thai chillies
- chopped toasted peanuts
- slices of lime
Instructions
- If your slow-cooker has a searing function, turn the searing function to high. If it doesn't, you can do the frying stage in a large frying pan and transfer to the slow cooker later.
- Heat the oil using the searing function (or heat on a high heat in the frying pan).2 tbsp oil
- Add the beef and sprinkle the salt and pepper on top. Stir together and sear until lightly browned (about 6-8 minutes). If you find lots of liquid coming off your beef, you can spoon it off and add an extra drizzle of oil (we want the beef to fry, not boil).1.5 kg (3.3 pounds) braising beef, ½ tsp salt, ½ tsp black pepper
- Add in the onion and cook for 4-5 minutes, until slightly softened.1 large onion
- Add in the garlic, ginger, lemongrass paste, Thai curry paste, stock, sugar, fish sauce, coconut milk and Thai basil. Stir and cook for 2-3 minutes to heat through.4 cloves garlic, 2 tsp minced ginger, 2 tsp lemongrass paste, 90 g (6 tbsp) red Thai curry paste*, 360 ml (1 1/2 cups) strong beef stock, 2 tsp sugar, 1 tbsp Thai fish sauce, 400 ml (14 oz) tin full fat coconut milk, 15 fresh Thai basil leaves
- If you were using a frying pan, transfer the contents to your slow cooker now. Place your slow cooker lid on and cook on the slow cooker programme for 5-6 hours on high or 7-8 hours on low.
- 30 minutes before you're ready to serve, add in the green beans, and lime juice. Stir together, place the lid on and cook for 30 minutes more.200 g (7 oz) fine green beans, sliced in half, 1 tbsp lime juice
- If you want to thicken the sauce a little, slowly pour in the cornstarch and water mixture whilst stirring - until the sauce is thick enough.2 tbsp cornflour (cornstarch) mixed with 4 tbsp cold water
- Serve over rice and add a couple (or all) of your favourite toppings. I like coriander (cilantro), Thai basil, Thai chillies, toasted peanuts and lime slices.Sticky rice, chopped coriander (cilantro), Thai basil leaves, finely chopped fresh Thai chillies, chopped toasted peanuts, slices of lime
Video
Notes
Curry Paste
Red curry paste can be very strong in flavour and heat level depending on the variety you buy. Here are the ones I use most often:- Mae Ploy and Thai Taste (<–affiliate links) are both relatively hot but nicely authentic in flavour.
- If I want a milder red Thai curry that the kids will enjoy, I use Waitrose own brand of Thai red curry paste. It’s still got a good flavour, but is actually quite mild.
Can I cook it in the oven?
Yes, make it in the same way, but instead of cooking in the slow cooker, add to to a casserole pan with a lid and cook in the oven at 160C/325F for 3-4 hours, until the beef is very tender. Add the green beans and lime juice for the last 20 minutes of cooking.Check every hour or so to ensure the sauce isn't running dry. Top up with a splash of boiling water if it's starting to look dry.
Can I make it ahead?
Yes, this recipe can be made ahead, then cooled, covered and refrigerated for up to 3 days. Reheat in a pan, over a medium heat, stirring occasionally (be careful not to break up the beef too much), until piping hot throughout.Can I freeze it?
Yes, make the recipe, then cool, cover and freeze.Defrost overnight in the refrigerator, then reheat, as per the make-ahead instructions above.
Ingredient swaps
- Swap the red Thai curry paste for your favourite curry paste. Jalfrezi, Madras, Balti and Tikka curry paste all work well.
- Add in extra vegetables. Mushrooms, courgette (zucchini) and baby new potatoes can all go in when you add everything to the slow cooker. Broccoli and bamboo shoots can be added in for the last 30 minutes of cooking, and baby spinach can be stirred in right at the end.
- Don't want to use coconut milk? replace the 400ml (14 floz) coconut milk with an extra 160ml (2/3 cup) beef stock plus 120ml (1/2 cup) double (heavy) cream.
- Braising beef gets deliciously tender in the slow cooker, which is why I like to use it for big-batch recipes like these, if you can't get your hands on it however, you can swap it for Stewing Steak.
Slow Cooker
I cook this recipe in a large (5.6 litre/6-quart) slow cooker that has a searing function (so I don't have to brown things in a separate pan). This is the slow cooker (<-- affiliate link) I have, but I think they've stopped selling it now.Morphy Richards also do a good 'Sear and Stew' slow cooker with a searing function and Cuisinart do a Sauté slow cooker.
How to scale down this recipe
I make it in a big batch, then usually freeze half for later. However, if you want to halve this recipe to serve 4 people, it's better to do it in a smaller slow cooker. You can halve all of the ingredients, but the cook-time will still be the same. Nutritional information is per serving, based on this recipe serving 8 people.Nutrition
Calories: 436kcal | Carbohydrates: 10g | Protein: 44g | Fat: 24g | Saturated Fat: 13g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Cholesterol: 116mg | Sodium: 676mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 3g
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