I spent a lot of time in college trying to make a good Thai curry but admittedly did no research and was just throwing things in a pot. My roommate at the time (and best friend to this day, hi Colette!) taught me to add a spoonful of mango chutney. I used that trick in this coconutty curry bowl but with apricot jam instead.
Baking soda helps the beef brown more deeply, while apricot jam adds just enough sweetness to balance the curry, lime, and fish sauce. The result is a savory, lightly spicy ground beef bowl with a silky yellow coconut curry sauce.
Serves: 2
Time: About 35 minutes
Ingredients
1 cup jasmine rice, or other long-grain rice
1 lb ground beef
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon water
Salt + black pepper, to taste
1 teaspoon Korean chili flakes, optional
1 shallot, finely diced
1-inch piece fresh ginger, minced or finely grated
1 tablespoon ghee or avocado oil
2 heaping teaspoons yellow curry paste
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 (13.5 oz) can coconut milk
1/2 teaspoon fish sauce or oyster sauce, plus more to taste
1 tablespoon apricot jam
Chicken broth or water, as needed
For serving:
2 green onions, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon roasted peanuts, roughly crushed
2–4 small lime wedges
Instructions
Season the beef. Stir the baking soda into 1 tablespoon water until dissolved. Add the ground beef to a bowl and pour the mixture over it. Season with a pinch of salt, black pepper, and Korean chili flakes, if using.
Gently mix until evenly combined, then let the beef rest for 10–15 minutes.
Cook the rice and prep the toppings. While the beef rests, cook the rice according to package directions.
Finely dice the shallot and mince or grate the ginger. Thinly slice the green onions and roughly crush the peanuts.
Brown the beef. Heat the ghee or avocado oil in a large skillet over medium to medium-high heat.
Add the shallot and ginger and cook for about 1–2 minutes, until fragrant and beginning to soften.
Add the ground beef and spread it into a thin, even layer. Let it cook undisturbed for about 3 minutes so it can develop a good crust.
Flip and break the beef into bite-size pieces, then continue cooking for another 4–5 minutes, stirring only occasionally, until browned and crisp in spots.
Transfer the cooked beef to a plate. Drain off excess fat, leaving about 1 tablespoon in the skillet.
Make the curry sauce. Reduce the heat to medium-low. Add the yellow curry paste and turmeric to the skillet with a small splash of water or broth.
Cook for about 1 minute, stirring, to loosen the curry paste and bloom the spices.
Pour in the coconut milk and whisk until smooth. Add the fish sauce or oyster sauce and apricot jam and whisk again.
Bring the sauce to a gentle simmer and cook for about 3–5 minutes, until slightly thickened but still loose and spoonable.
If it gets thicker than you’d like, add a splash of broth or water. Taste and adjust with additional fish sauce, salt, or lime as needed.
For an extra-smooth sauce, you can carefully blend it for a few seconds using an immersion blender or countertop blender, though this is completely optional.
Assemble the bowls. Divide the rice between bowls, add the crispy ground beef, and spoon the coconut curry sauce around and over the top.
Finish with green onion, crushed peanuts, and a generous squeeze of fresh lime.
Tips
For the crispiest beef, use a wide skillet and avoid stirring constantly. The beef needs contact with the hot pan to actually brown rather than steam.
The baking soda is helping with browning and tenderness, but a little goes a long way. For 1 lb of beef, 1/4 teaspoon is enough; using too much can create an alkaline taste.
Yellow curry pastes vary a lot in heat and saltiness. Start with the amount listed, then add more after tasting if you want a stronger curry flavor. I use the yellow curry paste from Mekhala. Red curry paste would also be very yummy!!
If using fish sauce, you’ll get a deeper, more savory flavor; oyster sauce will make the sauce slightly sweeter and rounder.
For curled green onions like the ones in my photo, cut the dark green tops into 1–2 inch lengths, slice them lengthwise into very thin strips, and soak them in ice-cold water for a few minutes. They’ll naturally curl as they sit.