Tantalising Thai beef recipes for Eid

This Eid, tantalise your taste buds with a Thai spread with the harmonious balance of exotic spices. Balance, detail, and variety are of paramount significance to Thai chefs. Thai cooking places emphasis on lightly prepared dishes with strong aromatic components and a spicy edge. Follow these recipes to create unique dishes this Eid and year-long! 

Thai Grilled Beef Salad (Yam Neua Yang)

Ingredients

200g beef sirloin or tenderloin 

1 tsp soya sauce 

¼ tsp white pepper powder

Sliced red onion – ½ cup

½ cup sliced cucumber

½ cup sliced tomatoes

½ cup chopped Chinese celery

7/9 birds eye chillies

3 garlic cloves, peeled

2 tbsp fish sauce

3 tbsp lime juice

2½ tbsp sugar

Method 

Marinate the beef with 1 teaspoon soy sauce and 1⁄4 teaspoon pepper powder for 10 minutes. Grill the beef until well done. Cover it with aluminium foil while preparing the other ingredients. Crush the chillies and garlic in a mortar until fine. Add in chillies mix, lime juice, sugar and fish sauce in a mixing bowl and mix everything very well. Slice the beef into thin slices and add it in the mixing bowl. Mix well. Add all vegetables and mix well.

Home Made Maseman Curry Paste

Ingredients

5 dried big red chillies, cut into small pieces, soaked in water for 5 minutes

1 cinnamon stick

1 star anise

2 cardamoms

1 tsp coriander seeds 

1 tsp cumin seeds

3 tbsp chopped lemongrass 

1 tbsp chopped galangal root

2 tbsp chopped garlic

2 tbsp chopped shallot

½ tsp salt

1 tsp shrimp paste 

Method 

Roast cinnamon, star anise, cardamoms, coriander seeds and cumin seeds in the frying pan with no oil until you can smell the spices. Crush all spices together with chillies, lemongrass, galangal, garlic and shallots in a mortar or blender. Add ½ teaspoon of salt and 1 teaspoon of shrimp paste, and crush or blend everything until smooth.

Maseman Curry with Beef (MasemanNeua)

Ingredients

500g beef stew meat

5 tbsp Maseman curry paste (homemade)

4 cups coconut milk

1 cup water 

5 tbsp grounded roasted peanut

10 small shallots, whole 

4 tbsp fish sauce

4 tbsp palm sugar

4 tbsp tamarind juice

5 whole bay leaves 

Method 

Add the water and 1 cup of coconut milk in a pot. Bring it to a boil and add beef with bay leaves. Cook on low heat for 40-45 minutes or until the meat is soft. Fry the shallots in oil until soft. Keep aside. Add 2 cups of coconut milk in a wok, let it boil, add Maseman curry paste and stir all the time until you see the oil on the surface. Transfer only the beef from the pot to the wok, keep the soup aside. Fry the beef with the curry paste in the coconut mixture. Now pour the soup in the beef curry and add the remaining 1 cup coconut milk, peanuts and fried shallots.

Add fish sauce, sugar and tamarind concentrate. Continue cooking on low heat until the meat is soft. Serve with steamed rice.

Thai Stir Fried Black Pepper With Beef (Neua Pad Phik Thai Dum)

Ingredients

250 gm beef, sliced

2 1/2 tbsp garlic

1 cup onion sliced

1cup spring onions cut to 1 inch pieces 

1 cup straw mushrooms 

1/2 cup red chilli (diagonally cut)

1 cup bell peppers 

1 cup chicken stock 

Seasoning sauce,

2 tbsp light soy sauce

2 ½ tbsp oyster sauce

2 tsp sugar 

1 ½ tbsp dark sweet soy sauce 

2 tbsp black pepper, roasted and half crushed

Method 

Marinate the beef with all the seasoning for 1 hour. Add oil to wok along with garlic and chillies. Cook until spicy aroma develops. Add marinated beef and chicken stock, continue to stir- fry. Add onions, mushrooms and chilli, keep stirring until tender. Then add spring onions. Turn off heat and transfer to a serving dish. Serve with rice.

Photo courtesy: Shaheda Yesmin