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4.41 from 10 votes

Thai Red Curry Beef w Mae Ploy Curry Paste

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Let's talk pastes

Repeat after me: All red curry pastes are NOT the same. They can range from the bland to the one note to the actually delicious and for me, Mae Ploy is actually delicious. However, it is not always available or can come in larger sizes so in a pinch Thai Kitchen works too.

Balancing Flavours

Thai food is incredibly fun for this Pakistani Canadian to make because the punchy flavours are very much appreciated by the Pakistani palate. Ultimately, balance is everything, but here the sour and sweet are dialed up which makes adjusting to taste more fun and also more key.

I aim to be one of those fancy pants people who can whip up a delish Thai meal in no time, but for now I am stolidly building up my repertoire of some basics. This Thai Crunch Salad  w Peanut Dressing, the Thai Noodle Salad, and the Thai Chicken Sliders are my current go tos.

thai red curry mae ploy
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4.41 from 10 votes

Thai Red Curry Beef w Mae Ploy

Author: Sarah Mir

Ingredients

  • ½-1 lb beef tenderloin
  • 2 tbsp mae ploy red curry paste
  • 1 tbsp oil
  • 1 can full fat coconut milk
  • 1-2 tsp brown sugar
  • 1-2 tbsp fish sauce
  • One red onion
  • One red pepper
  • Handful of chopped peanuts
  • 4-6 lime leaves optional, see note
  • 8-10 basil leaves

Instructions

  • - Chop your red pepper and onion into similar similar sized strips or cubes. I cut mine into 1cm cubes. Set aside
  • - Thinly slice the beef tenderloin against the grain
  • - Warm a skillet and add a tbsp. of oil
  • - Add your red curry paste and stir fry for at least two minutes - red curry paste can be unpleasant if it retains its rawness. The color will darken, the smells will heighten. Embrace it
  • - Gently open your can of coconut milk and skim the 'cream' off the top with a spoon and add it to the skillet
  • - Cook for another 3 minutes, it will be well combined and the oil will start to separate a little
  • - Add your remaining coconut milk, veggies, lime leaves, and the beef strips and cook for 5-7 minutes. If you overcook the meat it will become tough so pull it out at 5 and gently press with the side of a fork to test for donenessl
  • -Stir in your brown sugar, the lime juice, basil, and adjust fish sauce according to preference.
  • - Serve over rice and scattered with chopped peanuts.

Notes

The trick with a red curry is to cook off the rawness of the paste early and then cook the protein + veg until just done. Thinly sliced beef (or for more tenderness veal) is a must. If your pieces are too thick then add the veggies a little later
Tried this Recipe? Tag me Today!Mention @flourandspiceblog or tag #flourandspiceblog!

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  1. Sarah Mir says

    Hi Jim! You are absolutely correct there, and I am so sorry. This recipe was imported from a different format to it's existing one and I didn't realize it had errors until you flagged them. Going in and fixing it now, appreciate you taking the time and letting me know

    Reply

  2. Popeye N says

    Hello! Thanks to your recipe, I was finally able to use the red paste and make it edible. I still get a cardboard taste from the red paste and I keep having to add sugar but it's still there. Any advice? Thank you so much!

    Reply

    • sarahjmir@gmail.com says

      Hmmm ok so I find that sauteeing it off really well early on really helps as does the fish sauce. Also the brand of coconut milk seems to impact final taste too so I would play around there as well!

      Reply

  3. Ayesha says

    Looks yummy. Gonna give it a try soon. I didnt totally get what it meant by skimming the cream off the cocount milk; do we just put the cream we get by skimming it out or do we still put the whole can of coconut milk in after skimming off the cream?

    Reply

    • sarahjmir@gmail.com says

      Hi Ayesha! So glad to hear that you'll be trying this. In terms of the coconut cream, if you open a can of coconut milk without shaking it and spoon a little out then you'll notice that the richer part of the coconut milk (i.e. the cream is at the top) and the more liquid portion is at the bottom. You just stir fry the top, if for some reason it's one homogenous liquid don't worry about it and just put a splash in the first time and the rest later!

      Reply

  4. Henna says

    So I've never had thai food before! I'm so curious, and your amazing and growing collection of thai recipes is giving me the itch to give it a shot!

    Reply

    • sarahjmir@gmail.com says

      um. what?

      Reply

    • sarahjmir@gmail.com says

      that sounds yummy and easy - thanks for sharing this! also should you see mae ploy pastes anywhere i have heard that their panang one is absolutely awesome

      Reply