for those of you who made it to our demo at LA Times' THE TASTE, Flavors of LA, here's the recipe for the Gaeng Kiew Wan Neua Kem ( Green Curry with Semi-Dry Salted Beef )
if you make it, take a photo and be sure to sweet it to us! @NtMRKT
have fun,
chef kris
Nam Prik Gaeng Kiew Wan / Green Curry Paste
1 C galangal
1/2 C kaffir lime zest
1 C lemongrass
some salt
1/2 C shallots
1 C garlic
1 tbsp gapi (fermented shrimp paste)
1 C fresh green bird eye chile
chop galangal as finely as possible so it’s easy to grind. you want to make it manageable.
pound it up first cause it’s the most difficult. throw in a pinch of salt to help break it up.
add the lime zest and pound, then the lemongrass.
you want this to be as fine as possible.
add the shrimp paste and pound to incorporate. the shrimp paste is what anchors this whole thing.
add chile. pound.
add garlic. pound.
add shallots. pound.
when it’s all incorporated and as fine as it’s going to get, fry it up in a small pan with a bit of vegetable oil over low heat.
this keeps pretty well in a sealed container in the fridge, i’d say a few weeks.
Neua Kem / Semi-Dry Salted Beef
Slice up some hanger steak or other really beefy cut. You want slices that are about a half inch thick but it’s not important that they’re uniform.
Cut against the grain. This goes counter to Thai tradition with salted beef, which is to go with the grain (which in turn is counter to Western tradition).
Mix a quarter cup white sugar and a teaspoon of ground white pepper into a cup of fish sauce.
Let marinate for at least 30 minutes but no more than an hour.
Dry on a rack in the oven for a few hours, until it’s ‘semi-dry’...you want it a little gooey on the inside and pretty much dry on the outside.
Alternative, use a food dehydrator (which is what we do). This speeds up the process.
Set it at 160 degrees F and leave the beef for about an hour.
To assemble, simmer some coconut cream in a sauce pan and add a heaping tablespoon or two of the curry paste. The more you add, the hotter it’ll be.
Throw in the salted beef and simmer for a few minutes.
Blanche a few Thai eggplants and throw them in.
Season with palm sugar and fish sauce. You want it to be a little saltier than it is sweet.
Stir in some Thai basil and also line the bottom of your serving bowl with some extra leaves.
Pour in the curry.
Garnished with thinly sliced chile of any sort you wish.
