Thai Beef with Red Curry

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Thai Beef with Red Curry is literally exploding with flavor.  The slow simmer on the beef makes it over-the-top tender.

And the combination of a little heat with a little sweet…can’t be beaten. (Try singing that…it makes it even better).

This dish will warm you to the bone.

Thai Beef with Red Curry in a bowl

HOW TO MAKE THAI BEEF WITH RED CURRY

We love to start with a 2 to 2 1/2 lb cut of beef, such as chuck or round.

The meat is good and marbled and will become fork-tender as it slowly simmers in the fragrant sauce.

Mmmmmm…beef.

chuck roast on a cutting board for Thai Beef with Red Curry

Thai red curry paste is now available in the Asian section of most major supermarkets.

It is super flavorful and adds ease in preparing this dish.  You see (and smell) the deep delicious red curry as it simmers with the veggies.

If you can’t find it in your local market, seek out an Asian food market, or you can buy it online here.

Thai red curry simmering with veggies

Coconut milk is very common in Thai dishes, as it adds a richness and balance that is truly something special.

Be sure to get unsweetened coconut milk.

Creamy and just so delicious.

Coconut milk pouring into Thai red curry beef

Bamboo shoots can also be found in the Asian section of most supermarkets nowadays.

They add a wonderful texture to this incredible Thai Beef with Red Curry.

They are the perfect match for the super tender beef.

We just love bamboo shoots in our Asian dishes.

bamboo shoots going into Thai red curry beef

And of course you’ve got to go with Jasmine rice.

This is the perfect rice to go with this incredible dish.

Simply follow the instructions on the package, and you’re good to go.

Steaming Jasmine rice for Thai red curry beef

You’ll need a little time (well, a few hours), to cook this nice and slow.

But trust us, it’s well worth the wait.

And it’s even better the next day after the flavors continue to meld. Oh…just look at this Thai Beef with Red Curry:

Thai beef with red curry sauce on a wooden spoon
Thai beef with red curry sauce on a wooden spoon

OTHER THAI RECIPES TO TRY

Easy Shrimp Pad Thai
Grilled Thai Wings
Thai Beef Salad
Classic Chicken Pad Thai
Thai Green Curry Chicken

But in the meantime, go and make this amazing Thai Beef with Red Curry!

Thai Beef with Red Curry in a bowl

Thai Beef with Red Curry in a bowl

Thai Beef with Red Curry

This Thai Beef with Red Curry is so comforting and warms you to the bone.  A little bit of heat, a little bit of sweet, and HUGE amount of tender texture and incredible flavor.  Slow cooked to perfection.  
5 from 6 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Entree / Slow Cooker
Cuisine: Asian / Thai
Keyword: Easy Thai, Red curry, Thai food
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 3 hours
Total Time: 3 hours 20 minutes
Servings: 8 people
Calories: 438kcal

Ingredients

  • lb beef lean chuck or round, cut into bite-size pieces
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 3 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 yellow onion chopped
  • 4 cloves garlic minced
  • ¼ cup Thai red curry paste
  • 2 13 fl. oz. cans unsweetened coconut milk
  • 2 tbsp fish sauce
  • 2 tbsp fresh lime juice
  • 2 tbsp dark brown sugar
  • 2 8 oz. cans bamboo shoots drained
  • 3 tbsp fresh mint chopped
  • Cooked Jasmine rice for serving

Instructions

  • Sprinkle the beef with 1 tsp salt and pepper, each, all over.
  • Heat the oil in a large skillet, or Dutch oven, over medium-high heat.
  • Working in batches (if necessary), sauté the beef until browned on all sides, about 5 to 6 minutes.  Set aside.
  • Add the onion and garlic to the pan and sauté over medium-high heat until soft, about 2 minutes.  
  • Add the curry paste and stir until fragrant and coats the onion and garlic, about 1 minute.
  • Add the coconut milk and stir with a wooden spoon, scraping up the browned bits on the bottom of the pan.  
  • Stir in the fish sauce, lime juice and brown sugar and bring to a boil. 
  • Place the beef into a large pot, or Dutch oven, and add the curry / coconut milk mixture.  
  • Partially cover and cook over low heat for about 2 hours, until the meat is tender and the sauce has thickened somewhat. 
  • 15 minutes before the dish is done cooking, stir in the bamboo shoots.
  • Spoon over cooked Jasmine rice and garnish with mint.

Nutrition

Calories: 438kcal | Carbohydrates: 6g | Protein: 25g | Fat: 25g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Cholesterol: 101mg | Sodium: 451mg | Potassium: 432mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 1244IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 51mg | Iron: 3mg
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22 Comments

  • 5 stars
    Delicious and so easy! I made this in the slow cooker after browning the meat, onions, and spices, and the house smelled amazing almost instantly! I was talked into adding a can of baby corn instead of the second can of bamboo shoots, and both were excellent in this. It’s officially in the recipe rotation for the winter!

    • HI Kate!! So so glad you had such great success with the recipe! This is one of our all-time favorites and we love that you made it in the slow-cooker and the addition of baby corn sounds GREAT! Thanks so much for letting us know and for the wonderful review. That means the world to us!!! All the best, Kris & Wesley

  • 5 stars
    I love this dish! Wanted to let you know it also works perfectly with venison. The cut I used was a bottom round. Super tender and tasty. Thank you again for the recipe.

    • Hi Jo! So sorry for the delayed response. The time really doesn’t need to change for beef tenderloin pieces. It will become extremely tender, but in a good melt-in-your-mouth way! 🙂 Yum! Let us know if you make the dish and what you think!! Best, Kris & Wesley

    • Hi Brenna! So sorry for the delayed response! Absolutely! You’ll need to sauté the beef as written in the recipe and then follow the steps through adding the fish sauce, lime juice, and brown sugar and bringing it all to a boil. Then, transfer the beef to your Crock-Pot and then add the coconut mixture. Cover and cook on Low for 6 hours (or 3 hours on High). Stir in the bamboo shoots during the last 5 minutes of cooking. Let us know if you make it and what you think!! Best, Kris & Wesley

      • 5 stars
        Update: this curry was SO FREAKING GOOD. I’ve never had great luck with homemaking Thai curry, as I seem to always get the texture or ratio of heat to coconut milk just slightly off. This was creamy and flavorful, and I will absolutely make it again. I may add just slightly more curry paste to up the spice a hair, the curry paste I used wasn’t as potent as I’d have liked. Can you recommend any particular paste brand you’ve used? Thank you so much for this recipe and your crockpot modification reply, 10/10. Best, B.

      • Awesome!!! We use Thai Kitchen, but you can easily double the amount, and that should kick the spice level up for you a notch or two!! Thanks again and please stay in touch!!

  • “And of course you’ve got to go with Jasmine rice. This is the perfect rice to go with this incredible dish.”

    Jasmine rice is a great side for a dish like this, but I’m afraid I must disagree with “perfect” – though of course it’s all subjective, so there is no right nor wrong!

    However…sticky (glutinous) rice, for me. You just can’t beat it, certainly not for the vast majority of Thai curries – in my opinion, at least! Takes longer – sometimes much longer! – to prepare; but that, for me, is the perfect rice for a dish like this.

    I do agree that bamboo shoots are an essential addition, however!

  • 5 stars
    Made this tonight and it was a hit ! The beef was so tender and loved the flavor of the curry !!!!!

    • Hi Bessie, yes, it certainly could. I’d need to play around with the recipe a bit to figure best timing and ingredient quantities. But to answer your question, this absolutely could be made in an 8 QT IP, and would be wonderful!!

  • This was better than our favorite Thai place and super easy to make! I will most definitely make this again and can’t wait to try other recipes from your website!!

  • 5 stars
    OMG! I made this last night and WOW was it ever delicious. I don’t think I’ll ever need to go to a Thai restaurant again because this was identical to the taste if not better. Thank you for such a great recipe!

    • Thank YOU SO MUCH for letting us know what you think! We love this Thai Beef with Red Curry so much and are thrilled that you enjoyed it, too! Please stay in touch!! All the best, Kris & Wesley

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