Ingredients

For the Curry Paste

10 dried red chilies, finely ground
10 fresh thai chilies, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoon freshly ground white peppercorns
4 lemongrass stalks, just the bottom halves, sliced thin and minced
2 tablespoons minced galangal
2 teaspoons minced kaffir lime peel
2 inch piece of fresh turmeric
16 cloves garlic, chopped
4 large shallots, chopped
2 teaspoons shrimp paste

For the Beef

2 pounds skirt steak
2 cans unsweetened coconut milk
1-2 tablespoons fish sauce, to taste
1 tablespoon palm sugar, to taste
12 thai eggplants, cut into large cubes
6 kaffir lime leaves, ripped into pieces

For the Rice

8 cups jasmine rice
10 cups water

Special Equipment

Large mortar and pestle, preferably granite
Electric rice cooker

Instructions

For the Curry Paste

In a large mortar and pestle, pound all the ingredients until it forms a well blended paste. Sometimes it needs to be done in smaller batches until it is reduced enough so that all can fit in the mortar.

For the Beef

Clean and trim the skirt steak, then slice into bite sized pieces. Tip: canned coconut milk settles when it isn’t agitated. The richer and fattier part floats to the top and the water goes to the bottom. We are trying to use the thick part for this first application. In a small stainless sauce pan, heat about 1 ½ cups of the thickest part of the coconut milk reserving the remaining for later. Heat the coconut milk over high heat until it become thick and bubbly and the fat starts to separate. Add the curry paste mixture from the mortar and turn the heat down to medium. Cook for two minutes or until very fragrant. Add the remaining coconut milk, the fish sauce and palm sugar and stir till well combined and boiling again. Turn the heat back to high, add the eggplant and cook until mixture comes back to a rolling boil. Add the beef and cook for 1-2 minutes. Stir in the kaffir lime leaves and turn off the heat. Serve the curry in a warmed bowl alongside plenty of steamed jasmine rice.

For the Rice

Rinse the rice in cold water a couple times and strain. Add rice and water to electric rice cooker and turn on. When cooker stops cooking and rice is done, unplug it and wait ten minutes. Open lid and fluff rice with a fork and keep warm until service.