Thai beef curry

• groundnut oil tbsp
• beef↗2kg kg

  short ribs (bone-in ribs left whole), or brisket, cut into large chunks

• large bunch coriander
• lemongrass2

  stalks, 1 bashed, 1 roughly chopped

• garlic cloves↗3

  chopped

• green chillies

  roughly chopped, deseeded if you like

• 2cm-piece galangal

  or ginger, peeled and chopped

• rice wine vinegar↗50ml ml
• fish sauce↗50ml ml
• palm or light brown sugar2 tbsp tbsp
• can coconut milk↗400g g
• star anise2
• lime leaves6
• juice 2 limes

  plus wedges to serve

Step-by-step instructions

1. 1

   Heat a little of the oil in a large pan and brown the beef in batches, removing to a plate after, reserving any juices. If your slow cooker has a browning function, use this instead. Meanwhile, in a mini chopper or food processor, whizz half the coriander, the chopped lemongrass, garlic, chillies and galangal with the rest of the oil until you have a rough paste.

2. 2

   Turn the slow cooker to High. Heat the paste for a few mins, then add the beef and all the remaining ingredients, apart from the remaining coriander and lime juice. Turn slow cooker to Low and cook for 8 hrs, or until the meat is falling off the bone.

3. 3

   If using beef ribs, remove bones from the beef, then shred the meat with 2 forks. If the sauce is too thin, strain it off and boil it to reduce. Stir in the remaining coriander and lime juice, then season with more fish sauce or sugar.