Coconut Braised Beef Short Ribs with Ginger and Thai Basil
This is not a curry. There's no paste, no spice base. It's short ribs submerged in aromatic coconut cream and left alone in the oven for four hours. The coconut acts as a braising stock rather than a sauce, and because you're cooking in that volume of cream the whole thing stays rich, elegant and deeply flavoured all the way through the cooking process. The fat from the beef and the fat from the coconut combine into something properly luxurious, which is why you need something sharp and intense alongside - pickled ginger, pickled cucumber, a spicy salad. The contrast is the point.
Short ribs are worth choosing here. There's less meat than on a beef cheek - which is what we use in the gaeng gatti on this site - but what's there is excellent and the bone adds flavour to the braising liquid throughout the cook. They also work brilliantly on a barbecue if you want to go that route - brine them first, marinade in a curry or whatever you like, and slow cook over indirect heat. A completely different dish but the same principle.
At Farang this technique is sometimes how we prepare beef ahead of service - braise it fully, chill it down, then finish quickly in a curry to order. It makes for consistency and speed when you need it. At home it's a great slow cooker candidate, or an oven dish you put in and forget about for the afternoon. Either way, most of the work is in the setup and the oven does the rest.
The pickled ginger and cucumber are worth making properly rather than buying. The recipe is below and it takes about ten minutes of active time. We use leftover lemongrass sheaths and makrut lime stems in the pickling liquor at Farang - bits that would otherwise go in the bin after prepping other dishes. It adds flavour and makes use of something that's usually thrown away. Worth doing if you have them.
Coconut Braised Beef Short Ribs with Ginger and Thai Basil
Serves: 2 | Prep: 20 mins | Cook: 4 hours | Total: 4 hours 20 mins
Ingredients
For the ribs
400g beef short ribs, aged if possible
1000-1500ml coconut cream, enough to submerge the beef
2 lemongrass sticks, bruised in a pestle and mortar
4 makrut lime leaves, torn
2 long red chillies, bruised in a pestle and mortar
15g Thai shallots, peeled and left whole
20g fresh ginger, peeled and finely julienned
20-25ml fish sauce
50g palm sugar (soft brown sugar works too)
30g tamarind paste
10g Thai sweet basil
50ml coconut oil (vegetable oil works too)
Half tbsp coarse sea salt
10g coriander, picked and washed
For the quick pickles
100ml rice vinegar
100ml water
100g caster sugar
Big pinch table salt
Leftover lemongrass sheaths or makrut lime stems if you have them
1 thumb-sized piece fresh ginger, peeled and finely julienned
Half a cucumber, seeds removed and finely julienned
To finish
Crispy shallots
Julienned makrut lime leaves
Pickled ginger
Pickled cucumber
Thai basil sprigs
Fresh coriander
Steamed jasmine rice
Method
Start with the pickles. Combine the vinegar, water, sugar and salt in a small pan with any lemongrass sheaths or makrut lime stems you have going spare. Bring to a gentle boil, stir until the sugar dissolves, then remove from the heat and leave to cool completely. Pour over the julienned ginger and cucumber and leave for at least a few hours, overnight if possible. The longer they sit the better they get.
Preheat the oven to 160°C fan. Coat the short ribs in coconut oil and coarse sea salt, mixing well so every surface is covered.
Heat a large ovenproof tray or casserole over medium heat. Add the ribs and fry for a minute on each side to get a little colour on them.
Add the lemongrass, makrut lime leaves, chillies, shallots, two thirds of the julienned ginger, coconut cream, tamarind, fish sauce and palm sugar. Stir well. The beef should be submerged - add more coconut cream if needed. Cover tightly with foil or a lid.
Place on the middle shelf and cook for around 4 hours, checking after 3 to see if more coconut cream is needed. The beef is ready when it breaks apart easily with a spoon.
Taste the braising liquid before serving. It should be rich, gently sweet from the coconut, salty from the fish sauce and aromatic from the herbs. If it needs more salt, add fish sauce a little at a time. If it's too sweet, a touch more tamarind will bring it back. Fold in the Thai basil at the last moment.
Serve in bowls over jasmine rice with the braising liquid poured over. Finish with the remaining julienned ginger, fresh coriander, crispy shallots, Thai basil sprigs and the pickled ginger and cucumber alongside.
Chef's notes
This works well in a slow cooker - set it on low for 8 hours and leave it. Ideal for a Sunday when you want something ready when you get in.
The braised ribs can be chilled once cooked and kept in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat gently in the braising liquid or finish in a curry sauce for a completely different dish.
The pickle liquor is a good thing to have in the fridge standing by. It keeps for weeks and works on most things - carrots, radishes, onions, green mango.
Visit us at faranglondon.co.uk. Sauces and pastes for cooking Thai at home at payst.co.uk.
For more recipes, signed copies of my cookbooks are available at Payst: Cook Thai and Thai in 7.
Head chef & founder of Farang London restaurant. Cookbook author of ‘Cook Thai’ & ‘Thai in 7’. Chief curry paste basher and co-founder of Payst London.