Beef short rib laksa | Good Food

4 garlic cloves
crushed
15g ginger
roughly chopped
4 shallots
roughly chopped
2-3 bird's eye chillies
(to taste), roughly chopped and stems removed
2 lemongrass stalks
1 roughly chopped, 1 bashed with the back of a knife
2 tsp ground turmeric
1 tbsp shrimp paste
from a jar or frozen
3 tbsp sunflower oil
4 beef short ribs
each weighing around 300g, excess fat trimmed
1 tsp tamarind paste
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp fish sauce
1 litre beef stock
400ml coconut milk
3 lime leaves

To serve

sticky rice
1 red chilli
finely sliced
small handful of coriander
finely chopped
1 lime
cut into quarters

Method

step 1
Add the garlic, ginger, shallots, chillies and the roughly chopped lemongrass to a food processor bowl. Pulse a few times until roughly chopped, then tip in the turmeric and shrimp paste. Blend to a fine paste.
step 2
Heat the oven to 180C/160C/gas mark 4. Heat 2 tbsp of the oil in a large casserole dish or in a deep ovenproof pan over a high heat. Generously season the beef short ribs all over with salt. Add the ribs and sear on all sides, around 10 mins, until dark brown. Remove to a plate and set aside.
step 3
Reduce the heat to medium and drizzle in the remaining 1 tbsp oil. Add the blitzed paste and cook for 5 mins, stirring well and regularly, until it has darkened in colour. Mix in the tamarind, soy sauce, fish sauce, beef stock, coconut milk, lime leaves and remaining bashed lemongrass stalk. Return the beef ribs to the pan and cover with a lid. Cook, in the oven, for 3 hrs, until the meat is tender.
step 4
Serve with the sticky rice. Scatter over some red chilli and coriander and serve with lime wedges for squeezing over.