Beef in coconut milk curry

(Serves 6)

1 kilo beef
1 onion
2 cm ginger
1 clove garlic
1 cm fresh turmeric
10 red chillies
1 cm belacan
2 teaspoons ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground fennel
2 stalks of lemon grass
2 cups of coconut
1 galangal
1 tablespoon cooking oil
6 potatoes
Salt and pepper to taste
1. Cut beef into small thin strips
2. Peel the ginger, garlic, fresh turmeric and onion.
3. Cut the chillies into two and remove seeds.
4. Crush the lemongrass and galangal.
5. Grind the ginger, garlic, fresh turmeric, onion and red chillies into a smooth paste.
6. Peel the potatoes and cut into wedges. Soak the potatoes.
7. Heat the cooking oil into a pot.
8. Add in the ground paste, coriander, cumin, fennel, lemongrass and galangal. Stir until fragrant.
9. Add the beef; coconut milk, salt and pepper. Cook over slow heat for 20 minutes.
10. Add the potatoes and cook over slow to medium heat until the meat and potatoes are tender.

Vegetables in coconut milk

(Serves 6)

1 Chinese turnip
1 small cabbage
200 grams of small prawns
1 teaspoon of dried prawns
1 cm ginger
3 garlic
1 small onion
1 cm fresh turmeric
2 small red chillies
1 cup of thick coconut milk
1 lemongrass
1 galangal
1 tablespoon cooking oilSalt and pepper to taste


1. Peel the turnip.
2. Cut the turnip and cabbage into thin strips.
3. Peel ginger, garlic, small onion and fresh turmeric.
4. Cut the red chillies into two and remove all the seeds.
5. Grind the ginger, garlic, onion, fresh turmeric, red chillies and dried prawns.
6. Shell the prawns.
7. Crush the lemongrass and the galangal.
8. Heat the oil in a pot. Add in the pound ingredients, lemongrass and galangal and stir until fragrant.
9. Add in the prawns and stir until cooked.
10. Add in the coconut milk, salt and pepper to taste. If you wish to have a more diluted sauce, add in a little more water.
11. Cook over slow to medium heat until the vegetables are soft.
12. Serve hot.

Personal Tips
You can use other types of vegetables, for example long beans, bean sprout.
Some add bean curd for a more complete dish.