An easy recipe for slow cooker Thai curry beef that is packed full of veggies and creamy coconut milk.  Cooks for 8-10 hours so makes a perfect week night dinner!

Hiya, happppy week-end!!  {And happy Valentine’s Day, too!!}

I am so pumped, because we have a 3-day week-end here in Canada…we aren’t doing anything exciting, but that extra day means that our week-end is going to be so much less rushed, and a LOT more fun!

The first thing I wanted to do, though, is to get this post up, because I can’t hide it from you any longer!

Because creamy dreamy slow cooker Thai curry beef topped with crunchy lime peanuts is not something you keep to yourself 🙂
 

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 So I’m back again with a fantabulous slow cooker recipe that can cook for 8-10 hours!  Yipee!  That means you are going to come home from work to delicious smells and a nearly-ready dinner.

If there’s anything you should know about me, it’s that I love Thai food…especially Thai curries!  They are so creamy, and sweet, salty, sour, spicy, so many delicious and contrasting flavors.

I am SO lucky to have been taught by Ben’s step-mom, Ning, who is Thai and used to run a restaurant in Phuket.  In 2010, we met up with Ben’s dad and Ning in Thailand, stayed with Ning’s family for New Year’s, which is a HUGE deal to Thai people.

Despite a huge language barrier, we got along great, and they attempted to teach me how to dance {I have 2 left feet}, some sort of strange Thai card game which involved gambling {I’m pretty sure I got swindled!}, but most importantly, how to cook Thai food!  Ning doesn’t follow a recipe and throws a little bit of this and a little bit of that into her dishes…so this curry is not necessarily Ning’s recipe, but my translation of what she taught me.

This slow cooker Thai curry beef recipe is a teensy bit more work at the end than my Slow Cooker Cider Carnitas with Fresh Apple Salsa.

First, you are going to throw a whole bunch of sliced bell peppers into the slow cooker.  I know…SO much work 😉  Adding them at the end of the cook time means that you won’t have soggy, bitter peppers with chewy skin, but fresh and sweet bell peppers.

Then you are going to put on a pot of rice to cook.  You need something to sop up the creamy coconut curry sauce.

Finally, you are going to roast up some peanuts and toss them in lime juice and lime zest.   Optional?  Yes.  Delicious?  Yes.  Addictive?  YES.

There is also a teensy bit more effort at the start as well in that the beef gets seared before tossing it in with all the other ingredients.  This step helps build more flavor, but also helps the beef stay together and not disintegrate while cooking.  I recommend doing this the night before, and assembling everything in the slow cooker insert, storing it in the fridge overnight.  This makes the morning SO easy, just toss it into the slow cooker and turn it on before you leave for your day!

A few important notes about this slow cooker Thai curry beef recipe:

• • Make sure you DO NOT use light coconut milk.  I have had problems with light coconut milk curdling in the slow cooker, but when using the best quality, full-fat coconut milk I can find, I have not had this problem.  {I like Thai Kitchen brand coconut milk the best, this is not a paid promotion of the product, just my honest opinion!}
  • The curry may look a little bit scary after cooking for 8-10 hours.  Make sure to give it a good stir-up when you add the bell peppers, and it should all come together into a creamy sauce.
  • Make sure to use a lean cut of beef, and remove as much fat from it as possible.  This is crucial to preventing a pool of fat on the top of your curry.  If you do end up with pools of fat, I suggest skimming it off with a spoon. {But this was not a problem when using lean beef and cutting off the fat}

5 from 2 votes

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Slow Cooker Thai Curry Beef

Prep Time

30 mins

Cook Time

10 mins

Total Time

40 mins

 

Beef is simmered in a Thai coconut curry sauce in the slow cooker for 8-10 hours, and topped with lime-roasted peanuts.

Course: Dinner

Cuisine: Thai

Servings: 8

Ingredients

Curry

• 3 x 400mL {13.5 oz} cans of coconut milk {use the best quality full-fat coconut milk you can find, this one is my favorite}
• 3 tablespoons fish sauce
• 3 tablespoons brown sugar divided
• 3 tablespoons green curry paste
• 3 tablespoons ginger minced
• 4 cloves garlic minced
• 6-8 shallots sliced
• 6 large carrots peeled and sliced
• 1-2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 0.8 kg 1.5 lbs beef cut into 1.5 inch cubes {see note}

At The End:

• 3 bell peppers sliced
• 1 teaspoon lime juice
• 1 teaspoon brown sugar
• 1/4 cup torn cilantro

Lime Roasted Peanuts:

• 1 cup raw peanuts
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon coarse salt
• 1 teaspoon brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon lime juice
• 1 teaspoon lime zest

To serve

• rice
• 1/4 cup torn cilantro
• lime wedges

Instructions

Curry:

1. In the base of a slow cooker, whisk together the coconut milk, fish sauce, 3 tablespoons of brown sugar and the curry paste until everything is combined {it helps to mash the curry paste against the side of the slow cooker with a fork}.

2. Add the ginger, garlic, shallots and carrots.
3. Heat vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
4. Toss the beef cubes in the remaining 2 tablespoons of brown sugar.
5. Sear beef until lightly golden (roughly 1 minute per side), then transfer to the slow cooker. You may need to work in batches to avoid overcrowding the pan.
6. Stir everything up in the slow cooker, then cook on the lowest setting for 8-10 hours.
7. Hour before serving:Working as quickly as possible to avoid heat loss from the slow cooker, add the lime juice and browns sugar, give everything a good stir up, add the bell peppers and stir again.
8. Cook for one hour or so while the rice cooks and peanuts roast. Peppers should soften and lose their crunch.
9. Serve over rice, and garnish with cilantro and lime-roasted peanuts.

Lime Roasted Peanuts:

1. Pre-heat oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

2. In a medium bowl, toss peanuts with olive oil, salt and brown sugar.
3. Spread out on the baking sheet. Roast for 10 minutes, stir up, and roast for another 10 minutes. Peanuts should be lightly golden.
4. Remove from pan and toss with lime juice and zest.

Recipe Notes

I have used beef stewing cubes, which saves time. I have also used a cheap, lean beef roast (to save money), cut it into cubes and removed all traces of fat.
**Make sure to remove ALL traces of fat and to use a LEAN cut of beef.
Do NOT use light coconut milk. Use the best quality of coconut milk that you can find.

Lime roasted peanuts adapted from Bon Appetit

Products used in this recipe:

You may also like:

Slow Cooker Cider Carnitas with Fresh Apple Salsa

Slow Cooker Tuscan Chicken Stew

Thai Curry Sweet Potato & Lentil Soup