Saraman

Cardamom and ginger beef curry with peanuts. Full of meat such as beef or duck and rich by Asian standards, Saraman is often served in restaurants or prepared for special occasions, when it is eaten in modest quantities. A classic Cambodian-style braised curry, it has dominant cardamom and ginger flavours, and the addition of peanuts helps to thicken the stew to a creme anglaise consistency. Serve over rice or with baguette for soaking up the “gravy”, with pickled vegetables and stir-fried leafy greens as side dishes.

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Ingredients

3 oz (85 g) fresh root ginger, finely grated		1/2 tsp ground mace
1 1/2 lb (675 g) boneless beef shin steak or thin flank, cut into 1 1/2 in (4 cm) cubes		1 1/2 tbsp finely chopped coriander root
2 tbsp coconut oil		1/4 tsp ground turmeric
2 dried large red chillies, soaked, deseeded and torn in half		3 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tsp coarsely chopped galangal		1 tbsp shrimp paste
4 large garlic cloves, crushed		1 litre (1 3/4 pints) thick coconut milk
1 large shallot, coarsely chopped		4 tbsp palm sugar or granulated sugar
1 stalk lemongrass, outer leaves discarded then sliced		4 tbsp tamarind water
3 in (7.5 cm) cinnamon stick		2 tbsp fish sauce
2 star anise		2 1/2 oz (75 g) unsalted roasted peanut halves
7 green cardamom pods		salt
1 tsp grated nutmeg		2–4 red Thai chillies, deseeded and thinly sliced (optional)

directions

Total:

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1
Squeeze the grated ginger in your hand to extract the juice into a bowl. Discard the dry fibres. Add the beef to the bowl and toss to coat with the ginger juice, then leave to marinate for 30 minutes.
2
Meanwhile, heat the coconut oil in a saucepan over a moderate heat and stir-fry the chillies, galangal, garlic, shallot and lemongrass until fragrant. Add the cinnamon, star anise, cardamoms, nutmeg and mace and stir-fry for 5–7 minutes or until fragrant and lightly toasted. Transfer the ingredients to a blender. Add the coriander root and turmeric and blend until smooth, adding water (1 tbsp at a time as is necessary) to ease the process. Set this curry paste aside.
3
Heat the vegetable oil in a large pot over a moderately high heat and stir-fry the shrimp paste, breaking it up with the back of a spoon, for 15–30 seconds or until a shade darker. Add half of the coconut milk and the curry paste. Stir well. Add the beef. Cook for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
4
Reduce the heat to low and add the remaining coconut milk, the sugar, tamarind water, fish sauce and peanuts. Season with salt, if necessary. Simmer, covered, for 1 1/2 –2 hours or until the meat is fork tender, adding more coconut milk if the stew thickens too much. Serve garnished with chillies.

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Saraman

Ingredients

directions