Recipe: Slow Cooker Red Curry With Beef, Spinach and Basil

Serves 6.

Note: Slow cooking the beef in a mixture of coconut milk and red curry results in a meltingly tender stew. Because the dish is rich and highly flavorful, you only need a few spoonfuls over steamed rice to make a satisfying meal. Red curry paste can be found in the Asian food section of the grocery store. Some brands can be quite spicy, so before you add yours to the recipe, sample a little to make sure you know how much to add. From Meredith Deeds.

• 1 (13.66 oz.) can coconut milk, stirred (to combine the cream and water), divided

• 1 to 3 tbsp. red curry paste, or to taste (see Note)

• 2 tbsp. fish sauce

• 2 tbsp. brown sugar

• 1 1/2 lb. lean beef stew meat, cubed

• 4 c. fresh baby spinach

• 1/4 c. loosely packed Thai, purple or Italian basil leaves

Directions

Pour half of the coconut milk into the slow cooker. Add the desired amount of red curry paste, fish sauce and brown sugar. Whisk until most of the lumps have dissolved. Add the beef and the red pepper, and stir to coat. Cook for 4 hours on the high heat setting, or 8 hours on the low heat setting.

When the meat is tender, skim any fat off the surface and discard. Turn the heat setting to warm and add the remaining coconut milk, spinach and basil. Cover and let sit for 5 minutes or until the spinach is just wilted. Serve warm with steamed rice.

Calories300Fat18 gSodium650 mg

Carbohydrates9 gSaturated fat13 gTotal sugars7 g

Protein28 gCholesterol70 mgDietary fiber2 g