Nonya Beef Brisket Curry

My paternal grandma is a Nonya Ba Ba. She was the one who looked after me and my elder brother when we were young. I'm very much influenced by her, and naturally very close to her as well. She loves to cook curries, and lots of peranakan dishes. When she was younger, she loved to make kuehs and pastries for the Lunar New Year. I can still remember the time when all of us would squat at the charcoal stove along the corridor to make Love Letters. I regret to say that I have not learnt any of her cooking skills. I was too young to think of cooking then. I only concentrated on eating her goodies!

For this recipe, the above are all the ingredients you'll need. It's a easy fuss-free dish. I got my curry powder from Shermay's Cooking School. When I was there at one of the baking workshops, I was so blessed to have won a prize for the lucky draw. It was a packet of Nonya Curry Powder. This curry powder is Shermay's grandmother's (Mrs Lee Chin Koon) recipe. Mrs Lee is well known for all her nonya recipes. I must say, I really like this curry powder very much. It has a nice curry spice aroma that is not too over-powering. The recipe I'm using here is adapted from the recipe that came along with the curry powder.

I have recently heard of quite a few cases of young adults having heart problems. A church friend of mine, also rather young, recently had a heart attack and had to undergo a heart bypass surgery. The news came as a shock to me as he was so fit and young. It is really scary that one can have heart problems at such a young age. It has triggered me to be more selective with my food and the type of oil I use for cooking. I came across Grapeseed Oil and find it a very healthy oil suitable for asian cooking. Grapeseed oil offers the lowest concentration of mono-unsaturated acids (16%) and the highest poly-unsaturated acids (72%) of any vegetable oil. It is not only cholesterol free, it also reduces the cholesterol accumulation in the body. It naturally contains vitamin E. It also contains the highest proportion of linoleic acid (70%), a fatty acid which acts as a transporter for saturated fats thus preventing accumulation in the arteries. It also helps to reduce high blood pressure. Grapeseed oil is made from the grape seeds after the wine pressing. It does not have a strong flavor aftertaste, therefore it's perfect for sautéing, baking, or frying. Grapeseed oil has the highest flash point of any oil. this means that it can be heated up to 225C with no smoking, splatter or burnt taste, and does not convert to harmful trans-fatty acids as other oils do. The high flash point makes grapeseed oil an excellent choice for deep frying foods. Olive oil is of course a very healthy type of oil too. But the strong olive taste may affect the outcome of the dish you are cooking. My family & I can't stand the taste and smell of olives. So grapeseed oil is the next best choice for us. The downside is, it's the most expensive oil around and there's only one or two brands to choose from. I got this from Fairprice Finest at Bukit Timah.

 Pic 1

Fry onions & garlic till golden brown

 Pic 2

Add in curry paste & fry till fragrant

 Pic 3

Add in the beef cubes and stir fry on high heat

 Pic 4

Add in the coconut milk & keep stirring

 Pic 5

Reduce to this consistency

Beef Brisket Curry

Ingredients:

400g    beef brisket

1/4       onion (sliced)

1 clove garlic (sliced)

2tbsp    oil

1/2tsp   lime juice

3/4tsp   sugar

3/4tsp   salt

Mix together to form the curry paste:

2.5tbsp Nonya Curry Powder

2.5tbsp water

140ml  thick coconut milk

Mix together to get the tamarind water (must be strained):

1/4 rounded tbsp tamarind pulp

5tbsp water

Method:

1. Heat wok over high heat till it's hot. Add in the oil.
2. Lower the heat and stir-fry the sliced onion & garlic. Fry till golden brown - be careful not to burn it (see pic 1)
3. Sprinkle in a little of the tamarind water (to prevent onion & garlic from getting burnt)
4. Add in the curry paste. Fry till fragrant. Add in the remaining tamarind water (see pic 2)
5. Add the beef brisket cubes and fry overy high heat (see pic 3)
6. Add coconut milk and bring to the boil. Make sure to stir continuosly to prevent it from curdling (see pic 4)
7. Reduce to low heat and simmer covered for about 30-45 mins or till beef is tender.
8. Once beef is tender, open the cover and cook till curry sauce is reduced (see pic 5)
9. Add in lime juice and season with sugar and salt.