Brisket Braised in Coconut Milk

 
Braising is a great way to cook tough cuts of meat in a way that will yield a melt-in-your-mouth, cut-with-a-spoon consistency. I used brisket for this dish, which was braised in velvety coconut milk along with a few other ingredients for a few hours on low heat until it was incredibly tender. The old adage is true… good things come to those who wait, and this is a great example.

Ingredients

2 1/2 lbs. brisket, trimmed of visible fat
2 Tbsp. canola oil
1 large onion, roughly chopped
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
8 garlic cloves, minced
2 Tbsp. fresh grated ginger
1 can coconut milk
3 cups chicken stock
2 Tbsp. tomato paste
2 Tbsp. dark brown sugar
1 Tbsp. fish sauce
1–2 limes, zested and juiced
2 Tbsp. red curry paste (I used a Thai curry paste)
1 tsp. cayenne pepper or Sriracha hot sauce
Salt to taste
Green onion and red onion, sliced, for garnish

Instructions

The first thing to do is add the canola oil to a large Dutch oven and heat over high heat. Cut the brisket into large chunks and pat dry with paper towels. Season lightly with salt and add the brisket to the Dutch oven in batches, making sure not to overcrowd the pot. Use tongs to turn the meat and brown it well on all sides. Transfer the browned brisket to a plate and repeat until all of the meat is browned. If there is too much rendered fat or oil in the Dutch oven, carefully remove some, leaving enough to cook the vegetables.

Add the onion, red bell pepper, green bell pepper, garlic, and ginger to the Dutch oven and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables begin to soften.

Add the red curry paste and stir it into the vegetables, allowing it to cook for a minute or two.

Next, add the coconut milk, chicken stock, fish sauce, brown sugar, and the zest and juice of one lime. Stir well to combine, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot.

Return the brisket to the Dutch oven along with any juices that have accumulated on the plate. Give everything a good stir, taste for salt, and place the lid on the pot.

Reduce the heat to low and cook undisturbed for about 1 1/2 hours. Check on the brisket at this point and add the cayenne pepper or Sriracha. Stir gently to combine. The sauce should still be quite liquid at this point, but don’t worry—it will thicken later with a little help and a little time.

Continue cooking the beef for another 30 minutes. At this point, begin slicing your green and red onions for garnish.

Remove the lid and add the tomato paste and the juice of the remaining lime. Stir well to make sure the tomato paste is completely dissolved into the sauce.

Allow the brisket to simmer uncovered for another 20 minutes, giving the sauce time to reduce and thicken.

Serve over jasmine rice and top with your sliced green and red onions.