Cheeky Beef Cheeks in Red Chilli & Coconut Curry

A warming beef cheeks recipe with red chilli and coconut curry. These easy to cook braised beef cheeks are in a rich and creamy curry sauce with Thai aromatics.

I recently attended a Red Rock Deli Secret Supper pop up in Sydney. Adam Liaw was the chef for this particular pop up and he was kind enough to share his beef cheeks recipe with me. Which I was thrilled about as I can now share it with you. 

Scroll past the recipe for more information on future pop ups and photos from Red Rock Deli’s super secret supper.

Beef cheeks have become quite popular over the past few years. It seems as soon as the weather starts getting cold beef cheek and ox tail recipes pop up on restaurant menus. But what are beef cheeks exactly?

What are beef cheeks?

Not many people realize that beef cheeks are offal. They fall into the same category as kidney, tripe, liver, etc. They are as described, the facial muscles from a bovine. The muscles used to chew. This means it is a hardworking and tough muscle.

How to cook beef cheeks

People get a little anxious on how to cook beef cheeks. There is really only one way, the best way to cook beef cheeks is for a long time slowly.

If you are buying beef cheeks for the first time, purchase them from a reputable butcher. They should come prepared for cooking. The butcher should have trimmed off the sinew. If your cheeks do have some sinew attached, trim it all off for a clean cheek.

Adam’s beef cheeks with red chilli & coconut curry

Adam’s curry is both rich and fresh. Beef cheeks are a very rich cut of meat. The curry sauce itself isn’t that rich, but It is creamy and flavour packed. The sauce and meat are all lightened up with the addition of tomatoes, beans, mushrooms, and baby corn at the last moment.

The vegetables are cooked until they are just tender, then it is time to serve. The curry is given a crown of fresh coriander and crispy lime leaves. Lime wedges served on the side add that final burst of freshness.

This is not only an easy beef cheek recipe but one packed with flavour. If you haven’t cooked with beef cheeks before then Adam’s recipe is the perfect one to get you started.

Recipe pressure points

This really is a simple recipe.  The biggest pressure points you are going to face are:
1.  Make sure the beef cheeks are tender before adding the vegetables.
2. Do not overcook your vegetables, make sure they retain some crunch factor.

Special equipment for this recipe

No special equipment needed.  If your pot doesn’t have a lid, you can improvise with some aluminium foil.  Simply take four sheets of foil, large enough to cover the top of the pot and fold down around the edges to keep the steam in while cooking.

Special Ingredients for this Recipe

Have a chat to your local butcher the week before you plan to make this recipe.  Check to see if he keeps beef cheeks in stock or if he will need to order them in for you. 

Luckily all the vegetables and herbs are readily available from most greengrocers.

What to do with any leftovers

Due to still wanting the vegetables to retain some of their crunch and the addition of cherry tomatoes, this recipe isn’t going to freeze that well.  Yes it can be done, but won’t be as nice once defrosted and reheated.  You will have limp vegetables and mushy tomatoes.

Place any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge and use within a couple of days.

If making this as part of a shared meal you may also like to make my Thai style whole deep fried fish, Twice cooked Asian pork belly or Chilli mud crab recipes.

Beef Cheeks in Red Chilli & Coconut Curry

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Author: Adam Liaw

Servings: 4 people

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 2 hours

Total Time: 2 hours 10 minutes

A fragrant and hearty beef curry freshened up with a herb garnish and wedges of lime. Serve with coconut rice or steamed rice.

Ingredients

• 30 ml vegetable oil
• 100 g red curry paste
• 400 g beef cheeks
• 1 L chicken stock
• 20 ml fish sauce
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 4 kaffir lime leaves
• 1 stalk lemongrass
• 1 stick cinnamon
• 1 star anise
• 7 cardomom pods
• 500 ml coconut cream
• ½ red onion – cut into chunks
• 6 spears baby corn – halved
• 50 g button mushrooms – halved
• 50 g green beans – cut into 5cm lengths
• 50 g grape tomatoes
• ½ bunch basil leaves

Garnish

• 5 kaffir lime leaves – centre rib removed, julienned and deep fried until crisp
• ½ bunch coriander leaves with a little attached
• Lime wedges and steamed rice to serve

Instructions

• Heat a large pot (that has a lid) and add the oil. Fry the paste until very fragrant and add the beef cheeks.
• Brown the cheeks in the paste and then add the stock to cover the cheeks. Add fish sauce, sugar, lime leaves, lemongrass, cinnamon, star anise and cardamom.
• Bring to a simmer, cover with pot lid and simmer for around 2 hours until the cheeks are tender.
• Add the coconut cream and simmer uncovered until the sauce is red and rich. Stir through the corn, onion, tomatoes, beans and basil leaves and simmer until the vegetables are just tender.
• Serve the cheeks individually, scattered with crisp lime leaves, fresh coriander and lime wedges.  Serve with rice and lime wedges

Notes

Buying Beef Cheeks

If you are buying beef cheeks for the first time, purchase them from a reputable butcher. They should come prepared for cooking. The butcher should have trimmed off the sinew. If your cheeks do have some sinew attached, trim it all off for a clean cheek.

Recipe Pressure Points

This really is a simple recipe.  The biggest pressure points you are going to face are:
1.  Make sure the beef cheeks are tender before adding the vegetables.
2. Do not overcook your vegetables, make sure they retain some crunch factor.

Nutrition

Calories: 802kcal | Carbohydrates: 30g | Protein: 33g | Fat: 63g | Saturated Fat: 48g | Cholesterol: 69mg | Sodium: 837mg | Potassium: 1180mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 11g | Vitamin A: 4195IU | Vitamin C: 11.7mg | Calcium: 78mg | Iron: 6.5mg

Keyword: beef cheek curry recipe, recipe using beef cheeks, thai beef curry recipe

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The other week I attended a very special dinner by MasterChef winner, chef and TV personality, Adam Liaw.  Adam kicked off the exclusive dining series, Red Rock Deli Secret Suppers, by taking an intimate group of diners on a journey entitled Fusion Adventure.

The dinner started very mysteriously in a secret location.  I’m not going to give too much away as I don’t want to spoil it for future guests that may read this.  What I will share is there will be theatre and mystery to indulge your other senses before your tastebuds are happily satisfied.

Think of an unusual space for dinner in Sydney, a space brought back to life for just one night.  Not knowing what to expect until you enter that final door to see your final destination.

There are four more  Secret Suppers planned and the team behind these will be Duncan Welgemoed, Chris Yan, Paul Turner, and Giorgio Di Stefano.  Each Chef designing a bespoke three course menu inspired by Red Rock Deli’s new Limited-Edition Fusion range of potato chips.

Secret Suppers will host one exclusive event per month over the next five months, each of the pop up dining experiences will be curated to provide innovative, new and exciting taste experiences that have never been created before on the Australian food scene.

The details of each Secret Supper will be kept a mystery. Starting with a secret alert, guests will be informed of the location before being taken on a curious journey to a unique, hidden venue for an intimate and immersive dining experience for just 20 lucky guests per seating.

For those that missed out on the chance to attend Adam Liaw’s Fusion Adventure, tickets will be going on sale for each event on Concrete Playground’s website each month.

Upcoming Secret Suppers event dates:

Flame Wars – Duncan Welgemoed, Africola – 20th June
A Night of Spice – Chris Yan, Lotus Dining – 25th July
Foraged Flavours – Paul Turner, Lover – 29th August
Elevation of the Senses – Giorgio Di Stefano, Ms. Frankie – 3rd October

Sara xxx

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