Equipment.

sharp knife & chopping board

slow-cooker

food processor

Ingredients.

Spice Paste:

4 large banana shallots, or 1 white onion

5 cloves of garlic & a 5cm piece of ginger, or 4 tbsp ginger & garlic paste

4 prepared lemongrass stalks, or 4 tbsp lemongrass paste

5cm/2.5in piece of fresh galangal, or 3 tbsp galangal paste

3 fresh red chillies

4 dried round chillies, optional

1½ tbsp ground cumin

1½ tbsp ground coriander

1 tbsp ground turmeric

800g / 1¾ lb beef brisket, or any stewing beef e.g. chuck or shin

200ml / ¾ cup + 1 tbsp beef stock, using one stock cube

200g / 1 cup red lentils

400ml / 1 tin coconut milk

1 cinnamon stick

approx. 10 dried lime leaves

1 tbsp tamarind paste

2 tbsp fish sauce

1 tbsp lime juice

To serve: (Optional)

Rice/naan

Fresh coriander

Fresh chilli or chilli flakes

Method.

1. Preheat a large dry frying pan over medium–high heat.

2. Meanwhile, trim away any large pieces of excess fat from the beef, but leaving a thin layer for flavour. Cut into large chunks, about 4cm.

3. Sear the beef in batches until deeply browned on all sides — like you would a steak — to build flavour and render some of the fat. Do not overcrowd the pan otherwise it’ll stew instead of caramelise. Do in batches and transfer to the slow cooker as you go. You shouldn’t need any extra oil but if you’ve trimmed too much fat off the meat then add a little back into the pan (or a splash of oil - but the beef fat has much more flavour).

4. While the beef browns, prepare the spice paste. Peel the shallots, peel the garlic, trim the lemongrass stalks, and deseed the chillies if you prefer a milder heat. No need to peel the ginger or galangal unless they’re particularly gnarly— just give them a quick wipe.

5. Place everything for the paste in a food processor and blend to a coarse paste, adding a splash of water if needed.

6. When all the beef is browned, leave the rendered fat in the pan and use it to cook the spice paste over a medium heat for around 15 minutes, stirring often, until it darkens slightly and smells deeply fragrant. Be careful not to burn it — it should caramelise lightly rather than catch.

7. While the paste cooks, add the beef stock, rinsed lentils, coconut milk, cinnamon stick, lime leaves, tamarind, fish sauce and lime juice to the slow cooker.

8. Stir in the cooked spice paste, mix well, then cook on high for 6 hours (or low for 8), until the beef is tender and falling apart and the lentils have thickened the sauce. Some cuts can take longer than others, so check it after 5 hours, but be prepared to leave it on a little longer if the meat isn’t soft and melty yet.

9. Taste before serving and adjust the seasoning — check the salt, add more lime juice or tamarind if you want to lift it a little, or an extra splash of fish sauce for more umami depth. Serve with rice or warm naan, and enjoy.