THAI CURRY SMOTHERED STEAK

Smothered steak is a great way to take a more economical piece of meat, such as top round, and turn it into a delicious steak meal with a flavor-packed sauce. This is technically a braised dish, so the slow simmering of the top round will force this slightly tougher cut into tender submission. However, we will slice and eat it like a steak, paired with the sauce it was cooked in. Any low to mid range steak will do!

While smothered steak may elicit a more Southern-type feel, we’re going to give it a twist. The bold flavors of a Thai curry are an excellent pairing with beef and one of my favorite things to make on a regular basis. By using coconut cream, ginger, garlic and a few other Thai-inspired ingredients, this dish will really pop!

• Prep Time: 15 Minutes
• Cook Time: 1 hour 15 Minutes
• Difficulty: Moderate
• May we suggest:
  • Native Forest Organic Coconut Cream
  • Thai Kitchen Red Curry Paste

INGREDIENTS

Step 1: Sear the steak. Set the oven to 325 degrees and preheat while you get the dish going. You can also simmer this dish on the stove top if preferred. Heat the coconut oil over medium-high heat. Pat the top round steak dry with paper towels and season both sides with salt and pepper. Sear the meat in the pan for about 4 minutes per side to achieve a golden brown crust. Once seared, remove the steak from the pan and set aside.

Step 2: Sauté the vegetables in the leftover juices. Add the garlic, ginger and onion (the white part only). Turn the heat down if necessary, as we don’t want to burn the garlic. Add more coconut oil if the pan seems dry. Sauté and stir for about 1 minute until the vegetables begin to color and release their essence, flavoring the leftover fat and pan juices.

Step 3: Deglaze the pan. Combine the soy sauce, fish sauce and rice vinegar in a small bowl and mix. Add to the pan, along with the Thai curry paste. Stir to combine, making sure you scrape up any brown bits stuck to the bottom of the pan from searing the meat. Once simmering, add the can of coconut cream and stock. Bring to a simmer once again.

Step 4: Add the steak and mushrooms to the sauce. Gently lay the steak in the middle of the pan, coating the top of it with the sauce. It will likely not be completely submerged in the sauce, and that’s okay. Add the mushrooms to the pan and stir to combine. Make sure everything is still simmering and cover the pan. Place into the 325-degree oven. Check on the steak after about 15 minutes to make sure it’s simmering nicely. If it looks like it’s cooking too vigorously, adjust the heat down to 300 degrees. If it doesn’t look like it’s simmering enough, turn the heat up to 350 degrees.

Step 5: Simmer the steak for about 1 hour in the oven. Check for doneness by giving it the fork test. If you can insert a fork into the meat and pull it out with little to no resistance, it’s done. If the meat holds into the fork quite a bit, give it some more time. Once fork tender, carefully pull the hot pan from the oven and place on the stove top. Remove the steak and set aside to cool slightly. If the sauce seems too thin, simmer it on the stove top until it’s got a thicker consistency. It definitely should be a thicker-type sauce rather than a broth.

Step 6: Add the sliced green onion tops and stir into the sauce. Taste for seasoning. Does it need more salt? The soy sauce and salt seasoning on the steak should provide enough salty flavor, but always taste and adjust if necessary.

Step 7: Slice the steak into ½ inch slices, diagonally on a bias. This will give more surface area to each piece of meat to deliver that delicious sauce. To serve, place a few slices of the steak in a bowl or plate and ladle a generous amount of sauce over the top. Garnish with cilantro and serve with a wedge of lime to be squeezed onto the dish just before eating!