Winter has arrived with a vengeance. Yes, it does get chilly on the Sunshine Coast! At this time of the year I am ready to move away from salads and barbequed food and enjoy more complex dishes. This tasty Thai-inspired recipe is a perfect winter-warming dish, and makes use of local ginger, limes and garlic which are currently in season. The beef becomes very tender and falls off the bone due to the long cooking time. Don’t trim the fat from the beef ribs, as it adds to the delicious flavour of the coconut sauce.
Ingredients (serves 4):
600ml coconut milk
3 tablespoons grated palm sugar
2 tablespoons Thai fish sauce
2 lemongrass stalks, bruised with a mallet and cut into 3
5 cm piece ginger, sliced
4 birds eye chillies, seeded and finely chopped
5 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
1 large lime, rind finely grated and juiced
3 star anise
2 cinnamon sticks
1.5 kg beef ribs, with bone
To serve: steamed jasmine rice and lime wedges
Method (prep 15 mins, cooking time 90 mins):
1. Preheat the oven to 180°C.
2. Place all ingredients except the beef ribs in a large casserole or baking dish and mix well. Add the ribs and baste with the sauce. Cover and bake for 60 minutes, basting and turning occasionally. Uncover and cook for a further 30 minutes or until the meat is tender and falling off the bone, turning once.
3. Serve over steamed jasmine rice, spooning the juices over the meat, and wedges of lime.
