5clovesgarlic, crushed with the side of your knife
Sea salt and pepper, to taste
Cilantro, for garnish
Wonton Cups
100square wonton wrappers
Cooking spray oil
Sesame seeds
Sea salt
Instructions
Cut the beef into chunks roughly the size of your fist and season well with salt.
1 teaspoon salt, 1 lb braising beef
Heat the oil over high heat in a large heavy-bottomed pot. When the oil is hot, add beef and sear on all sides until it is dark brown. Make sure not to crowd the pan; you will probably need to work in batches. Keep a close eye on the beef as you sear it, you want it to be dark brown but not to burn. Lower the heat if you think it is getting too close to burning.
¼ cup cooking oil
Remove each piece of beef from the pot when it is dark brown and seared on all sides. Once all pieces are finished remove the pot from the element.
Add the coconut milk all at once and stir to remove any brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Add the curry paste, soy sauce, rice vinegar, sriracha, lime, lemongrass, ginger, and garlic and stir well.
1 can coconut milk, ⅓ cup red Thai curry paste, ¼ cup soy sauce, 2 tablespoons rice vinegar, 2 tablespoons sriracha, 1 lime, 1 stalk lemongrass, 2 inch piece of ginger, 5 cloves garlic
Place beef back in the pan in a mostly single layer. Add enough water so that the beef is ¾ covered with liquid.
Place the pot on the smallest element you have. Bring the covered pot to barely a simmer then reduce heat so that it stays barely simmering. You don't want it to boil. Continue to just barely simmer the beef for 5 hours, or until it is very very tender.
Once the beef is tender, remove it from the cooking liquid. Remove the lime pieces then turn the heat to high and boil, uncovered, until there is about ¾ cup of liquid left.
While the sauce is reducing take 2 forks and shred the beef. Add the shredded beef back into the ¾ cup of cooking liquid and toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside.
Sea salt and pepper
The coconut beef can be made up to 3 days in advance and stored in the fridge. Or kept well sealed in the freezer for up to 1 month. Warm gently before using.
Wonton Cups
Lay wonton wrappers on a flat work surface. Brush or spray a tiny bit of oil over each wrapper. Sprinkle with sesame seeds, concentrating on the edges where they will be seen. Sprinkle lightly with sea salt.
100 square wonton wrappers
Using an ungreased mini cupcake pan, place 1 wonton wrapper in each of the holes. Gently press to the bottom. Don't fuss too much over these, a little irregularity will make them more interesting.
Bake for 3-5 minutes. Check after 3 minutes and keep a very close eye on them; they burn quickly. Remove from oven and cool on a cooling rack.
Can be made up to 3 days in advance and stored (carefully) in a sealed container
Assemble
Place a small scoop of the coconut beef into each crispy wonton cup and top with a little cilantro.
Notes
I've left the quantity of wonton wrappers out on purpose. The beef will make enough to fill a hundred, but likely you won't want that many :) The leftover beef would be great on a sandwich, in chili, or in a Thai curry.