Name: Lemongrass and tamarind beef ribs
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 180 min
Total time: 190 min
Yield: 6
Ingredients: 3 beef short ribs (about 2kg), halved to make 6 small ribs; 1 litre (4 cups) chicken stock; 130 gm palm sugar, grated; 120 gm tamarind pulp, softened in 125ml hot water for 30 minutes, then pressed through a fine sieve (solids discarded); 80 ml (1/3 cup) fish sauce; 80 ml (1/3 cup) dark soy sauce; To serve: coriander, mint, Thai basil, thinly sliced long red chilli and red shallots, and steamed jasmine rice; Fragrant paste; 40 gm (8cm piece) each ginger and galangal, coarsely chopped; 8 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped; 6 golden shallots; 2 lemongrass stalks, white part only, coarsely chopped; 2 coriander roots, scraped; Deep-fried shallots; For deep-frying: peanut oil; 6 red shallots, thinly sliced

Lemongrass and tamarind beef ribs

Australian Gourmet Traveller recipe for lemongrass and tamarind beef ribs.

Serves 6

Prep

10M

Cook

Total

3H 10M

The tamarind adds a lovely sour note to these ribs, which are inspired by Martin Boetz’s signature ribs at Longrain. You’ll need to begin this recipe a day ahead.

Ingredients

3 beef short ribs (about 2kg), halved to make 6 small ribs

1 litre (4 cups) chicken stock

130 gm palm sugar, grated

120 gm tamarind pulp, softened in 125ml hot water for 30 minutes, then pressed through a fine sieve (solids discarded)

80 ml (1/3 cup) fish sauce

80 ml (1/3 cup) dark soy sauce

To serve: coriander, mint, Thai basil, thinly sliced long red chilli and red shallots, and steamed jasmine rice

Fragrant paste

40 gm (8cm piece) each ginger and galangal, coarsely chopped

8 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped

6 golden shallots

2 lemongrass stalks, white part only, coarsely chopped

2 coriander roots, scraped

Deep-fried shallots

For deep-frying: peanut oil

6 red shallots, thinly sliced

Method

Main

1.Preheat oven to 150C. Heat a large non-stick frying pan over medium-high heat, add ribs, turn occasionally until browned (3-5 minutes). Transfer to a deep roasting pan to fit snugly.

2.Meanwhile, for fragrant paste, process ingredients in a food processor until finely chopped, then spread over ribs. Add stock, sugar, tamarind, fish sauce and soy sauce, cover with baking paper and foil and roast until ribs are very tender (2½-3 hours).

3.Cool ribs in stock, then separate stock and ribs and refrigerate each, covered, until chilled (4 hours-overnight). Bring ribs to room temperature.

4.Skim fat from stock (discard), then reduce stock in a saucepan over medium heat to 750ml (30-40 minutes; stock should be very fragrant). Keep warm.

5.Meanwhile, for deep-fried shallots, heat oil in a deep frying pan to 180C. Add shallot, stir continuously until golden (1½-3 minutes; be careful as hot oil will spit), then strain through a metal sieve and set aside on on absorbent paper.

6.Heat a non-stick pan over high heat, add ribs and sauce and turn occasionally until warmed through (2-4 minutes). Serve hot topped with deep-fried shallots, herbs, chilli and fresh shallots, with steamed rice.