Tom's Thai Shortribs
The key thing about Thai food is the balance between hot, sour, sweet, and salty. The recipe is pretty good for that.
The ingredient list is sort of a guideline. The key is the balance above, and the taste of peppers, fish sauce, and lemongrass in the braising liquid. You don’t need red pepper jelly, celery, onions, tomatoes, red wine, etc. if they aren’t convenient.
Ingredients: Braise
- Grass fed short ribs
- Onions
- Red Peppers
- Celery (a little)
- Garlic
- Fish Sauce
- Red wine
- Sweet hot sauce
- Red pepper Jelly
- Cherry tomatoes
- Zest and juice of two limes
- Honey
- Lemongrass
- Red Chiles
- Cilantro
- Black Pepper
- Salt
- Pea shoots
Instructions: Braise
Brown meat in canola oil, and put in large braising pot. Use same frying pan to saute sliced onions, red peppers, celery, and garlic. Add a little salt, fish sauce, and sweet hot sauce to saute. Remove from pan and add to braising pot.
Deglaze pan with red wine, and boil off alcohol. Add to braising liquid, along with red pepper jelly, tomatoes, whole red chiles, lemongrass, ginger, and enough liquid to cover short ribs. Set to simmer.
Zest both limes. Reserve zest, and add juice of one lime. Wait until ribs are cooked (half hour at simmer to be safe) and taste braising liquid. Add salt, additional lemon juice, and honey to taste. If you have time to reduce braising liquid, do this later.
Cook for a total of three hours. Remove red chiles when braising liquid is spicy enough. At end of three hours, add cilantro, lime zest, and black pepper. If you have time to reduce braising liquid, do this later.
If time, cool in fridge, remove fat and reduce braising liquid.
To assemble, put rice (see below) on plate and cover with pea shoots. Place short rib on top of rice, and asparagus (see below) on top of short rib. Drizzle with braising liquid.
Ingredients: Rice
- 3/4 cup Rice
- Small can coconut milk (like a tomato paste can)
- salt
Cook rice with coconut milk and salt.
Ingredients: Asparagus
- Asparagus
- Oil
- Lime juice
- Red pepper jelly
- Hot and sweet sauce
- Salt
Baste asparagus with ingredients and grill in the oven.