Ingredients
4 shallots, chopped
½ cup thinly sliced ginger
½ cup thinly sliced galangal
2 lemongrass stalks, trimmed to bottom 6 inches, halved lengthwise, and sliced thin
5–10 Thai chiles, stemmed and sliced thin, plus extra for serving
5 garlic cloves, smashed and peeled
5 makrut lime leaves, middle vein removed and sliced thin crosswise, plus extra for serving
1 tablespoon ground coriander
1½ teaspoons table salt
1½ teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
2 (14-ounce) cans coconut milk, divided
2½ pounds boneless beef chuck, trimmed, and cut into 1½-inch pieces
Steamed white rice
Directions
1
Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 300 degrees. Process shallots, ginger, galangal, lemongrass, Thai chiles, garlic, lime leaves, coriander, salt, cumin, and turmeric in food processor until coarse paste forms, about 90 seconds, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Transfer paste to Dutch oven. Stir in ½ can of coconut milk. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until excess liquid evaporates and paste begins to stick to pot, 8 to 12 minutes.
2
Stir in remaining 1½ cans coconut milk and beef, scraping up any brown bits on bottom of pot. Increase heat to high and bring to boil, stirring frequently. Transfer, uncovered, to oven and cook for 1 hour. Stir and continue to cook until meat is just tender, 1 to 1¼ hours longer.
3
Transfer pot to stovetop and cook over medium heat, stirring frequently and scraping bottom and sides of pot with wooden spoon, until all liquid has evaporated and meat and aromatics are sizzling in remaining fat, 10 to 15 minutes. Continue to cook, stirring and scraping constantly, until meat and aromatics are deep brown, about 5 minutes (it's OK if some meat begins to shred). Remove from heat. Spread meat over bottom of pot and let sit for 5 minutes to allow fond to loosen.
4
Stir meat, scraping remaining brown bits from bottom and sides of pot. Transfer to serving bowl. Sprinkle with extra sliced lime leaf and Thai chile and serve with rice.