Spicy Short Rib Coconut Curry Brothy Rice Bowls

Ingredients

• 0.9–1.1 kg Short rib, bone-in
• Salt, kosher, for seasoning
• 15 ml Neutral oil, for searing
• 44 ml Curry paste, red
• 2 Shallot, halved
• 4–5 Garlic, cloves, smashed
• 1 Ginger, 10 cm piece, sliced into coins, unpeeled
• 10 ml Soy sauce
• 5 ml Fish sauce
• 15 ml Brown sugar
• 700–950 ml Beef stock, to mostly submerge the ribs
• 1 Coconut milk, 400 ml can, full-fat
• 475 ml Rice, cooked, for serving
• Thai basil, for garnish
• Green onion, sliced, for garnish
• Sesame seed, for garnish
• a drizzle Chili oil, for extra heat

Method

1. 01

   Sear the short ribs

   Trim any excess fat from the short ribs and season all sides generously with the kosher salt. Set the pressure cooker to sauté, add the neutral oil, and sear the ribs in a single layer, working in batches if needed, until every side is deeply browned. Move them to a plate; the dark fond left in the cooker will give the broth its depth.

2. 02

   Bloom the curry paste

   Pour off most of the rendered fat, leaving about 15 ml in the cooker. Stir in the red curry paste, scraping up the browned bits, and cook for 2–3 min until the paste is slightly darker and fragrant. Keep the browned ribs on the plate while the curry base cooks.

3. 03

   Pressure-cook the ribs

   If you have not already, halve the shallots, smash the garlic, and slice the unpeeled ginger into coins. Stir them into the curry paste, return the browned ribs, then add the soy sauce, fish sauce, and brown sugar. Pour in enough beef stock to mostly submerge the ribs, seal the lid, and cook at high pressure for 45 min.

4. 04

   Release the pressure

   Let the cooker release pressure naturally for 15 min, then carefully use the quick-release function for any remaining pressure. Open only once the pressure indicator has dropped completely.

5. 05

   Shred the ribs and strain the broth

   Transfer the ribs to a plate and let them cool just until you can handle them. Pull the meat from the bones, discarding the bones and any tough bits. Strain the broth through a fine-mesh sieve, discarding the shallots, garlic, and ginger, then return the strained broth to the pressure cooker.

6. 06

   Finish the coconut curry broth

   Stir the coconut milk into the strained broth and taste. Add a little more soy sauce or fish sauce if needed; the finished broth should be creamy, fragrant, and pleasantly savory without masking the curry. Keep the shredded meat ready for assembly.

7. 07

   Assemble the bowls

   Divide the cooked rice between bowls, top with the shredded short rib, and ladle over the coconut curry broth. Finish with Thai basil, green onions, and sesame seeds, then add a drizzle of chili oil if you want more heat. Serve while the broth is hot.

Note

No pressure cooker? Braise the seared ribs, aromatics, sauces, sugar, and stock in a covered Dutch oven at 325°F for about 3 hours, or use a slow cooker on LOW for 8 hours or HIGH for 4–5 hours. For the richest broth, use full-fat coconut milk; tamari or coconut aminos can replace the soy sauce, and the fish sauce may be omitted.