When I got an email informing me that I had been chosen for Foodie Fights Battle 7, I was really, really excited! I hurried over to see what the magic ingredients were going to be, and I wanted to cry. I love pineapple and basil, but to be honest I’m kind of sick of both of them right now. It made it kind of hard to be creative.
I knew one thing: I did NOT want to make a curry. (Yeah, you can see how that went!) It just seemed too predictable and if you know me, you know that I try my hardest to not be predictable when it comes to things like this. (Asparagus ice cream, anyone?) So I tried to think of things to make: Tuna with a pineapple, basil, and black bean salsa? Too boring. Coconut shrimp with pina colada sauce and basil risotto? Too Red Lobster. Pineapple doughnuts? Sound delicious, but what would I do with the basil? Plus I didn’t feel like frying anything. Flank steak topped with a pineapple sorbet? Maybe another time, I don’t really feel like eating that now.
When it came down to it, all I really felt like making was curry! Based on the other ideas that I had, I figured that I also wanted to use beef and coconut. And so green curry beef with pineapple and coconut rice was born. I do have to say, this came out even better than I expected it to – it may be one of the best curries that I’ve ever made. I made it up as I went along, adding more heat here and more basil there. At one point I decided that it needed more color, so I chopped up some green beans that I had gotten at the farmers market and threw those in. Awesome decision! The beans paired with the sauce beautifully – you almost forgot they were in there, adding all their vegetably healthfullness. They also added a nice crispy texture to the dish, which was the one texture that it had previously been missing.
So maybe curry was predictable. So what? It was healthy and delicious. And at the end of the day, isn’t that all that matters?
Green Curry Beef with Pineapple and Coconut Rice
- 1 can lite coconut milk, divided
- 3/4 cup water
- 1 cup jasmine rice
- 1-1/2 Tbs green curry paste (homemade or prepared)
- 1 lb top round beef , cut into bite-sized pieces
- 1 Tbs fish sauce
- 1/2 can bamboo shoots, drained
- 1/2 jalapeno, minced
- 1 large hand full green beans, chopped
- 1/4 cup basil, chopped
- 1/2 pineapple, cut into bite sized pieces
Combine 3/4 cup coconut milk and 3/4 cup water in a saucepan. Bring to a boil. Add rice. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 15 minutes or until liquid is dissolved. Remove from heat and keep covered.
Meanwhile, combine remaining coconut milk and curry in a large skillet. Bring to a low boil over medium-high heat. Add beef, fish sauce, bamboo shoots, jalapeno, green beans, and basil. Cook, stirring occasionally, until beef is nearly cooked through – about 10 minutes. Add pineapple and cook an additional 5 minutes.
Serve dishes of curry with coconut rice spooned on top.
Serves 4.
****
Lots of great entries in this battle- be sure to check them all out and vote for your favorite! (or, you know, me ;))
TheWoman says
10/08 at 8:44 amCan’t believe you didn’t win! For what it was worth, you had my vote.
Cassandra says
07/20 at 5:06 pmFor not wanting to make a curry, it looks like you did a great job! I love a curry with lots of sauce with it so that the rice can soak it up!
Lori says
07/16 at 8:07 amThis looks delicious! I love the sweet pineapple with the curry and salty meat. I’m definitely bookmarking it. Just the thing I need to spice up some dinners.
DebinHawaii says
07/16 at 4:12 amIt looks like a fresh and delicious dish–love the combination of flavors. Good luck with the “fight”!
mandi says
07/15 at 6:33 amhaha sorry i think that was the other girl’s website actually about the local food… it’s still very early and my brain is fuzzy 🙂
either way your curry looks great and i voted for you!
mandi says
07/15 at 6:28 amyour curry looks really yummy. so yummy that we ended up craving curry pretty hard yesterday and getting some thai green for lunch 🙂
found you through foodiefights and looked around on your site a bit last night. i am into your green concept and i am very interested to read more!
Loving Rice (Shelby Reynolds) says
07/15 at 4:49 amCurry may not be “out there” but the combination of fresh pineapple, curry and coconut milk can never be beat. Add some perfect in-season basil to the mix and you’ve got a winning combination! As a fan of southeast asian cuisine, I applaud you in making a brilliant choice for this foodie fights battle. Congrats no matter which way the competition turns out!
Reeni says
07/14 at 2:35 pmThis looks like a winner! I voted – good luck!
Green Bean says
07/14 at 1:59 pmLol! Loved the post. As you saw from mine, I too resisted my initial first choice because I thought it would be predictable. Often things are predictable for a reason – because they taste good. Now, I don’t eat meat so I won’t comment on the food other than to say the photo looks beautiful but my husband was like “wow, yum!”
CG the Foodie says
07/14 at 12:35 pmGreat use of the ingredients!
Dawn says
07/14 at 11:24 amWow that sounds so delicious!
Mary says
07/14 at 9:54 amThis sounds luscious. Fresh pineapple takes it over the top. No need to apologize to anyone for this curry. It’s really well done.
Mo says
07/14 at 9:11 amLauren, When Henry and I get married, you are in charge of creating the menu. cool?
girlichef says
07/14 at 9:04 ammmmm…sounds delicious! I don’t think I could ever get sick of fresh pineapple, plus I’ve never had it in a curry! YUMMY!
doggybloggy says
07/14 at 7:00 amsweet, savory and coconutty – sounds good all around….
zoe says
07/14 at 6:57 amI think you did a great job with this dish! The flavors are spot on. I love your plate in the photo too!
Erica says
07/14 at 5:48 amLove pineapple with rice….meant to be together! Glad I’m not the only one whose dog is ruining their couch cushions 😉
John Barrie says
07/14 at 5:19 amThat looks really good. I think it will be harder to vote on this week’s Foodie Fights than the last ones.
Parita says
07/14 at 4:38 amPineapple and coconut is always a winner combination..yum yum!
Alisa - Frugal Foodie says
07/14 at 12:02 amPredictable or not, I think you made a great choice. It looks excellent!