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Colorful curried Thai beef with peanut sauce served over bowls of yummy coconut rice and mango salsa. This dish is full of flavor, is simple to make, and can be on the table in under 45 minutes. The beef is made with flavorful Thai curry paste and cooked until caramelized around the edges. It’s then served over coconut rice topped with fresh, bright mango jalapeño salsa for a balance of spicy, salty, and savory flavor. Altogether, it’s so delicious. Be generous with the peanut sauce, it makes this curried beef most delicious!
It’s been the longest time since I shared a recipe with peanut sauce. But I love this sauce. Every time I make it I ask myself why I don’t use it more often. I’m seeing a chopped peanut salad in our future for sure!
The idea for this recipe came pretty naturally. I was at Whole Foods, and they had a great cut of flank steak and nice-looking fresh mangos. I already had Thai red curry paste on my list of items to stock back up on. The curry paste happened to be next to the peanut butter. Basically, I put the recipe together in my head from there. I knew if I could add some spiciness to the beef, it would have serious potential.
And I was not wrong. Even my dad, who often finds stir fries like this to be too salty for his taste, complimented the recipe. I think it’s the sauce, combined with the mango and coconut rice, that’s the secret combination. When you put everything together, it’s a wonderful mix of flavors.
Here are the details
Step 1: mix the peanut sauce
This sauce is my favorite – my dad’s, too! I used to make it with coconut, but now I make it even simpler. It’s a mix of peanut butter (I love Whole Foods 365 creamy peanut butter with just peanuts and salt), tamari (I like to use low sodium), Thai red curry paste, pickled ginger (often labeled as sushi ginger), and toasted sesame oil.
I find it easiest to blend the sauce in a blender or use an immersion blender.
Step 2: cook the beef
It’s a little crispy and a little spicy, but simple. Toss thinly sliced flank steak with arrowroot or cornstarch to help with the crispiness. Cook it up with Thai red curry paste and butter. Then add garlic, lemongrass, and ginger.
Finish with tamari and sweet Thai chili sauce.
For the butter, make sure it’s a high-quality grass-fed butter for the best flavor. I love Straus Organic European Butter. Then, simply cook the garlic and ginger in the butter until golden and crisp.
Step 3: the mango salsa
This is fresh and delicious. Lots of ripe mango, so many fresh herbs, toasted sesame seeds, a jalapeño pepper (for a little heat), and some lime.
The fresh mix really compliments the beef and rich peanut sauce.
Step 4: serve
Lots of rice, the mango salsa, and then the beef. Finish this up by spooning the peanut sauce over the beef. Be generous with the sauce. You will love it!
Enjoy immediately. This takes less than an hour to make, and it’s delicious and fun! All those fresh herbs and mango chunks certainly make a difference.
Looking for other quick weeknight dinners? Here are some favorites:
20 Minute Miso Ginger Beef and Broccoli
Crockpot Thai Short Ribs with Coconut Rice
30 Minute Caramelized Shallot Beef Ramen Noodles
Coconut Popcorn Chicken with Sweet Thai Chili Lime Sauce
30 Minute Sticky Thai Meatballs with Sesame Noodles
Better Than Takeout Sweet Thai Basil Chicken
Chili Crisp Chicken Mango Cucumber Rice Bowl
Lastly, if you make this Curried Thai Beef with Peanut Sauce, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And, of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Curried Thai Beef with Peanut Sauce
Servings: 6
Calories Per Serving: 453 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
Peanut Sauce
- 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
- 1/3 cup tamari/soy sauce
- 2-3 tablespoons Thai red curry paste
- 1 tablespoon chopped pickled ginger
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
Curried Beef
- 1 1/2 pounds flank steak, thinly sliced
- 1 pinch black pepper
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch or arrowroot powder
- 1/4 cup Thai red curry paste
- 3 tablespoons salted butter
- 4 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 tablespoon lemongrass paste (optional)
- 2 tablespoons chopped pickled ginger
- 1/3 cup tamari/soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons sweet Thai chili sauce
- 1 cup chopped mango
- 1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and sliced
- 1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
- 2 green onions, chopped
- 2 tablespoons sesame seeds
- 2 tablespoons chopped peanuts
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
Instructions
- 1. To make the peanut sauce. Add all ingredients to a glass jar or blender and blend to combine, adding water as needed to thin the sauce. 2. In a bowl, toss together the beef, a pinch of pepper, and the cornstarch (or arrowroot powder).3. Melt one tablespoon of butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the beef and curry paste. Cook until the beef becomes crispy, about 5 minutes. Add two tablespoons of butter, the garlic, lemongrass, and ginger. Cook until the garlic is lightly crisping, 1 minute. Reduce the heat to low. Add the tamari/soy sauce and Thai chili sauce. Cook for 2-3 minutes until the meat is caramelized. 4. In a bowl, mix the mango, jalapeño, cilantro, green onion, sesame seeds, peanuts, and lime juice. 5. Spoon the mango salsa over the bowls of rice. Add the beef, then pour the peanut sauce on top. Enjoy!
Notes
Coconut Rice: Combine 1 can (14 ounces) of coconut milk, 3/4 cup bone broth or water, and 2 tablespoons ghee or butter in a medium pot. Bring to a low boil. Add 2 cups of jasmine rice and a pinch of salt. Stir to combine, cover, then turn the heat down to the lowest setting possible. Allow the rice to cook for 10 minutes on low, then turn the heat off completely. Let the rice sit, covered, for another 15-20 minutes (don’t take any peeks inside!). Remove the lid and fluff the rice with a fork.
Homemade Sweet Thai Chili Sauce: Mix 1/3 cup honey, 2 tablespoons ketchup, 1-2 tablespoons chili sauce or hot sauce, 2 teaspoons lime zest, 2 tablespoons lime juice, 1 tablespoon rice vinegar, 2 teaspoons tamari or soy sauce, 1 tablespoon grated ginger, and 1 clove grated garlic in a glass jar. Shake or stir well. Use as directed.
The flavors of this are good, but the recipe as written? I have to agree with the comment below by Alex on 6.17.24. I generally make new recipes “as written” and I did this one, with some trepidation because I’ve done a fair amount of stir fry, and exactly as Alex said, this recipe as written didn’t make sense. I would have rated this recipe one-star based on that. But the flavors were there, and so I did it again, much as Alex (and my original gut feelings) suggested: No butter. I used peanut oil (that can take high temps). Less cooking time (so more tender meat). Cooking the meat, alone (just in the corn starch), in batches, removing the meat, cooking the sauce, adding the cooked meat back in. THAT method resulted in a 5-star. So, I combined the two ratings and ended up with a three.
Hi Laura,
Thanks for trying this recipe and sharing your feedback! Sorry for any confusion with the recipe, so glad to hear you were able to make it work using another method! Have a great week! xT
I really enjoyed the recipe. It took me more than 20 minutes to make, overall probably 40 minutes, but it wasn’t complicated. It makes a lot of peanut sauce, my meat wasn’t super crispy, but it was really flavorful. Especially with the coconut rice. We’d cook again!
Hey Rachel,
Thanks so much for trying this recipe and sharing your feedback! Sorry this took longer than expected, but glad to hear you enjoyed it! xT
My wife, an excellent home cook, made this last night and was angry at how inedible it turned out. Having a bit of a background in Chinese and south Asian cooking I asked if she could share the recipe…just from reading it, it’s plain to see it’s going to be a wreck. First, you’re not going to be able to heat butter hot enough to crisp the beef…you need a high-heat neutral oil and lots more of it. Also, throwing all the beef in at once will result in you essentially boiling the beef as it releases water shortly after hitting the pan. Experienced stir friers know that you need to cook beef in small batches to overcome that and get solid browning on high heat. Third, the cooking time here is waaaay too long for flank steak. My wife’s version of this dish was a wreck of inedibly chewy beef (cut thin against the grain) because it was essentially cooked for about eight minutes. You want to cook the beef in a wok (or cast iron pan) on high heat with oil nearly smoking. Spread it out and let it cook for about 90 seconds, then toss for about 30-45 more seconds…then take it out, it’s ready. Any more and it will become rubber. Flank steak should be pink in the middle, or just past pink. Also, you’re simply not going to get crisping, much less browning, by cooking the beef with the curry paste since the curry paste has moisture that inhibits both browning and crisping. Fourth, crispy garlic in one minute on med-hi in butter? Nope…not happening. Fifth, caramelizing meat in a pan with tat much liquids in a few minutes? Again…not happening. For the love of god people, take my advice…DO NOT cook flank steak this way if you want something edible. Also, the whole thing is too salty. Lastly, the butter really adds nothing to this dish but calories and artery clogging saturated fats. Just use avocado oil. This thing is just a train wreck, both on paper and in practice, and it’s also pretty unhealthy as well.
This was amazing! The flavours are incredible. I marinated the flank steak over night, because I’ve never cooked it without marinating, and I was feeding 15 people and didn’t want to chance it! Just some soy, rice vinegar, olive oil and lime juice for 24 hours. Will definitely make this again
Hey Miranda,
Happy Monday!! I appreciate you giving this recipe a try and your comment, love to hear that it turned out well for you! Xx
This is good but in my opinion just use the peanut sauce on the beef instead of the extra red curry paste and soy and seeer Thai chili
Thanks for sharing your feedback, Mary! Glad to hear you enjoyed this recipe. Have a great Friday! xT
This recipe is so easy! You could easily put the meat in lettuce wraps or substitute tofu. I love that it’s versatile and the flavor is spot on. Fool proof and tasty for a week night dinner.
Hey Jillian,
Thank you so much for trying this recipe and your feedback! I think the lettuce wraps are a great idea! So glad you enjoyed this! xT
It was really good & we were able to eat it for leftovers. I didn’t do as much soy sauce I just eye balled it after I saw another comment.
I think the peanut sauce recipe was way more than needed. We ended up throwing out atleast a cup or two of it.
Hey there,
Wonderful! I am so glad to hear that this recipe was enjoyed and appreciate you making it and your feedback! xT
The beef was amazing and tender but I had difficulty with the sauce. It might just be my lack of heat tolerance, but I needed to add SIGNIFICANTLY more peanut butter for it to taste even remotely like peanut sauce to me. My husband on the other hand said I used TOO MUCH peanut butter. It was odd.
Hi Madison,
Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try and sharing your feedback! Sorry to hear about the sauce….sounds like a personal preference on peanut butter type of thing? Glad you enjoyed the beef:) xx
Amazing flavor! Rave reviews from the whole family and earnest beseeching that I make it again soon. Thank you, Tieghan, for sharing another winner!
Hi Kelly,
Fantastic!! Love to hear that this dish turned out well for you, thanks a lot for making it! Have a great weekend! xx
This dish has become a favorite in my house. So many flavor notes that all complement each other. I added a good amount of red pepper flakes to the peanut sauce as we like everything spicy. So good!
Hi Cheryl,
Love to hear this!! Thanks for making this recipe so often and your feedback:) xx
Can I substitute other meat as flank steak is a bit pricey? Thanks
Hi Sarah,
Totally, skirt steak would be another great option for you to use! Please let me know if you give this recipe a try, I hope you love it! xT
This recipe was so delicious with some important changes:
1. The soy sauce quotient in both the peanut sauce and the steak marinade was way, way too high (and I’m a salt fiend). I would lower from 1/4 cup to 1 Tablespoon soy sauce for each, and then add more as needed.
2. The peanut sauce was very thick. Some water would help to make it drizzleable.
3. A little honey or brown sugar will help balance the peanut sauce.
4. A dash of fish sauce in the steak marinade gives a little added depth and umami to the flavor.
5. I sauteed some bell peppers and jalapenos before searing the steak, then added them back in the pan with the steak at the end to get coated in the marinade. Next time, I’d also throw in snow peas and carrots in addition to the peppers!
6. Optional, but I think some red cabbage helps to brighten up and add some crunchy interest to the mango salsa. Pineapple in addition to the mango would be delicious, too!
With those modifications, this recipe is definitely going in the rotation! Thanks for another amazing meal, Tieghan!!
Hi Marty,
Thank you so much for trying this recipe and sharing all of your detailed notes! Love to hear that it turned out well and you will be adding it to your regular dinners! xT
My husband said this was the best meal I have ever made. So flavorful and so delicious. From someone who never cooked before, I’ve become hooked on your recipes! Easy and delicious.
Hi Marley,
Thanks so much for trying this recipe and your comment, love to hear that it turned out well for you! Have a great Monday! xT