This is one of those magical slow-cooker recipes that delivers unbelievable flavour with barely any effort. Everything simply gets thrown straight into the slow cooker – no frying off, no extra pans and absolutely no complicated prep. It’s just 10 minutes of hands-on work, and then you let the machine do the rest.

I’ve been making this recipe for more than 20 years, and it is still one of my all-time favourites. By the end of the day, the beef becomes melt-in-your-mouth tender, the sauce turns rich and deeply fragrant, and the whole house smells incredible.

Ingredients

• 1.2kg beef chuck steak, oyster blade or brisket, diced into large pieces
• 2 large red chillies, roughly chopped
• 6 makrut lime leaves, lightly smashed
• 2 lemongrass stalks, lightly smashed
• 2-3 tbsp good-quality red curry paste
• ⅓ cup fish sauce
• 600ml canned coconut milk
• 2 tbsp brown sugar
• ¾ cup peanuts, roughly chopped
• 280g (about 2 cups) pumpkin, cut into 3cm pieces
• 3 cups green beans, chopped (frozen are fine)

TO SERVE

• steamed brown rice
• fresh coriander leaves
• extra chilli, sliced
• lime wedges

Method

• Step 1- Set your slow cooker to high.

• Step 2- Place the beef, chillies, makrut lime leaves, lemongrass, curry paste, fish sauce, coconut milk, brown sugar and peanuts into the slow cooker. Stir everything together well.

• Step 3- Cover with the lid and cook for 6-7 hours until the beef is becoming tender.

• Step 4- Add the pumpkin during the final hour of cooking and stir through gently. Add the green beans during the final 15 minutes.

• Step 5- Continue cooking until the beef is falling apart and the vegetables are tender. If needed, cook slightly longer depending on your slow cooker.

• Step 6- Serve spooned over brown rice with fresh coriander leaves, extra chilli and lime wedges on the side.

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