Thai Beef Braised in Coconut Milk with Ginger

Yet another Cooking Light recipe. I made it almost as written, but used a mix of lite and regular coconut milks for a slightly richer flavor. Next time I think I'll bump up the spices, not the cayenne, but I think I'd like more curry flavor to come out of it. It's good just like it is...I just like to tweak at stuff. :-)

Thai Braised Beef with Coconut Milk and Ginger:

1 (2 1/2-pound) boneless chuck roast
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground cardamom
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground red pepper
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoons vegetable oil, divided
3 cups chopped onion
1 cup diced carrot
2 tablespoons minced peeled fresh ginger
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 (16-ounce) can fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
1 1/2 cups light coconut milk (I used a combination of lite and regular for more coconut flavor)
2 tablespoons sliced peeled fresh lemon grass. Use a microplane grater or it can be fibrous when you eat it and just grate the first 2 or so inches of the stalk from the trimmed root end. Recipe says you can sub 1 tablespoon thinly sliced lime rind, but try to find the lemongrass.
3 bay leaves
6 cups hot cooked Chinese-style egg noodles (about 12 ounces uncooked...I only cooked half a package of noodles for 2 and we still had leftovers)
chopped fresh cilantro

Trim fat from beef. Cut beef into 2-inch pieces. Combine salt and next 6 ingredients (salt through black pepper) in a small bowl. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons of spice mixture over beef, and toss to coat; reserve remaining spice mixture.

Preheat oven to 325°.

Heat 1 teaspoon oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add beef; cook 5 minutes, browning on all sides. Remove from pan. Heat 1 teaspoon oil in pan. Add onion, carrot, ginger, and garlic; sauté 8 minutes or until tender. Stir in broth, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Return beef to pan. Add remaining spice mixture, coconut milk, lemon grass, and bay leaves. Bring to a boil. Cover and bake at 325° for 2 hours. Remove beef from pan using a slotted spoon; shred with 2 forks, set aside, and keep warm. Bring vegetable mixture to a boil over medium-high heat. Cook 10 minutes or until slightly thick. Discard bay leaves, then add beef back to pot. Serve beef and vegetable mixture over noodles. Sprinkle with cilantro.