Curried Beef Stew with Fried Shallots and Peanuts

This simple beef curry gets its wallop of flavor from kroeung, a catchall word encompassing a large variety of herb and spice pastes that form the basis for many Cambodian dishes. At Malis restaurant in Phnom Penh, the cooks wrap each serving of curry and rice in a beautifully folded lotus leaf, but feel free to skip that step, as it's only for presentation.