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Sunday, December 22, 2024

Massaman Curry | Diethood


It doesn’t get higher than beef Massaman curry constituted of scratch! I slow-cook this wealthy, aromatic Thai curry with juicy beef chunks, potatoes, smoky chilies, and coconut milk till the meat is fall-apart-tender and the sauce is wealthy and flavorful.

Massaman Curry | Diethood

 

This Massaman curry is likely to be a few of my greatest work. It’s a wealthy, flavorful, Thai coconut curry brimming with fragrant spices, tender, fall-apart beef chunks, and smoky chili warmth that will get softened by the coconut milk. After all, in true Massaman fashion, I couldn’t neglect a sprinkle of crunchy roasted peanuts and cilantro for garnish. Piled over rice, it was love at first chew. This curry takes a little bit of time to make nevertheless it’s the right dish for a Sunday afternoon. The hassle is SO value it!

Why I Love This Curry Recipe

  • All the flavour. Curry is likely one of the first issues to come back to thoughts once I consider BIG taste. This Massaman curry recipe has loads of it, infused in each saucy chew. It’s mildly spicy (however simple to adapt), savory-sweet, and full of umami. The meat and potatoes soak that every one up. Too good!
  • Simple components. My home made Massaman curry paste makes use of a variety of pantry spices you’ll acknowledge, plus a number of easy-to-find extras that almost all grocery shops have within the worldwide meals aisle. I wished a recipe that recreated the daring flavors I really like with out going wild with unique components.
  • Low and sluggish. There’s some prep concerned in making the curry paste and getting the components cubed, chopped, and diced, however this recipe turns into fairly hands-off as soon as the cooking begins. I cook dinner this low and sluggish to deliver out all the flavour, so many of the work will get left to my stovetop.

What Goes In Massaman Curry?

Massaman curry is a aromatic, wealthy, and barely spicy mash-up of Thai and Indian-style curries, so the components replicate a bit little bit of each. It makes use of common Indian spices like cumin, coriander, cinnamon, and cloves, with Malay influences within the Thai red-style curry paste.

Beneath is an summary of the components on this Massaman curry with some notes and substitutions. Be sure you scroll to the recipe card for a printable checklist with the quantities.

Massaman curry paste ingredients with text labels overlaying each ingredient.

Massaman Curry Paste

  • Spices – You’ll want floor cumin, white pepper (or black pepper in a pinch), ginger, cardamom, cloves, and cinnamon. 
  • Chilies – I take advantage of Fresno chilies since they’re simple to search out within the US. Good substitutes for Fresno chilies are jalapeño or chipotle peppers, which each have the smokiness we’re after. I like to recommend seeding the peppers to take the warmth off a bit.
  • Lemongrass Paste – You’ll discover this within the worldwide meals aisle close to different Asian cooking components. Contemporary lemongrass is sort of robust, but when you could find some, you possibly can grind it right into a paste your self.
  • Garlic – Contemporary cloves, please!
  • Crimson Onion – One other delicate onion can even work right here, like yellow onion or candy Vidalia onion. Cube it up finely.
  • Cilantro – Simply the stems! Cilantro stems add texture, plus they’re packed stuffed with taste. In the event you don’t have cilantro, parsley stems or Thai basil stems will work, too.
  • Miso Paste – Additionally discovered within the worldwide meals aisle. Miso is a thick paste constituted of fermented soybeans. It’s the key to a great deal of umami taste in recipes like my Japanese pork katsu.
  • Brown Sugar – Granulated sugar or one other sweetener, like honey or agave, would work right here, too.
  • Lime Juice – Freshly squeezed lime juice is greatest, however bottled is ok in a pinch.
ingredients for Massaman curry with text labels overlaying each ingredient.

Curry Elements

  • Beef Chuck – Minimize into cubes. Different good slow-cooking cuts for curry are beef shanks (like what you’d use for osso buco), tri-tip, or brief ribs
  • Cornstarch – We’re going to “velvet” the meat cubes earlier than we cook dinner them. Velveting means coating the meat in cornstarch, which helps tenderize the meat. It’s a straightforward trick utilized by Asian eating places that makes the meat on this curry further juicy and tender.
  • Vegetable Oil – Canola oil or avocado oil are good decisions.
  • Coconut Milk – You’ll wish to use a can of full-fat coconut milk, or coconut cream, which is able to yield a thicker curry. Simply just remember to don’t purchase cream of coconut, which is VERY candy and gained’t work right here.
  • Onion – Thinly sliced.
  • Potatoes – I like a small, tender selection, like child gold potatoes. I’d advocate any potato that’s waxy, and never starchy.
  • Peanuts – Roasted peanuts are a signature ingredient in Massaman curries. They add further richness and scrumptious crunch! Clearly, be happy to skip them if you happen to’re nut-free.

Do I Should Use Beef?

Gradual-cooking beef is the commonest alternative for Massaman curry, however you may make it with nearly any protein. The simmering methodology is simple to adapt to leaner cuts and proteins like hen, which cook dinner sooner. In the event you’d want a hen curry, think about using the cooking directions for my hen rogan josh as a reference.

To make a vegetarian Massaman curry as an alternative, miss the meat and change it with further potatoes, or different slow-cooking greens like butternut and carrots. You may bulk up the protein with add-ins like chickpeas, too.

Overhead image of a pot with Thai Massaman curry.

How you can Make Massaman Curry Paste

The bottom of many curries begins with a aromatic paste made by mixing spices and aromatics. When you’ve gathered your components, the paste comes collectively rapidly within the blender:

  • Mix. Add your whole curry paste components to a blender or meals processor. In the event you’re old-fashioned, you too can get out your pestle and mortar for this.
  • Mix. Mix or grind the components to type a easy paste. If the combination wants a bit assist coming collectively, you possibly can add a spoonful of water as wanted.

You may also make this Massaman curry with store-bought curry paste. It gained’t have fairly the identical freshness and taste, nevertheless it’ll do in a pinch. Seek advice from the instructions on the package deal in case you could add your store-bought paste at a special level within the cooking course of.

Making the Massaman Curry 

Are you drooling but? As a result of I’m. Together with your curry paste set to go, it’s time to get this curry saucy and simmering. Comply with the steps right here, and scroll to the printable recipe card for particulars.

  • Make the curry paste. See above. I generally double the recipe and retailer the extras in a tight-lidded jar. Do-it-yourself curry paste lasts as much as 4 weeks within the fridge, or 3 months within the freezer!
  • Put together the meat. In the meantime, you’ll velvet the meat in a bowl with cornstarch, salt, and pepper. Afterward, sear the meat cubes over medium-high warmth till they’re good and caramelized.
  • Mix and cook dinner. Add your coconut milk, curry paste, and beef broth to the pot and provides {that a} good stir. Decrease the warmth and add the onion. Then, let the curry simmer, coated, for two hours.
  • Add the potatoes. Lastly, add your potatoes within the final 25 minutes in order that they will cook dinner by. 
  • Serve. Serve your heat and aromatic Massaman curry over rice topped with peanuts and recent cilantro. See beneath for extra concepts.
Pot of Massaman curry with a ladle inside it.

Suggestions and Variations

  • Don’t undercook the meat. Undercooked beef chuck shall be robust, and never fall-apart-tender. Ensure that the meat simmers for a very good couple of hours for greatest outcomes.
  • Use a faster cooking reduce. Curries are greatest after they’re cooked low and sluggish, however if you happen to don’t have hours to spare, you possibly can put together this recipe with a leaner beef reduce, like flank steak or skirt steak. It gained’t have fairly as a lot taste nevertheless it’ll cook dinner sooner.
  • Keep away from a watery curry. Ensure to appropriately measure liquid components, like broth, and simmer the curry for lengthy sufficient to cook dinner off the surplus liquid. Simmering makes the meat ultra-tender and offers the sauce an opportunity to thicken.
  • Extra veggies. On prime of potatoes, you need to use any veggies you’d like on this curry. Candy potatoes, squash, carrots, and bell peppers are all good choices. Simply you’ll want to pay attention to cooking instances and add the veggies on the proper level.
Massaman curry is served in a bowl with rice.

What to Serve With Curry

My favourite option to serve Massaman curry is over a mattress of white rice or cumin rice to absorb the flavors within the sauce. After all, no curry dinner is full with out fluffy naan bread for a similar purpose! 

This home made curry can be scrumptious with vegetable biryani rice, which works nicely as a starter, too, with hen satay on the aspect. And if I’m on the lookout for extra methods to spherical out a meal, I’ll make a batch of savory samosas or Indian samosa chaat (an Indian-style snack platter).

Close-up photo of rice with curry in a bowl, garnished with cilantro and lime wedges.

Storage and Reheating

  • Refrigerate. Retailer the cooled leftover curry in an hermetic container within the fridge for as much as 4 days.
  • Reheat. Heat the Massaman curry in a saucepan on the range over medium warmth. I a lot want it to the microwave, as the meat is much less prone to flip rubbery.
  • Freeze. You may freeze leftover curry for as much as 3 months. Wait till it’s cool after which freeze it in an hermetic container. Thaw the curry within the fridge earlier than reheating.

Extra Curry Recipes to Strive

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  • Mix. Add the cumin, coriander, ginger, pepper, cardamom, cloves, cinnamon, salt, chilis, lemongrass paste, garlic, onion, cilantro, miso paste, brown sugar, and lime juice to a blender. Pulse till a paste kinds. If the paste isn’t coming collectively, add water, one tablespoon at a time, as wanted.

  • Season the meat. In a medium-sized mixing bowl, toss collectively the meat, cornstarch, salt, and pepper.

  • Brown the meat. In a big saucepan, warmth the oil over medium-high warmth. Add the meat and saute till properly caramelized on all sides.

  • Make it saucy. Stir within the coconut milk and the curry paste adopted by the meat broth. Stir till nicely mixed.

  • Simmer. Flip the warmth to low, stir within the onion, and canopy the saucepan. Simmer for two hours.

  • Add the potatoes. Stir within the potatoes, cowl the pan once more, and cook dinner for 25 minutes or till the potatoes are fork-tender.

  • Serve. Serve heat over steamed white rice garnished with peanuts and cilantro.

Energy: 737kcal | Carbohydrates: 33g | Protein: 50g | Fats: 47g | Saturated Fats: 25g | Polyunsaturated Fats: 6g | Monounsaturated Fats: 15g | Trans Fats: 2g | Ldl cholesterol: 156mg | Sodium: 1179mg | Potassium: 1689mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 257IU | Vitamin C: 59mg | Calcium: 88mg | Iron: 9mg

Dietary information is an estimate and supplied as courtesy. Values could fluctuate in accordance with the components and instruments used. Please use your most well-liked dietary calculator for extra detailed information.

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