Massaman Curry | Diethood

It doesn’t get higher than beef Massaman curry made out 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.

This Massaman curry may 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 model, I couldn’t neglect a sprinkle of crunchy roasted peanuts and cilantro for garnish. Piled over rice, it was love at first chunk. This curry takes a little bit of time to make but it surely’s the right dish for a Sunday afternoon. The trouble is SO price it!

Why I Love This Curry Recipe

• All the flavour. Curry is without doubt one of the first issues to come back to thoughts after I consider BIG taste. This Massaman curry recipe has loads of it, infused in each saucy chunk. It’s mildly spicy (however simple to adapt), savory-sweet, and stuffed with umami. The meat and potatoes soak that every one up. Too good!
• Straightforward components. My home made Massaman curry paste makes use of lots of pantry spices you’ll acknowledge, plus a couple of easy-to-find extras that almost all grocery shops have within the worldwide meals aisle. I needed a recipe that recreated the daring flavors I 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 carry out all the flavour, so a lot 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 mirror just a little little bit of each. It makes use of widespread 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. You should definitely scroll to the recipe card for a printable listing with the quantities.

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 just a little.
• Lemongrass Paste – You’ll discover this within the worldwide meals aisle close to different Asian cooking components. Recent lemongrass is kind of robust, but when you’ll find some, you possibly can grind it right into a paste your self.
• Garlic – Recent 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. If you happen to 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 made out 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.

Curry Elements

• Beef Chuck – Reduce 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 need to use a can of full-fat coconut milk, or coconut cream, which is able to yield a thicker curry. Simply just be sure you 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.

Methods to 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 entire curry paste components to a blender or meals processor. If you happen to’re old skool, it’s also possible to get out your pestle and mortar for this.
• Mix. Mix or grind the components to kind a easy paste. If the combination wants just a little assist coming collectively, you possibly can add a spoonful of water as wanted.

You may as well make this Massaman curry with store-bought curry paste. It gained’t have fairly the identical freshness and taste, but it surely’ll do in a pinch. Seek advice from the instructions on the package deal in case you might want to add your store-bought paste at a distinct 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. Observe 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, lined, for two hours.
• Add the potatoes. Lastly, add your potatoes within the final 25 minutes in order that they will cook dinner by means of. 
• Serve. Serve your heat and aromatic Massaman curry over rice topped with peanuts and recent cilantro. See beneath for extra concepts.

What to Serve With Curry

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

This home made curry can also 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).

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 choose it to the microwave, as the meat is much less prone to flip rubbery.
• Freeze. You’ll be able to 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 Attempt