Thai Beef Massaman Curry
Christmas 1986. Chris walked into my mother's house, inhaled, and smiled. He had never smelled anything like it, coconut milk and cardamom and something slow and warm that had been on the stove since morning. He sat down and ate everything. My mother looked at me across the table and smiled. This Massaman curry recipe is what she made that night. It is what made him stay. I have not changed a single thing.
Ingredients
- 1 lb Beef chuck cut into 1-inch cubes
- 2 tablespoons Vegetable oil
- 4 tablespoons Massaman curry paste available at Asian grocery stores
- 1 Coconut milk 14 oz coconut milk
- 1 cup Beef broth
- 2 Medium potatoes peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
- 1 Large onion sliced
- 1/2 cup Roasted peanuts
- 2 tablespoons Fish sauce
- 2 tablespoons Tamarind paste
- 2 tablespoons Palm sugar or brown sugar
- 1 Cinnamon stick
- 3 Cardamom pods
- 1-2 Star anise
- 4-5 Cloves
- 1 Bay leaf
- Cilantro
- Lime juice
Instructions
Brown the Beef:
- Heat the vegetable oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the beef cubes and brown them on all sides. Remove the beef and set aside.
Cook the Spices and Curry Paste:
- Add a small amount of oil, add cardamom pods, cinnamon sticks, star anise, cloves. Stir for thirty seconds.In the same pot, reduce the heat to medium and add the Massaman curry paste. Stir-fry for about 1 minute until it becomes aromatic.
Simmer the Curry:
- Slowly stir in half of the coconut milk, scraping up any bits stuck to the pot.Add the beef back into the pot along with the beef broth. add remaining coconut milk, , onions, fish sauce, tamarind paste, palm sugar, and bay leaf.
- Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer, covered. Add potatoes after 45 minutes.Cook for total of 1.5 to 2 hours.
Adjust Seasonings:
- Taste the curry and adjust the seasoning with more fish sauce or sugar if needed. The curry should have a balanced flavor of salty, sweet, and tangy.
Serve:
- Garnish with fresh cilantro and lime wedges on the side.
Notes
Use beef chuck or brisket, not lean cuts. Massaman needs fat running through the meat to survive a long slow simmer. Sirloin or fillet will dry out before the sauce has time to develop. Cut the pieces large, two inches at least. They will shrink as they cook and you want something worth finding in the bowl.
The whole spices go in first, before the paste, in the hot oil. Thirty seconds. Cardamom, cinnamon, star anise, cloves. They bloom in the oil and carry their warmth into everything that follows. Skip this step and the curry is still good. Do not skip this step.
The potatoes go in halfway through, not at the beginning. Potatoes added too early turn to mush before the beef is ready. Halfway through gives them time to cook through without losing their shape. Use waxy potatoes. Yukon Gold. They hold. Floury potatoes dissolve.
Massaman is better the next day. The spices settle overnight and the sauce deepens in a way that one afternoon of cooking cannot achieve. My mother always made it the day before. I understand why now. Make it Saturday. Eat it Sunday. That is the right order.
Nutrition
Serving: 1.5cupsCalories: 610kcalCarbohydrates: 38gProtein: 27gFat: 42gSaturated Fat: 20gPolyunsaturated Fat: 10gCholesterol: 75mgSodium: 890mgFiber: 6gSugar: 14g
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