Thai Massaman Beef Curry

Thai Massaman Beef Curry

in Beef, Curry & Stew, Main

A very aromatic curry, Massaman is one of the most famous Thai dishes. King Rama II praised about Massaman in his famous food poem since 1800s, but the curry has got a hint of Persian influence by the use of spices from the Middle East, introduced to Royal Thai Cuisine by the Bunnag’s, a noble family of Persian descent.

Ingredients

  • 500g beef tenderloin (or your favorite cut)
  • 5 cups diluted coconut milk (2 cups of box milk plus 3 cups of water)
  • 1 cup coconut milk
  • 1/2 cup massaman curry paste
  • 1/2 cup palm sugar
  • 1/2 cup tamarind paste
  • 5 tablespoons fish sauce
  • 2 teaspoons sea salt
  • 250 g potatoes, peeled and cut to chunks
  • 2 tablespoons roasted peanuts
  • 1 large onion, peeled, halved, and cut each halve into 4 squares
  • 3 cardamom pods, lightly toasted

Directions

  1. Cut beef into chunks of about 2 inch square. Add beef and the diluted coconut milk into a pot and place over low heat. Stir from time to time to prevent from boiling and coconut fat separating. Simmer about 1 hour until the beef is tender.
  2. In a wok over medium heat, add 1/2 cup of coconut milk and wait until it separates or is boiling. Add massaman curry paste and keep stirring until mixed well. Gradually add the remaining 1/2 cup coconut milk into the wok and keep frying for about 10 minutes or until it releases aroma and red chili oil starts to appear. This means the oil from coconut milk separates and fry the paste properly. If you use processed coconut milk it might not get to this stage (read my Coconut Milk article in Thai food 101 section) so you may want to use a tablespoon of cooking oil to help with the frying process.
  3. With a slotted spoon, scoop the beef from the pot and add to the wok. Stir well until the beef is coated with the curry paste. Turn off the heat.
  4. Carefully transfer the beef and curry paste mixture back into the diluted coconut milk pot. Place the pot on medium heat. Season with palm sugar, tamarind paste, fish sauce, and salt. Bring to a boil then add potatoes, peanuts, onion, cardamom pods, and cook for about 15 minutes until the potatoes are cooked through. Stir from time to time to maintain the smoothness of the curry sauce. Turn off the heat and serve.