Friday, April 12, 2013


Here is my favorite recipe in the whole world! It's for Massaman Curry! This is the only recipe that I've found that is really good and works every time. I've altered it to it's not so spicy, but if you'd like the original recipe, you can find it here:  http://www.realthairecipes.com/recipes/massaman-curry/

Massaman Curry (gaeng matsaman – แกงมัสมั่น) is a Southern Thai curry which has a lot of Indian influence. Massaman is an old way of saying “Muslim”, for many of the dry spices were carried to Thailand by early Muslim traders. Like Indian curries, this curry is heavy on dry spices and very aromatic. 

You'll need:

  • Curry paste (recipe below. If you buy Massaman curry pre-made, I cannot guarantee the quality)
  • 3 tbsp veggie oil
  • Chicken breast- cut into bite-size cubes
  • 1 Can coconut milk
  • Diced potatoes 
  • 1 medium onion- yellow or white, sliced or diced
  • 1/4 cup of roasted peanuts OR 1/4 cup of peanut butter
  • 1 tbsp palm sugar- or brown sugar if you don't have any
  • 1" piece of cinnamon stick- cinnamon powder also works fine (abt 1/2 tsp)
  • 2 cassia leaves- minced
  • 2 tbsp fish sauce
  • 2 tbsp soy sauce
The Curry Paste:
  • 2-4 dried chillies, de-seeded and minced
  • 1/2 tsp black peppercorns, roasted
  • 1 tsp coriander seeds, roasted
  • 1 tsp cumin seeds, roasted
  • 2 cloves, roasted
  • 2 cardamon pods, roasted (if you dont have this, it's ok, but it def tastes better with it.)
  • 1 tsp fish sauce
  • 1/2 tsp nutmeg
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp galangal
  • 1 tbsp coriander roots
  • 1 tbsp lemongrass
  • 1/4 cup shallots
  • 2 tbsp garlic- not powdered

DIRECTIONS

  1. If making your own paste, dry roast the dry spices in a pan on medium heat until fragrant, about 2-4 minutes. It’s best to roast each thing one at a time until fragrant. The chilies should be browned.
  2. Soak the dried chilies until soft, then take out the seeds and inner bits and chop fine.
  3. Pound the paste in a stone mortar & pestle. Start by grinding up the dried spices until powdered, then set aside. Put the chilies in the mortar and pound until uniformly smashed, then add the rest of the ingredients, starting from hardest and driest and working up to softest at the end. Then add the dried spice powder back in and the shrimp paste. Mix well. If using a food processor, just mix it all in together. If using canned paste, skip these three steps.
  4. Cut the potatoes and onions. Cook the potato chunks in the microwave for at least 5 minutes. Saute the onions until slightly brown. Put aside.
  5. Add the oil to the pan and turn on to medium high. Fry 4 tablespoons of the paste until fragrant, about 3-4 minutes. Keep stirring so it doesn’t burn. Add the onions and potatoes.
  6. Add 1 cup of the coconut cream Simmer until the oil separates, about 2-3 minutes. 
  7. Add the cinnamon, cardamom seeds, cassia leaves. Mix well.
  8. Simmer (and stir well) until the mixture browns and a good deal of oil comes to the top. About 15-20 minutes. If it gets too dry, add some water. Add the fish sauce, palm sugar and tamarind juice at the end. Taste – you may need to adjust the flavor if it’s not salty or sour enough.
  9. FINALLY, add the diced chicken breast. Cook on low heat until chicken is cooked all the way through. Be careful not to overcook. If you add in the beginning, the chicken tends to be overcooked.
  10. Serve with rice.
Note:
Pictures of Massaman usually make it look really red. I've never actually gotten it red. It's more a yellow/orange.

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