Thai Beef Massaman Curry with Potatoes
This recipe is a crowd-pleaser! Perfect for a family dinner or a dinner party… any occasion really! The spice level is mild and is packed full of flavours from the herbs and dried spices. This is a unique curry in Thailand and is very popular in the south, traditionally this curry is cooked with beef, potatoes, onions and peanuts.
The recipe I'm sharing today is traditional with added tomatoes too. My family has always put tomatoes in a massaman curry to add another level of sweet and sour flavour. Alternative meats, you can cook in a massaman curry is lamb or chicken, it is rarely cooked with pork in restaurants because of its Islamic heritage, but you can give the pork a try at home. A meat-free Thai massaman curry can be made with chunky tofu and vegetables, we have a recipe here.
How to Cook Beef Thai Massaman Curry
To start off I like to pan-roast the peanuts in a pan until they are a nice golden-brown colour. Do this on medium heat and shake the pan often to give an even roast. If you have purchase roasted peanuts from the shops, I would recommend giving them a quick toast for a fresh-roasted flavour. Once golden-brown, remove from heat and place in a separate bowl and set aside.
In a wok or large saucepan, heat oil and stir fry Mae Jum Thai Massaman curry paste for at least two minutes to build up the flavour and aroma. Once the paste has broken down in the oil, it is time to add 100ml of water to loosen the paste even further. Begin to mix the paste and the water together and bring to a light boil. Season with fish sauce, palm sugar and tamarind (optional) and mix well.
Add the Beef, stir it into the sauce and then add coconut milk. Bring back to a light boil, cover and cook for 30 to 45 minutes. Next add in potatoes, onions and peanuts with the remaining water (100ml), simmer for a further 30 minutes until the potatoes are cooked and sauce has reduced down to a thick and creamy consistency.
The curry is nearly ready! Finish with adding the cherry tomatoes for an extra sweet and sour flavour. If you think the curry is looking a little pale, leave to simmer for a bit, around 10 or 15 minutes, it will get richer in colour over time. Everything should be looking and smelling incredible, now serve up with freshly steamed Thai jasmine rice. Enjoy!
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Thai Beef Massaman Curry with Potatoes
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp Vegetable Oil
- 35 g Mae Jum Massaman Curry Paste
- 1 tbsp Fish Sauce
- 1 tbsp Palm Sugar
- 400 ml Coconut milk
- 350 g Stewing Beef
- 300g g potatoes
- 200 ml Water
- 2 small onions
- 50 g Cherry Tomatoes
- 1 tbsp Tamarind Paste optional
- 50 g Peanuts
- Red chilli optional
Instructions
Preparation
- Peel and chop the potato and onions into chunks
- Chop the cherry tomatoes into halves
- Cut the beef into 1 inch cubes
- Pan roast the peanuts
Method
- Heat oil into a large saucepan on medium/high heat, then stir-fry curry paste to build aroma.
- Add 100ml water to loosen the mix, and then blend in fish sauce, palm sugar and tamarind (optional)
- Add beef and coconut milk, bring to a light boil, cover and cook for 30-45 minutes.
- Add potatoes, onions and peanuts with remaining water (100ml), bring back to a simmer and cook for a further 30 minutes (uncovered)
- Add cherry tomatoes stir well before removing from heat. If the sauce is too thin, continue to simmer to reduce sauce further
- Garnish with thinly sliced red chilli just before serving (optional) and serve hot with freshly steamed Thai Jasmine rice
Massaman is my daughter favourite. She gave this a perfect 5
Really delicious and easy and quick to make..my whole family loves it