Beef massaman curry

Name: Beef massaman curry
Cook time: 149 min
Total time: 149 min
Yield: 6
Cuisine: Tailandesa
Ingredients: 80 g Peanuts; 600 g Potato; 1 tablespoon Vegetable Oil; 3 leaves Bay Leaf; 800 ml Coconut Milk; 2 tablespoons Fish Sauce; 1 stick Cinnamon Stick; 5 u Cardamom; 2 tablespoons Tamarind Paste; 400 g Jasmine Rice; 8 u Shallots; 1 kg Beef Shin; 2 tablespoons Palm Sugar; 2 u Star Anise; 4 tablespoons Massaman curry paste; 300 ml Water

Curry massaman de ternera

Medium

Contains allergens

Cacahuetes

Incomplete allergen information: some ingredients have not been reviewed yet. Always check the labels before cooking.

Author: Equipo Cocinoa
Preparation time: 2 hr
Servings: 6

Summary

Thailand's mildest and most aromatic curry: beef slow-cooked in coconut milk with potatoes, peanuts, cinnamon and cardamom, finished with the sweet and sour notes of palm sugar and tamarind.

Ingredients

6 servings

Add to Bring!

80 g Peanuts (roasted and unsalted)
600 g Potato (waxy, cut into large chunks)
1 tablespoon Vegetable Oil
3 leaves Bay Leaf
800 ml Coconut Milk (2 tins, unshaken)
2 tablespoons Fish Sauce
1 stick Cinnamon Stick
5 u Cardamom (pods, lightly crushed)
2 tablespoons Tamarind Paste
400 g Jasmine Rice (to serve)
8 u Shallots (small, peeled and left whole, or 1 onion cut into wedges)
1 kg Beef Shin (or chuck, cut into 4 cm chunks)
2 tablespoons Palm Sugar (or soft brown sugar)
2 u Star Anise
4 tablespoons Massaman curry paste (shop-bought or homemade)
300 ml Water

Instructions

Open the tins of coconut milk without shaking them and spoon about 6 tablespoons of the thick cream from the top into a bowl. Pat the meat dry with kitchen paper.
3 min
Heat the oil in a heavy-based casserole over medium-high heat and brown the meat in batches, without crowding, until crusty on all sides. Set aside.
12 min
Lower the heat to medium, add the reserved coconut cream to the pan and cook, stirring, until it bubbles and begins to split and release its oil. Add the curry paste and fry for a couple of minutes, pressing it with the spoon, until it smells intensely fragrant.
6 min
Return the meat and its juices and add the rest of the coconut milk, the water, cinnamon, star anise, cardamom and bay leaves. Bring to a gentle boil, half cover and simmer over the lowest heat until the meat is very tender.
100 min
Add the potatoes, shallots and half the peanuts and carry on cooking, uncovered, until the potatoes are tender and the sauce has thickened. Meanwhile, rinse and cook the rice.
25 min
Season with the tamarind, palm sugar and fish sauce. Taste and balance: it should be sweet, salty and slightly sour, with the spices to the fore. Fish out the cinnamon and star anise if you can find them.
3 min
Let it rest for a few minutes and serve with the jasmine rice and the remaining peanuts, chopped, on top.

Notes

The name comes from the word for 'Muslim': the dish reached the Siamese court through Persian and Malay traders, which is why it uses dried spices rarely found in other Thai curries, such as cinnamon, cardamom and star anise. Frying the paste in coconut cream until it releases its oil is what gives the sauce its depth, so don't skip that step. You can make it with chicken thighs (30 minutes of simmering is enough) or lamb shoulder. It improves overnight and keeps for 4 days in the fridge; if you plan to freeze it, leave out the potatoes, which turn mealy. If you are cooking for someone with a peanut allergy, simply leave them out: the curry still works.