Authentic Beef Massaman Curry Recipes

AUTHENTIC BEEF MASSAMAN CURRY

Steps:

• In a dry pan, combine the coriander seeds, cumin seeds, white cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, white peppercorns, dried red finger chilli peppers and coarse sea salt and cook over moderate heat until the chillis brown. Place the spices in a mortar and finely grind or use a food processor and blend until smooth.
• Wrap shrimp paste in a section of banana leaf (or foil) and roast the parcel in a frying pan for one minute on each side. Remove shrimp paste from the parcel and set aside.
• Pour oil in a pan and sauté shallots, garlic cloves, galangal, lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves and Thai shrimp paste until slightly browned. Remove the mixture from the heat.
• When cool, place in a mortar with the ground spices, and add the nutmeg, coriander roots and lime zest and finely grind or use a food processor and blend until smooth.
• In a saucepan, heat the curry paste and oil over high heat.
• Add coconut milk and water and cook until boiling.
• Reduce to medium heat, stir in palm sugar, tamarind juice, fish sauce, Thai cardamom and cinnamon sticks.
• In a hot pan, add oil and sear off the beef pieces.
• In a pan, bring Matsaman Curry to a boil.
• Add beef to the curry and cook for two hours at a simmer.
• The beef should be tender enough to pull apart with a fork, if not keep cooking for another hour or so.
• When the beef is ready, remove from heat and garnish with coriander sprigs.
• Serve with steamed jasmine rice on the side.

BEEF MASSAMAN CURRY

Steps:

• Remove the bones from the meat, then cut the meat into large cubes.
• Add oil to a heavy-bottomed pan, then place over medium-high heat and cook until sizzling hot. Then, brown the beef cubes in the pan in batches.
• Return all the beef cubes to the pan, then add the beef bones, ½ cup (120 ml) coconut milk, and enough water to cover. Then, add a tablespoon of curry paste and a tablespoon of fish sauce. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook for 2 - 2 ½ hours. The meat should be fall-apart tender when done.
• When the beef is cooked, pour in ¾ cup (180 ml) of coconut milk in a separate heavy-bottomed pot. Boil until the milk thickens and reduces. Next, add the rest of the curry paste, set the heat to medium-low, and stir-fry until the oil separated from the coconut milk sizzles around the edges of the paste. If needed, deglaze the pot by adding coconut milk to release the stuck bits of paste.
• Once the paste is stir-fried, pour in the rest of the coconut milk, then stir to combine. Next, add the fish sauce, the palm sugar, and the tamarind juice, a tablespoon each.
• Take the beef out of the pot it was cooking in (save the cooking liquid!) and transfer it into the pot with the curry paste. Next, add the onion, the sweet potato, and the peanuts.
• Remove the fat and the scum from the cooking liquid the beef has cooked in, then add just enough of it to the other pot, so the ingredients are covered.
• Bring to a gentle simmer, then cook for 10-15 minutes until the potatoes are done.
• Check the seasoning and add more if needed, either fish sauce (for saltiness), sugar (for sweetness), or tamarind juice (for acidity).
• Serve atop jasmine rice.

MASSAMAN BEEF CURRY

Steps:

• Heat oil in a wok over high heat. Stir in curry paste and heat until bubbling. Add beef and coconut milk; cook and stir until beef is browned, 7 to 10 minutes. Stir in potato, onion, fish sauce, lemon juice, chili peppers, lime leaves, and brown sugar. Cook for 5 minutes, reduce heat, and simmer until beef is tender, 20 to 30 minutes. Sprinkle peanuts on top.

BEEF MASSAMAN CURRY

Steps:

• Heat oil in a wok over high heat. Stir in curry paste and heat until bubbling. Add beef and coconut milk; cook and stir until beef is browned, 7 to 10 minutes.
• Stir in potato, onion, fish sauce, lemon juice, chili peppers, lime leaves, and brown sugar. Cook for 5 minutes, reduce heat, and simmer until beef is tender, 20 to 30 minutes. Sprinkle peanuts on top.

BEEF MASSAMAN CURRY

Steps:

• Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6, then roast the peanuts on a baking tray for 5 mins until golden brown. When cool enough to handle, roughly chop. Reduce oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4.
• Heat 2 tbsp coconut milk (use the cream on top if there is any) in a large casserole dish with a lid. Add the curry paste and fry for 1 min, then stir in the beef and fry until well coated and sealed.
• Stir in the rest of the coconut with half a can of water, the potatoes, onion, lime leaves, cinnamon, tamarind, sugar, fish sauce and most of the peanuts. Bring to a simmer, then cover and cook for 2 hrs in the oven until the beef is tender.
• Sprinkle with sliced chilli and the remaining peanuts, then serve straight from the dish with jasmine rice.