If was completely honest, I would admit that I am not a raving fan of curry. In fact is that I have actually never truly enjoyed a curry dish… That is until I tried Massaman Curry. The difference between the carry-out Indian curry that I had tried and the Thai Massaman Curry recipe, is that it has a coconut base. I won’t pretend to know a lot about curry, but there are several varieties, red, yellow, green, and Massaman.
This is a relatively simple Massaman Curry recipe, which I had the pleasure of perfecting with my mother and brother. Family cooking projects are so much fun, aren’t they?
This recipe calls for fish sauce, and honestly if you don’t have any, and you don’t think you will use it for anything else, don’t run out and buy some. It definitely adds a hint of depth and dimension to the Massaman Curry Recipe, but it isn’t absolutely necessary. I have made both with and without the fish sauce and enjoyed it immensely each way. Also, in my humble opinion, I could take or leave the cashews or peanuts. If you don’t feel like dropping $7 on a small container of cashews, don’t feel bad about skipping the nuts entirely or using peanuts. In fact, you should never feel bad about this Massaman Curry recipe. You should feel very very good about it!
I served my Massaman Curry with a little lightly sauteed bok choy. Enjoy!
Massaman Curry Recipe
Ingredients
- 2.5 pounds chicken, cut into 1.5 inch pieces
- 1 can coconut milk
- 1/2 pound potatoes, cut into chunks
- 8 ounces pearl onions, peeled
- 2 large carrots, sliced thinly into disks
- 1/2 cup Massaman curry paste
- 2 tablespoons tamarind paste
- 1 teaspoon fish sauce
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon ground ginger
- 1 tablespoon sweet chili sauce
- 1 tablespoon Bragg’s Liquid Aminos, or soy sauce
- juice of one lime
- cashews or peanuts for topping (optional)
Directions
- In a large wok or skillet over medium-high heat, scoop out and warm the creamy top part of the coconut milk.
- Add the massaman paste to the coconut milk cream and stir to combine. Cook over medium-high heat until bubbling.
- Add chicken, the rest of the coconut milk, and enough water to cover the chicken. Stir, bring to a boil, then reduce heat to simmer.
- Simmer uncovered for about 30 minutes, until chicken is completely cooked. Make sure to add small amounts of water to keep the chicken covered.
- While chicken is simmering, boil a large pot of water. Cook potatoes for about 10 minutes and drain.
- When chicken is finished cooking, add the potatoes, carrots, and pearl onions to the curry. Simmer for an additional 5 minutes.
- Add tamarind paste, fish sauce, brown sugar, ginger, chili sauce, Bragg’s, and lime juice. Mix and simmer for 5 more minutes.
- Serve over rice.
