Wyndham Wisdom

Massaman Beef Curry Recipe

By Regina Schrambling
A robust curry for cool autumn nights

Thailand's curries are fiery, but the massaman versions found in the south are a nuanced balance of hot, sour, salty and sweet. The name is thought to come from Muslim traders who traveled the Spice Route from Persia to India with cardamom, cloves and cinnamon.

This Massaman curry recipe tastes best with beef, but you can also make it with chicken or duck. Find the ingredients, including the curry paste, in a typical Thai market (even a U.S. one). Once all the elements are combined, let it slowly stew, then serve over jasmine rice. A salad of cucumbers pickled with ginger and garlic will counter the richness. All the flavors combine to make this Massaman beef curry recipe a delicious Thai dish.


MASSAMAN BEEF CURRY
2 tbsp. vegetable oil
1½ lbs. chuck or round steak, cut into 1½-inch cubes
2 tbsp. fresh galangal or ginger, julienned
1 small onion, thinly sliced
1 cinnamon stick, broken in half
3-5 tbsp. massaman curry paste
1 14-oz. can coconut cream (not sweetened)
1 14-oz. can coconut milk
2 tbsp. sugar
2 tbsp. tamarind paste
2 tbsp. Thai fish sauce
½ cup unsalted roasted peanuts, chopped
6 waxy potatoes, peeled and cut into 1½-inch cubes
2-3 Thai bird chiles
Kaffir lime leaves or Thai basil for garnish

Heat oil in heavy saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the beef in batches; brown on all sides. Remove with slotted spoon to a bowl. Add galangal, onion, cinnamon and 3 tbsp. of curry paste (or more, to taste) to pan and cook, stirring, until onion is soft, about 5 minutes. Lower heat. Return meat to pan and stir in coconut cream, coconut milk, sugar, tamarind paste, fish sauce and half the peanuts. Bring to a simmer, cover and cook over low heat for 1½ hours. Add potatoes and continue cooking until beef is very tender and potatoes are soft (about 30 minutes longer). Cut chiles into thin slices and sprinkle over curry, along with the remaining peanuts and lime leaves or basil.  This Massaman Beef Curry recipe serves four.