Thai Massaman Curry – What a Delight!

Focusing on the very word ‘Massaman, this wonderful Oriental preparation brings the best of both cuisines – Thai as well as Persian. Today, the team of Thai Square Restaurant shares with you the delight of Thai Massaman Curry. The most wonderful thing about Massaman Curry is that you need no packaged curry paste for this recipe. You can make the entire curry at home using all the ingredients provided below.

To begin with, Thai Massaman Curry is a rich but relatively mild yellow-colour.

Thai curry which has also been believed to be influenced by Malay and Indian cuisine. What makes it different than other Thai curries is its flavour which comes from spices like Cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, star anise, cumin, bay leaves, nutmeg and mace. You may not find these spices being used liberally for other Thai curries.

Making Massaman curry paste requires a few more herbs like dried chili peppers, cilantro (coriander) seeds, lemongrass, galangal, white pepper, shrimp paste, shallots and garlic. Using an electric blender, you need to pulverize all these ingredients together. You can refrigerate this paste in a zip-lock bag and use it any number of times while preparing Thai Massaman curry.

Once the paste is ready, it’s time to prepare the curry it with coconut cream. Heat Coconut cream in a wok and add paste on to it. Check for the thickness of this curry; it should neither be very light nor gravy-like thick.

Now, add your choice of meat, potatoes, thinly sliced tomatoes and red pepper onions, fish sauce or salt, tamarind paste, sugar, coconut milk and peanuts. Yes, for those who have noticed, Potato is a surprise addition in Massaman Curry. Some of the regional variations also use oranges, orange juice, or pineapple juice as additional ingredients. Bay leaves are also very important in Massaman Curry and for a grand taste, you can also add chopped unsalted dry-roasted cashews.

Talking about the choice of meat, you can use chicken, beef, or lamb as per your liking. You can enjoy it best by serving with plain jasmine rice or coconut rice; though saffron rice and Thai Massaman Curry make up a great combination.

Our Chef team is often asked if there is any substitute for Tamarind. You can use lime juice as an alternative as it will provide the same sourness.