Thai · Lunch · Dinner
Massaman Beef Curry
แกงมัสมั่นเนื้อ (Kaeng Massaman Nuea)
Tender chunks of lean beef and potato braised in a fragrant, gently spiced coconut sauce with cinnamon, tamarind and roasted peanuts. This lighter version uses light coconut milk and less oil and sugar without losing its warm, mellow character.
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 100 min
- Total
- 120 min
- Serves
- 4
Calories come from: Carbs 46% · Fat 31% · Protein 23%
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Ingredients
For 4 servings- 450 glean beef chuck, trimmed of visible fat
- 3 medium400 gwaxy potatoes
- 1 medium150 gonion
- 1 tsp5 gvegetable oil
- 3 tbsp50 gmassaman curry paste
- 3/4 can (300 ml)light coconut milk
- 1 1/2 cups350 gwater (for the curry)
- 1 stickcinnamon stick
- 2 leavesbay leaves
- 1 tbsp18 gtamarind paste
- 1 tbsp18 gfish sauce
- 1 tbsp12 gpalm sugar or brown sugar
- 1/4 cup40 gunsalted roasted peanuts
- 1 cup200 gbrown jasmine rice, dry
- 2 cups450 gwater (for the rice)
- small handful5 gfresh coriander leaves (optional)
Steps
- 1
Cut the beef into 3 cm cubes and pat dry with paper towel.
- 2
Peel the potatoes and cut into 4 cm chunks; cut the onion into wedges.
- 3
Heat the oil in a heavy pot over medium-high heat and brown the beef in batches, about 6–8 minutes in total, then set aside.
- 4
Lower the heat to medium, add the curry paste and stir for 1–2 minutes until fragrant.
- 5
Pour in about a quarter of the coconut milk and stir until the paste dissolves and the oil just starts to separate.
- 6
Return the beef to the pot with the remaining coconut milk, 1 1/2 cups water, cinnamon stick and bay leaves.
- 7
Bring to a gentle simmer, cover and cook for 60 minutes, stirring now and then.
- 8
Meanwhile, rinse the rice, combine with 2 cups water in a saucepan, bring to a boil, then cover and simmer on low for 40 minutes; rest 10 minutes off the heat.
- 9
Add the potatoes, onion and peanuts to the curry and simmer uncovered for 25–30 minutes, until the beef and potatoes are tender and the sauce has thickened.
- 10
Stir in the tamarind paste, fish sauce and sugar; taste and adjust for a balance of salty, sour and sweet.
- 11
Remove the cinnamon stick and bay leaves.
- 12
Serve the curry over the brown rice, scattered with coriander leaves if using.
Swaps, storage and make-ahead
Swaps
- Swap the beef chuck for boneless, skinless chicken thighs and cut the first covered simmer to about 20 minutes so the chicken stays tender.
- Use sweet potato instead of waxy potatoes for a sweeter, softer curry, adding it for the last 15–20 minutes so it doesn't fall apart.
- Replace the brown jasmine rice with white jasmine rice, simmering it for about 15 minutes instead of 40, if you want a quicker side.
- For a gluten-free version, choose a fish sauce and massaman curry paste that are labelled gluten-free, since some brands contain wheat.
Storage
Cool the curry and rice and refrigerate them in covered containers within 2 hours, ideally within 1 hour for the rice. Eat the curry within 3 to 4 days and the rice within 1 day. Reheat until steaming hot all the way through. The curry sauce and beef freeze reasonably well for about 3 months, though the potatoes may turn a little grainy.
Make ahead
The whole curry can be made a day ahead and chilled, and the flavour often improves overnight. Reheat it gently with a splash of water, and cook the rice fresh or reheat it until steaming hot.
Nutrition values are for the recipe as written.
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Allergens and nutrition
Contains: PeanutsFishCrustaceans
Check the labels of packaged ingredients for allergens and suitability for your diet.
Full nutrition
| Per serving (612 g) | Per 100 g | |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 592 kcal | 97 kcal |
| Protein | 33.7 g | 5.5 g |
| Carbohydrates | 69.7 g | 11.4 g |
| of which sugars | 8.5 g | 1.4 g |
| Fiber | 5.6 g | 0.9 g |
| Fat | 20.7 g | 3.4 g |
| of which saturated | 8.3 g | 1.4 g |
| Sodium | 856 mg | 140 mg |
Nutrition is calculated from USDA FoodData Central data and may differ from what you cook.
