Beef Massaman Curry

Name: Beef Massaman Curry
Total time: 3600 s
Yield: Serves at least 4 people
Ingredients: 14 oz beef shank (about 400 grams); 1/2 cup red curry paste (about 100 grams); 1 tablespoon ground cumin; 1 tablespoon coriander seeds, toasted and ground; 2 cups coconut milk (about 500 ml); 2 yellow onions; 2 potatoes; 1/2 cup roasted peanuts; fish sauce; palm sugar or granulated sugar; tamarind paste; If you have bay leaves or cardamom pods, toast them until fragrant and set aside

ศิริธร สุภิมาส @maifang_cook

My mom used to run a curry rice shop for four or five years. Back then, I was just the helper—washing vegetables, doing dishes, and chopping meat and veggies as needed. Mom would cook several dishes at once, and everything sold out every day. One of the best-selling curries was this beef Massaman. These days, it's hard to find because beef is expensive, so you mostly see pork or chicken Massaman, which I never buy. My sister got a box of beef shank, so I wanted to make Massaman. I checked the fridge and kitchen and had everything I needed—perfect! Let's get started.

ศิริธร สุภิมาส @maifang_cook

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Ingredients

1 hour

Serves at least 4 people

14 ozbeef shank (about 400 grams)
1/2 cupred curry paste (about 100 grams)
1 tablespoonground cumin
1 tablespooncoriander seeds, toasted and ground
2 cupscoconut milk (about 500 ml)
2yellow onions
2potatoes
1/2 cuproasted peanuts
fish sauce
palm sugar or granulated sugar
tamarind paste
If you have bay leaves or cardamom pods, toast them until fragrant and set aside

Saved

Steps

1 hour

1

Cut the beef into 2- to 3-inch cubes. Peel the potatoes and onions, then cut them into chunks similar in size to the beef. Pound the red curry paste together with the cumin and ground toasted coriander seeds until well mixed and fragrant—this will be your Massaman curry paste.
2

Heat a pan over medium heat and pour in about 1/2 cup (100 ml) of coconut milk. Add the curry paste and cook, stirring, until the coconut milk releases its oil. (No vegetable oil needed for this recipe.) Be careful not to let the coconut milk dry out; if it does, just add a bit more coconut milk.
3

Add the beef and stir-fry until just browned. Pour in enough coconut milk to cover the beef.
4

Continue cooking; the beef will start to release its juices and the coconut milk will become rich and colorful.
5

Add the potatoes and the rest of the coconut milk. Simmer until the potatoes are cooked through. If the liquid reduces too much, add just enough water to cover the beef and potatoes.
6

Add the onions. Season with fish sauce, palm sugar, and tamarind paste. Taste and adjust so the flavors are balanced—salty, sweet, and tangy, with no one flavor overpowering the others.
7

Finally, add the roasted peanuts. Simmer on low heat for another 10 minutes to tenderize the beef. The curry should be thick, not watery. Serve hot—it's delicious with toasted bread.