Massaman curry
Chicken, Potato and Peanuts in Coconut Milk
Massaman is the mild, rich curry of the south: massaman paste fried in coconut cream, then chicken, potato, onion and peanuts simmered in coconut milk and finished with fish sauce, sugar and lime. It uses a bought paste and cooks in about 40 minutes.
Massaman curry is a classic of southern Thailand.
Both recipes fry the paste in coconut cream, add chicken and potato, simmer in coconut milk and finish with peanuts and fish sauce. The first, for two, simmers 20 to 30 minutes and finishes with lime; the second, for four, adds bay, cardamom, cinnamon, shrimp paste and tamarind.
Ingredients
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 heaped tbsp massaman curry paste
- 225 g boneless chicken thighs, diced in 1 to 1.5 cm pieces
- 2 small potatoes, cubed
- 1 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced
- 120 ml thick coconut cream
- 1 tsp fine sea salt
- 240 to 480 ml coconut milk
- 1 1/2 tbsp palm or brown sugar
- 45 g dry-roasted peanuts, chopped
- 1 tbsp fish sauce
- 2 to 3 tbsp lime juice
- Steamed jasmine rice, to serve
Method
- Fry the paste Heat the oil in a wok over a low heat. Add the curry paste and cook until fragrant.
- Add the chicken Add the chicken, potatoes and onion and cook for 1 minute, then stir in the coconut cream and salt and cook for another minute.
- Simmer Add 240 ml of the coconut milk, the sugar, peanuts and fish sauce, raise the heat to medium and stir until boiling. Simmer for 20 to 30 minutes until the potatoes are cooked, adding more coconut milk if it gets thick. The chicken must be cooked through, with no pink.
- Finish Add the lime juice, taste and adjust and serve with rice.
Food safety
Check that the chicken is cooked through, with no pink and juices running clear. Cool leftovers quickly and reheat until piping hot. Contains peanuts.
The curry thickens as it stands.
It is better the next day.