Massaman Curry

Name: Massaman Curry
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 2 h
Total time: 2 h 30 min
Cuisine: Thai
Ingredients: 1 lemongrass ((Note 1)); 6 dried red Asian chillis ((not Thai! Note 2)); 4 eschallots (, peeled (Note 3)); 5 cloves garlic (, unpeeled); 3 cm / 2.25" galangal piece (, peeled, cut into 3/4 cm / 1/2" slices (Note 4)); 4 - 6 tbsp water; 1/2 tsp ground cloves; 3/4 tsp cumin; 1/8 tsp ground nutmeg; 3/4 tsp coriander; 1/2 tsp cardamom; 1/2 tsp cinnamon; 700 g / 1.4lb beef chuck (, cut into 4cm / 2.5" cubes (Note 5)); 500 ml / 2 cups beef broth (, low sodium); 2 bay leaves; 1/4 cup / 65 ml vegetable oil; 400 ml / 14 oz coconut milk ((full fat, 1 can)); 1 cinnamon quill; 1 star anise; 1 tsp tamarind paste/puree ((Note 6)); 1 tbsp fish sauce; 1 tbsp white sugar; 2 medium-small potatoes (, peeled and cut into 2.5cm / 1" pieces); 3 tbsp peanuts (, roughly chopped); Finely sliced red chilli ((optional)); Asian fried shallots ((optional, Note 7)); Steamed jasmine rice

Instructions

Prep:30minCook:2h

Recipe video above. Not the fastest recipe in the world, but worth it! Rich and beautifully fragrant with the signature hint of smokiness, this mild curry is one of the most popular Thai curries ever. While many restaurants tend to tone down the spices and substantially increase the sugar, this recipe is based on authentic versions by Thai food authorities including David Thompson and Sujet Saenkham of Spice I Am. Super easy to adapt to other proteins - see notes! STORE BOUGHT CURRY PASTE version - see bottom of recipe

Updated at: Sun, 02 Nov 2025 00:13:17 GMT