A delicious coconut curry - spicy but not too much!

Massaman curry (แกงมัสมั่น or kaeng matsaman) is a delicious Thai curry which has a very distinct spicy but not (chilli) hot taste. Mainly found on menus in the South of Thailand, it is a variation on an original Malay curry.

This recipe is for massaman curry with tofu and vegetables, but you can easily use chicken or beef instead.

Ingredients

  • Firm tofu, cut into small squares (we pre-sear this to give it a nice crispy coating)
  • Potatoes (pre-boil for 5-7 minutes)
  • A mix of vegetables you like (we use carrots, baby sweetcorn, red and yellow peppers, mange tout, green beans, broccoli and cauliflower)
  • 1 dessertspoon of massaman curry paste
  • 1 400ml tin of coconut milk
  • 1 dessertspoon of roasted and crushed peanuts (split into two portions)
  • 1/4 of a teaspoon of palm sugar (or normal white/brown sugar)

Directions

1. Pour coconut milk into a pan and gently heat. Add palm sugar, half of the peanuts and curry paste. Warm and stir until the curry paste is completely dissolved.

2. Add carrots and potatoes and cook for 15-20 minutes (if you are using meat instead of tofu, add it with the carrots and potatoes). You can leave the curry to stand at this point if you want to and just have the next additional cooking step for when you are ready.

3. Add the rest of the vegetables, tofu and peanuts and cook for a further 10 minutes.

4. Serve with perfect brown rice cooked in your Zojirushi.

 

If you want to make your own massaman curry paste, this article is a good example of how to make it. Otherwise shop-bought paste is good for a quick and easy meal.