Beef Massaman Curry

A rich, majestic Thai favorite where beef slices are slow-simmered until they fall apart at the touch of a fork. Allergy friendly and full of aromatics.

Gluten-Free Dairy-Free

Prep Time

30 mins

Cook Time

2 hours

Servings

4 people

Ingredients

For the Scratch-Made Massaman Paste

• 1 onion
• 5 dried red chillies
• 4 cardamom pods
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 5 cloves
• 10 black peppercorns
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 3 garlic cloves
• 1 tsp fish sauce
• 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp salt
• 3 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 tsp chopped fresh ginger
• 1 tsp sumac
• 50ml water

For the Beef Casserole Base

• 400g diced beef
• 2 tbsp flour (use gluten-free)
• 3 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 onion (chopped)
• 400g potatoes (cut into chunks)
• 1 fresh green chilli
• 400ml can of coconut milk
• 1 tsp dark soy sauce
• 1 1/2 tbsp sugar
• 10 curry leaves
• 80g salted peanuts
• Salt & black pepper (to taste)

For the Table Garnish

• 1 onion (thinly sliced & crisped)
• Reserved chopped peanuts
• Fresh coriander leaves

Method

Step 1: Dry-Char Whole Spices

Toss your paste onion, dried red chillies, whole cardamom pods, cinnamon stick, cloves, and black peppercorns into a dry skillet pan. Sizzle on high heat until the skins turn lightly charred.

Step 2: Setup Blending Jug

Peel and chop your onion. Deposit it inside a deep mixing jug along with the ground coriander, garlic, fish sauce, nutmeg, cumin, salt, and oil.

Step 3: Mortar the Charred Layer

Gather the hot charred dry chillies, cardamoms, cinnamon stick, peppercorns, and cloves from the pan and pack them into a pestle and mortar bowl.

Step 4: Grind Smooth

Pound the charred elements thoroughly until broken down into a fine, smooth consistency.

Step 5: Incorporate Paste Liquids

Empty the ground stone-bowl spices into your wet jug alongside the fresh chopped ginger, sumac powder, and water.

Step 6: Emulsify the Massaman Paste

Use an immersion stick blender to blitz the wet jug ingredients until you form a rich, completely smooth paste.

Step 7: Toast the Peanut Accents

Toss your salted peanuts into a dry skillet pan over medium heat. Toast until lightly brown and fragrant.

Step 8: Mince the Peanuts

Finely chop the toasted peanuts along a flat board, setting a small spoonful aside to use as a fresh table garnish later.

Step 9: Dredge the Beef Steaks

Adjust your flour container with a punch of salt and pepper. Roll your diced beef chunks through the starch until evenly coated.

Step 10: Sear the Beef Chunks

Pour your remaining oil into a pan over medium heat and tip your floured beef cubes inside.

Step 11: Build Casserole Elements

Sizzle the beef until browned on all surfaces. Finely chop your stew onion and cut the potatoes into massive bite-sized chunks. Transfer them all together into a deep, wide saucepan.

Step 12: Pour Curries and Low Simmer

Fold in your fresh massaman paste, the fresh green chilli, whole coconut milk tin, soy sauce, sugar, and curry leaves. Add the main volume of your chopped peanuts. Seal the pot with a tight lid and leave to simmer out on low heat for 2 full hours, checking occasionally and adding drops of water if it reduces too fast.

Step 13: Slice the Topping Onion

For your crunchy garnish layout, slice your remaining onion down into fine ribbon strips.

Step 14: Fry the Crunch Garnish

Deep fry your onion strips in hot oil at 150°C until dark golden-brown and crisp. Remove and drain on paper towels. Discard your spent whole bay leaves and cardamom pods from the main curry pot, then plate up over warm rice with your peanuts, crisp onions, and loose fresh coriander leaves.

Recipe Tips & Alternatives

The rich, creamy profile of the coconut milk masks a lot of the chili heat naturally, but you can scale down the dried chilis if you prefer a milder curry. To build an elite paired meal, try serving this directly over a fresh bed of Mexican Green Rice.