Curries are synonymous with Asian cuisine, and there is a vast array of curry variations from across the continent. Not only are there curries associated with each of the countries, but there are also regional dishes that highlight the local produce and culinary traditions. One of the best-known and most popular Thai curries is beef massaman curry.
There are multiple versions of beef massaman curry, so each recipe is different. However, the main components of most beef massaman curry recipes include beef, coconut milk, peanuts, potatoes, and spices. The Fruity Tart recipe for this curry is easy to make, and we have included some tips at the end to help you adapt the recipe to the ingredients you have available. Although the curry recipes can vary significantly, you will find that most contain spices such as galangal, lemongrass, and chillies.
There is a short preparation time to make the curry, although it is a little longer if you decide to make your own massaman curry paste. To save time, you can use a shop-bought paste. If you prefer to make everything from scratch, then read our massaman curry paste recipe.
Although the prep time is short, it does take some time to cook to develop the flavours of the curry and tenderize the beef. As a rule of thumb, the longer you cook the curry, the better the flavour and the tenderer the meat. Here is how to make our beef massaman curry recipe.
Beef Massaman Curry: An Easy Thai Curry Recipe
Course: International Recipes, Recipes, Recipes with MeatCuisine: ThaiDifficulty: Medium6
servings20
minutes2
hoursNO
NO
YES
YES
Ingredients for Thai Beef Massaman Curry
2.25 lbs/ 900g chuck steak or stewing beef
12 baby potatoes, quartered
1 large onion finely diced
5 tablespoons of massaman curry paste
2 cinnamon sticks (or 2 tsp cinnamon powder)
4 star anise
2 cans of coconut milk
Seeds from 2 cardamom pods
3 tablespoons of fish sauce
2 tbsp tamarind paste
1 cup of water
3 tbsp palm sugar or brown sugar
6 tbsp salted roasted peanuts
Thai basil leaves
3 tbsp olive oil
Chopped red chilli, spring onions, and crushed peanuts to garnish
Directions
- Prep all the ingredients first (dice the beef, chop the onions, make the paste if you are making your own, and measure out all the spices).
- Put the diced beef into a bowl with one tablespoon of oil and the massaman paste and stir together to coat the beef.
- Add the rest of the oil to a large pot and put over medium heat.
- Put the cinnamon sticks, star anise, and cardamom into the oil and stir fry for approximately one minute.
- Next, add the diced onions to the pan and fry until turning golden brown
- Return the beef to the pan, and cook for five minutes, occasionally stirring, so the beef begins to brown.
- Then, add one can of coconut milk to the pan along with the fish sauce and enough water to just cover the beef.
- Stir the ingredients well before bringing them to a boil, then turn the heat down to low and cover the pan to simmer for one hour.
- Add the second can of coconut milk to the beef massaman curry, along with the potatoes, peanuts, and half the Thai basil leaves.
- Turn the heat up a little to medium-low, and cover the pan again. Cook the curry for another 30 minutes.
- Check that both the meat and potatoes are tender. If not, cook for a little longer until you can easily slide a fork into the potatoes.
- Remove the beef massaman curry from the heat, and stir in the remaining Thai basil leaves, the tamarind paste, and the palm/ brown sugar.
- After serving, garnish the curry with chopped spring onions, chillies, and peanuts.
Additional Tips
- Usually, we serve beef massaman curry with steamed rice. However, you can eat it with any type of rice, with bread such as flatbreads or rotis, or on its own. You might also like to serve an accompaniment using fresh ingredients, such as a dressed salad, chutneys, or dips.
- It is possible you may not be able to get hold of some of the traditional massaman curry ingredients, especially if you live in a rural area. However, there are some supplements you can make. Soy sauce is one of the closest alternatives to the fish sauce if you do not have that ingredient. If you make your own paste, ginger has a similar flavour profile to galangal, although the latter is milder in taste.
- If I have any limes, I add the zest and juice of a small lime at the end for a little extra zing.
- You can slow-cook the beef while you are out for the day and make the curry sauce separately before adding the shredded meat. I sometimes use this method midweek to save time.
Other Dishes You Might Like If You Enjoy the Beef Massaman Curry Recipe
- If you enjoy our recipe for beef massaman curry, you might also like our recipes for Thai beef and lettuce boats, Kashmiri lamb rogan josh, Bombay potatoes, vegetable Thai red curry, spinach and cauliflower curry, saag aloo, beef with cashews and spicy noodles, and sweet potato saag aloo.
- Alternatively, if you enjoy beef dishes but want to try something from elsewhere in the world, give our recipe for Hungarian beef goulash or British beef stew and dumplings a try.
Did you enjoy this curry recipe? Let us know in the comments below.