Massaman Curry

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The Key Aspects of Massaman

Compared to other Thai curries, this fusion dish is milder, richer, and has influences from Indian-Persian cultures. It uses warm spices like cardamom, cinnamon, and nutmeg, which makes it quite similar to Indian-style curries.

Thai Curry Base

The cooking procedure is pretty simple.

1. Start by bringing some of the coconut milk to a light boil.
2. Dissolve the curry paste in the coconut milk, and cook until the fat separates from the water content.
3. Add the remaining coconut milk, alongside the fish sauce, tamarind paste, and palm sugar. Optionally add vegetable stock.

Slow Cooked Mushrooms

One of the reasons for the traditional richness is that meat is braised in the curry. To achieve a similar depth in flavour, we are going to use (dried) mushrooms and a little bit of veggy stock instead, as they will provide an incredible amount of umami. I recommend king, oyster, or enoki mushrooms to also have a similar texture to slow-cooked beef or chicken, but use any you have on hand.

If you don’t like the texture of cooked mushrooms, you can still take them out before serving, but I highly recommend slow-cooking them in the curry for additional flavour.

Vegetables & Peanuts

The last component are pieces of onions and potatoes being cooked in the broth. I recommend using waxier potatoes, like Yukon Gold or new potatoes. You can also use yellow sweet potatoes, but never orange ones, as they are too soft and watery.

Add roasted peanuts and cook the mixture until the potatoes are fork-tender. If you don’t mind the texture, you can also include slices of firm tofu and cook it in the curry; they will absorb some of that delicious sauce.

Cooking Tips & Substitutes

1. Of course, you can make the curry paste, from scratch by following my favourite Thai food blogger’s recipe. But make a larger batch and freeze some for another time.
2. It’s important to use full-fat coconut milk (AROY-D is a good brand)
3. Start with a few tablespoons tamarind paste, as each brand differs in intensity. You can always add a bit more later.
4. In general, the same goes for the vegan fish sauce (which can be substituted by soy sauce), but in my experience, vegan fish sauce is not as intense as traditional one, so we will use more than in traditional recipes.
5. Nonetheless, taste your curry before serving. The flavours have to be quite overpowering, as you will serve it with white rice.
6. If you don’t have palm sugar, use brown sugar instead.
7. Instead of whole roasted peanuts, use a tablespoon of peanut butter instead.

The Recipe