Restaurant Recipes Made Doable
Massaman Curry
A rich, mildly spiced Thai curry built on fried curry paste and coconut cream, with tender squash or sweet potato and a fresh finish of Thai basil and lime leaf.
Massaman is the gentlest of the Thai curries: warm spice instead of heat, coconut richness, and a little sweetness. Everything good about it starts with one move most home cooks skip, which is frying the curry paste in coconut cream before any liquid goes in.
If the cream won’t crack
Chaokoh contains stabilizers that help keep it emulsified, so sometimes the oil won’t separate. Don’t fight it. Just add 1 tablespoon of neutral oil and fry the paste in that.
Choosing the meat
Chicken thighs are the most forgiving and fit the timing above. Chicken breast dries out fast, so add it later and pull it as soon as it’s opaque.
Beef chuck is the classic massaman protein, but it needs a long, gentle covered simmer (1 1/2 to 2 hours) before the vegetables go in, because its collagen only turns tender with time. Add splashes of water if the sauce reduces too far.
Don’t boil it hard
A rolling boil can break the coconut milk into a greasy, grainy sauce. Keep it at a lazy simmer throughout.
Season at the end
Fish sauce and sugar go in last because the curry concentrates as it simmers. Seasoning early risks oversalting.
Traditional add-ons
A handful of roasted peanuts added with the vegetables, a tablespoon of tamarind paste for sourness, and a few chunks of onion are all classic in massaman. Thai basil isn’t traditional here, but it’s a delicious, bright finish, so keep it.
Lime leaf prep
Fold each leaf in half, tear out the center rib, stack, and slice as thin as you can. Fine threads are pleasant to eat; wide strips are tough.
Make-ahead
Like most curries, it’s better the next day. Reheat gently and stir in fresh basil right before serving.
Ingredients
How to make it
- 1
Skim the cream. Without shaking the cans, open the coconut milk and spoon off the thick cream that has risen to the top, about 1/2 cup from each can. Set the thinner milk aside.
- 2
Fry the paste. Put the coconut cream in a heavy pot or deep skillet over medium heat and simmer, stirring, until it thickens and the oil begins to separate, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the curry paste and fry, stirring constantly and scraping the bottom, until it turns deep red, smells toasty, and oil pools visibly around the edges, about 5 to 7 minutes.
- 3
Build the sauce. Stir in the remaining coconut milk and the water. Bring to a gentle simmer, not a rolling boil.
- 4
Cook the meat. Add the chicken and simmer gently, stirring occasionally, until nearly cooked through, about 10 minutes.
- 5
Add vegetables and lime leaf. Add the squash or sweet potato and the lime leaves. Simmer uncovered until the vegetables are tender when pierced with a knife but still hold their shape, about 15 minutes.
- 6
Season in layers. Add 1 tablespoon of fish sauce, stir, and taste. Keep adding fish sauce 1 tablespoon at a time until the curry tastes properly seasoned. Then add sugar a pinch at a time until the salty, sweet, and spicy notes are balanced.
- 7
Finish and serve. Turn off the heat and stir in the Thai basil so it wilts but stays bright. Serve over rice.
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