Massaman Curry แกงมัสมั่น

The Thai Taste today will comfort your body with delicious Thai Curry. “Massaman” is one of my favourite curry’s to make. From history of Thailand, Thai King Rama II had written a verse of foods which included Massaman curry in the beginning of the verse. This curry may sounds like a romance that translate in brief as english below.

เห่ชมเครื่องคาว {The Verse of Foods by Thai King Rama II}

๏ แกงไก่มัสมั่นเนื้อ __________ นพคุณ พี่เอย

หอมยี่หร่ารสฉุน __________ เฉียบร้อน

ชายใดบริโภคภุญช์ __________ พิศวาส หวังนา

แรงอยากยอหัตถ์ข้อน __________ อกให้หวนแสวง ๚

๏ มัสมั่นแกงแก้วตา __________ หอมยี่หร่ารสร้อนแรง

ชายใดได้กลืนแกง __________ แรงอยากให้ใฝ่ฝันหา

{Any man who just tastes this Massaman curry will dream to see the woman who cooks.}

 

Massaman curry (Thai): แกงมัสมั่น, RTGS: kaeng matsaman, is a Thai curry dish that is Muslim in origin. According to one theory, it originated in Central Thailand at the court of Ayutthaya in the 16th century CE through a Persian envoy and trader. According to another theory, it originated in southern Thailand and its contacts with Arab traders. Due to its Muslim roots and therefore Islamic dietary laws , this curry is most commonly made with beef , but can also be made with duck, tofu, chicken, or for non-Muslims with pork (as pork is a forbidden food for Muslims, this variety is not eaten by observant Thai Muslims). The flavoring for Massaman curry is called Massaman curry paste (nam phrik kaeng matsaman). The dish usually contains coconut milk, roasted peanuts or cashews, potatoes, bay leaves, cardamon pods, cinnamon, star anise, palm sugar, fish sauce, chili and tamarind sauce. Traders brought spices such as turmeric,cinnamon,star anise ,cumin,cloves and nutmeg from Indonesia to the south coast of Thailand. The dish is served with rice and sometimes with pickled ginger or “achat” (Thai: อาจาด  an accompaniment made with cucumber and chili peppers macerated  in vinegar and sugar. – Wikipedia

Ingredients

700-800 grams We use beef stew cube

2.5-3 cups coconut cream {A Key for a successful of Massaman curry is the freshness of coconut cream, coconut milk and adjust the perfect taste.}

2 cups coconut milk

3-4 Tbsp Massaman curry paste

500-700 grams (estimated) potatoes

1 onion (cut into cube)

1/4 cups roasted peanuts (peeled)

1-2 Tsp ground cumin (toast before)

4-5 Tbsp tamarind extract (water added tamarind paste)

1.5-2 Tbsp fish sauce

3 – 5 (estimated) tbsp palm sugar

5 pods cardamon (toast before)

Direction {on video press}

1. Prepare your fresh coconut.

2. Bring beef to a boil with coconut cream milk and simmer.

3. While beef is simmer we use a sauce pan to fry curry paste with coconut cream (adjust the heat by appropriated to keep simmer) just add one ladle of coconut cream first fry until the coconut cream break the oil to the surface, stir by whisk and add little by little coconut cream until done. Add coconut milk and seasoning with tamarind extract,  palm sugar and fish sauce, cumin. Adjust the taste to final taste.

4. Check beef that simmer enough then transfer to the sauce pan. Add potato, onion, roasted peanuts and cardamon. Let simmer until reduction and taste.

5 Final taste is the perfection creamy sweet, followed closely with sour and salty. Which rich sweetened is from coconut cream and palm sugar. sour from tamarind and salt from fish sauce and curry paste.