Massaman Curry

Curry has become a staple in my home. I've now made everything from yellow curry (which is what most people think of when they imagine curry category) to green, red, peanut butter, and even recently tried a pineapple curry. The flavors are as varied as the colors, with each having a unique flavor. 

This is a Thai curry, and there are many varieties of it. I saw versions with star anise, others with nutmeg, and many had cinnamon. Through my reading about this curry, I even learned about mace, which is a red covering on the outside of the nutmeg seed and is often used in baked goods. As often as I include nutmeg in my cookies and cupcakes, this was an intriguing one to discover.

The real draw for me was the red chili. I absolutely love green and red curries. The spice of the pepper combined with the slight cooling of the coconut milk makes for a very tasty flavor, and one I enjoy at just about anytime.

For this curry, the base paste is made with red chilies, garlic, onion, ginger, garlic, lemongrass, turmeric, coriander, cumin seed, cardamom, lime juice, soy sauce, fish sauce, and brown sugar. I prefer to buy lemongrass in a tube; it's not a common herb that I use and frankly, I haven't seen it fresh often. I threw everything in my food processor and blended it until I had a paste.

I made this twice; the first with tofu and the second with chicken. I started out with a tofu version where I pressed the tofu for 20 minutes to strain it, then cooked it until browned in a large pan with some avocado oil. I added the paste a few minutes in, letting the tofu soak some of the chili paste in. Tofu takes about 7 minutes per side and will brown slightly when complete. The last step was stirring in the coconut milk.

When I made the chicken version, I first cooked the chicken in the pan with some oil and lightly seasoned the chicken pieces with salt and pepper. For that version I removed the chicken from the pan and added a mix of veggies, cooked them for about 5 minutes, added the sauce, then finally stirred in the coconut milk.

With the coconut milk in, I heated the skillet it on medium-low and let it simmer for about 5 minutes. The goal is to let the sauce thicken a little.

The end result was a unique, flavorful curry. Though I used 2 chilies, I did not find it spicy. Of course, I am a medium heat person to begin with. One thing I'd like to point out as I've experienced it a few times is not to freak out if the coconut milk is a little chunky. I shake the can before opening it and using it in the sauce, but still occasionally even in ideal heat, I get a less than smooth sauce result. As a matter of fact, it did not happen in the tofu version but did in the chicken one. From what I've read, heating the pan on low for some time can cook this out, however I do not find it bothersome in either the flavor or texture.

I really liked all the veggies in the chicken version and am glad I remade it that way. I found this recipe somewhat similar to red curry, but a bit less spicy. I'd like to try it with the star anise next time as I really enjoy what that brings to pho. Another happy curry customer here.

Massaman Curry Recipe

Ingredients:

2-3 tablespoons cooking oil (I used avocado)

1/2 to 1 pound chicken pieces (or chopped chicken breast/thigh)

2 red chili peppers

1/3 cup sliced onion (about half an onion)

1 (2-inch) piece galangal or ginger, minced

2 tablespoons minced garlic (4-5 cloves)

1 stalk of lemongrass (or 2 to 3 tablespoons minced lemongrass)

1 teaspoon turmeric

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon whole cumin seed (or an additional 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin)

1 cardamon pod (or 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom)

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1 teaspoon lime juice

1 tablespoon soy sauce

2 tablespoons fish sauce

1 tablespoon brown sugar

2 bay leaves

1 (14-ounce) can coconut milk (full fat)

1 bell pepper, thinly sliced

Additional chopped veggies as desired - I added 1/2 cup butternut squash and some broccoli and carrots, but you can add potatoes, chopped onion, or more bell pepper

2 cups cooked rice

Instructions:

In a food processor, combine chili peppers, onion, ginger, garlic, lemongrass, turmeric, coriander, cumin seed, cardamom, lime juice, soy sauce, fish sauce, and brown sugar. Process until a paste forms, adding 1-2 tablespoons of water if needed to thin out the mixture. In a large skillet, cook chicken pieces in cooking oil over medium-high heat for 5-7 minutes, until browned. Remove from pan and add vegetables. Cook for 3-5 minutes, then add the curry paste. Continue cooking for about 3 minutes, then lower heat to medium and stir in coconut milk. Heat to a simmer and cook for about 5 more minutes, stirring frequently. Stir in chicken and serve over rice.

adapted from thai massaman curry