Massaman Beef

I felt that it was time to transition away from the sweet stuff (for a while) and contemplate a dinner item. I wasn't feeling overly adventurous with my cooking today so I went for the Massaman Beef off my list. I am pretty comfortable with my Indian cooking I was hoping that my Thai cooking skills wouldn't be too shabby either, the ingredients all sounded familar, what could go wrong? 

Ingredients for Step 1 and 2 ready to go

This is where we need the power to send smells via the internet, divine

Step 2 complete

Ready for step 3

Spicy, coconutty goodness

Nearly done

Dinner is served!

Massaman Curry

Makes: 4 Servings
Prep Time: 15 mins Cook Time: 50mins

Step 1
2 Tbsp Vegetable oil
1/3 cup onion, diced
1" ginger, grated
4 cloves garlic
1 red chilli, sliced

Step 2
1/2 cup chicken stock

1 stalk lemongrass
3 bay leaves
1 tsp turmeric
1/4 cup chopped unsalted dry-roasted almonds (or cashews)
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp whole cumin seed
1/2 tsp white pepper
1/8 tsp cardamom
1 Tbsp lime juice
2 Tbsp fish sauce
1 Tbsp brown sugar

Step 3

1 lb goulash beef

2 medium potatoes, cut into chunks
400ml coconut milk

Step 4
1 small red capsicum, thinly sliced
1 medium tomato, diced

1.Heat a soup-type pot over medium-high heat. Drizzle in the oil and swirl around, then add the onion, ginger, garlic and chilli. Stir-fry for 1-2 minutes to release the fragrance.

2. Add the ingredients from step 2. Stir with each addition and bring to a light boil.

3. Add the beef, stirring to coat with the spicy liquid, then add the coconut milk and potatoes. Stir and bring back up to a boil. Reduce heat to low.

4. Simmer for 40mins, stirring occasionally until beef and potatoes are tender. Add red capsicum and tomato during the last 15 minutes of cooking time.

I simmered my dish with the lid on for most of the time to help thin out the sauce, but leaving the lid off would make for a thicker sauce if that's how you like it.

This recipe didn't quite have the look that Massaman usually does but the taste was right, the level of spice was good and I must say I was pretty chuffed with the results. Next time I'll go for slightly bigger cuts of beef and maybe slightly chunkier potato. Rory wasn't a fan of the nutty texture so next time I'll try whole nuts (so he can pick them out) or I might blend them to a finer state.