Massaman Curry Paste Food

BEEF MASSAMAN CURRY

Steps:

• Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6, then roast the peanuts on a baking tray for 5 mins until golden brown. When cool enough to handle, roughly chop. Reduce oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4.
• Heat 2 tbsp coconut milk (use the cream on top if there is any) in a large casserole dish with a lid. Add the curry paste and fry for 1 min, then stir in the beef and fry until well coated and sealed.
• Stir in the rest of the coconut with half a can of water, the potatoes, onion, lime leaves, cinnamon, tamarind, sugar, fish sauce and most of the peanuts. Bring to a simmer, then cover and cook for 2 hrs in the oven until the beef is tender.
• Sprinkle with sliced chilli and the remaining peanuts, then serve straight from the dish with jasmine rice.

MASSAMAN CURRY

Steps:

• Heat oil in a large, heavy pot over medium-high. Season beef with salt and pepper. Working in batches, sear beef, flipping once, until deep golden brown, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Transfer to a bowl.
• Remove fat from pot and wipe out any blackened bits. Reduce heat to medium, then stir in sliced onion and curry paste, scraping up browned bits from bottom of pot. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is softened, 5 minutes. Slowly stir in 1 can coconut milk and 1/2 cup water.
• Cut beef into 1-inch chunks; return to pot along with any juices. Bring to a simmer, then reduce heat to low and cook, partially covered, 1 hour.
• Remove lid and stir in fish sauce, tamarind mixture, brown sugar, bay leaves, cinnamon, cardamom, peanuts, potatoes, and remaining onion wedges and 1 can coconut milk. Season with salt and pepper. Return to a simmer and continue to cook, partially covered, until meat and potatoes are tender, about 1 hour more. Check seasoning and add more salt or fish sauce if desired. Serve, with rice, herbs, and cucumber relish.

CHICKEN MASSAMAN CURRY

Steps:

• Heat vegetable oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Stir in curry paste and minced ginger; cook and stir for 2 minutes. Stir in the cubed chicken, and cook until the pieces turn white on the outside, about 3 minutes.
• Stir in brown sugar, fish sauce, tamarind paste, peanut butter, potatoes, and coconut milk. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until the potatoes are tender and the chicken pieces are no longer pink in the center, about 20 minutes. Add the lime juice and cook for an additional 5 minutes before serving.

JODIE WHITTAKER'S MASSAMAN CURRY

Steps:

• To make the paste, toast the chillies in a wok on a medium heat for 3 to 4 minutes. Pound in a pestle and mortar with 2 teaspoons of sea salt until fine.
• Toast the coriander seeds, cloves, fennel seeds and white peppercorns in the wok for 3 minutes on a low heat. Tip into your pestle and mortar with the chillies, add 1 tablespoon of coconut cream and pound to a paste - put some welly into it!
• Peel the lime zest, then finely chop the rind and pound with the chillies.
• Peel and finely slice the galangal, trim the lemongrass, discarding the tough outer layer, and finely chop. Peel the garlic, wash and chop the coriander roots or stalks, and peel and finely slice the shallots (setting aside a large handful of sliced shallots for later). Char your chopped ingredients in a hot wok over a high heat for 2 to 3 minutes.
• Add your charred ingredients to the paste mixture and continue to pound until smooth, adding 1-2 tablespoons more of coconut cream if needed. Alternatively, scrape the paste and charred ingredients into a liquidiser with a little extra coconut cream and pulse until smooth.
• Add the shrimp paste to the wok, fry it off for 1 minute, then bash or whiz with your curry paste until combined. (You now have enough paste for another 5 or 6 curries).
• To make the curry, toast the peanuts in a dry wok for 3 to 4 minutes or until golden, then set aside.
• Roughly chop the meat into 4cm chunks.
• Put your wok back on a medium heat and add 75ml coconut cream and 2 heaped tablespoons of the curry paste. Give it a good stir and let it bubble away for a couple of minutes.
• Tip in the beef, peanuts and coconut milk, and bring to the boil.
• Reduce the heat to low, cover, and leave to tick away for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Peel and roughly chop the onion, then peel the potatoes and chop into 3cm chunks. Add to the wok, along with the fish sauce and palm sugar, then give everything a good stir. Cover and continue cooking for 25 minutes, or until the sauce has thickened and the potato is soft, adding a splash of boiling water to loosen, if necessary. Have a taste and season with a little more fish sauce, if needed.
• For the salad, trim the beans and steam with the bok choi for 3 minutes or until just cooked - you want the beans to be soft enough to bend, but with a little bite. Run under cold water and then cut into three and tie into knots. Shave the carrots into long ribbons with a speed peeler, then score the length of the cucumber with a fork and slice into rounds. Arrange on a platter with the beansprouts and fresh herbs.
• For the dressing, peel and finely chop the garlic and galangal, deseed and finely chop the chilli. Finely zest 1 lime, then roll and squeeze the juice of both into a small bowl. Add the garlic, galangal, chilli, fish sauce, vinegar and sugar, and whisk to combine. Pour over the salad just before serving.
• Cook the rice according to the packet instructions.
• Heat 4 tablespoons of vegetable oil in a pan over medium-high heat and fry the reserved shallots until golden and crispy. Tip onto a plate lined with kitchen paper and leave to drain.
• Scatter the crispy shallots over the rice and serve with the curry and salad.

CHICKEN MASSAMAN CURRY

Steps:

• Dry-toast the chiles de arbol and guajillo chiles in a medium cast-iron or nonstick skillet over medium heat until lightly blackened in spots, 30 seconds to 1 minute per side. Transfer to a medium bowl and cover with hot water; let sit for 20 minutes to soften. Drain.
• Meanwhile, add the shrimp paste foil packet and the coriander, cumin, cardamom, cloves and cinnamon to the skillet. Toast the shrimp paste (in the foil), about 1 minute per side and stir to toast the spices until golden brown in spots and very fragrant, about 2 minutes total. Remove the foil packet and transfer the spices to a bowl. When completely cool, remove the shrimp paste from the foil and discard the foil. Grind the spices into a powder in a spice grinder.
• Turn the heat up to medium-high. Add the lemongrass, galangal, garlic, cilantro roots and shallot and toast until blackened in spots, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a food processor and pulse until finely chopped. Add the drained chiles, toasted shrimp paste, ground spices, nutmeg and 3/4 teaspoon salt. Pulse and scrape down the food processor multiple times until you have a fine paste.
• Place the curry paste and 1/2 cup coconut milk in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. As the mixture cooks down, stir more frequently, scraping the bottom, until the oil separates and the paste sticks aggressively to the pan, 6 to 8 minutes. Add 3 tablespoons tamarind, the tablespoon fish sauce and tablespoon palm sugar and cook, stirring, a few seconds. Add the chicken thighs and turn in the curry paste to coat. Add the rest of the coconut milk, the peanuts, bay leaves, star anise, 1 teaspoon salt and 1 cup water.
• Simmer gently, partially covered, until the chicken is almost cooked through and the liquid has reduced slightly, 40 minutes. Tuck in the potatoes and onion, making sure the potatoes are submerged in the liquid. Simmer, partially covered, until the potatoes are fork tender, about 20 more minutes. Add 2 more tablespoons of tamarind. Taste and adjust with more tamarind, fish sauce, sugar and salt, if necessary. There might be a layer of bright orange oil on top. Feel free to skim some of it off, but it is traditional to leave some oil in the curry.
• Serve with the steamed jasmine rice.

MASSAMAN CURRY PASTE

Steps:

• Place dried chile peppers in a small bowl and cover with warm water; soak until rehydrated, about 20 minutes. Drain.
• Heat a skillet over medium heat. Cook and stir cumin seeds, coriander seeds, peppercorns, and whole cloves in hot skillet until fragrant, 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer spices to a small bowl to cool completely. Grind spices into a fine powder using a spice grinder or mortar and pestle.
• Return skillet to medium heat. Cook and stir cinnamon, mace, nutmeg, cardamom in hot skillet until fragrant, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer spices to a separate small bowl to cool.
• Process garlic, onion, lemon grass, rehydrated chile peppers, ginger, shrimp paste, and salt in a food processor until smooth. Add all spices and process until smooth and well-mixed.

MASSAMAN POTATO CURRY

Steps:

• First make the paste. Crack the cardamom pods and remove the seeds. Dry fry the seeds with the cumin, cloves and coriander for 2 minutes Place these in a processor and grind, add all the other paste ingredients and process until they come together as a paste.
• Heat the coconut milk in a large pan and add 2 tbsp of the paste. Mix and heat until simmering.
• Turn down heat and add spuds to cook for 6 minutes.
• Add peanuts, onion, water sugar and salt, stir well until all ingredients are mixed and dissolved.
• Simmer until the potatoes are tender.
• Serve with rice or naan bread.

MASSAMAN THAI CURRY

Steps:

• In a large deep frying pan, gently heat the coconut milk with the curry paste and bring to the boil. For a milder curry use 1-2 tsp, for a hotter curry use more.
• Add the diced chicken breast, cubed potatoes and peanuts and simmer until the potato is soft and the chicken cooked. If using prawns, add these for the last 5 minutes of cooking or they will shrink.
• Add a splash of thai fish sauce for an authentic flavour and serve with basmati rice.

MUSSAMUN CURRY PASTE (ALSO SPELLED MASSAMAN)

Steps:

• Stem the chilies and cut them into small pieces, using kitchen scissors or a knife. There should be about 1\4 cup. Place in a small bowl and add warm water to cover. Let them soak for about 15 minutes until softened. Drain and set aside.
• Meanwhile, place a small plate by the stove to hold the spices. Combine the cumin and coriander in a small, dry frying pan. Place over medium heat and toast the spices 1 to 2 minutes, stirring often, until fragrant and slightly darkened. Remove from the heat and tip out onto the plate. Add the pepper, cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom, cloves, turmeric, and salt, and set aside.
• In a blender or mini food processor, combine the onion, garlic, lemongrass, galanga or ginger, 2 tablespoons water, drained chilies, and spices. Process to a fairly smooth, evenly colored paste, stopping often to scrape down the sides and grind everything well. Add a little more water as needed to keep the blades moving.
• Transfer the curry paste to a jar and seal airtight. Refrigerate until needed for up to 1 month.
• Note: This paste can be frozen for up to 6 months. Consider freezing in tablespoon-size portion if you plan to defrost just enough for one curry at a time.