Thai Beef Massaman Curry Food

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.

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.

THAI BEEF MASSAMAN CURRY

Steps:

• Trim meat of excess fat and sinew and cut into 2-3cm cubes.
• Heat the oil in a heavy-based pot and fry the onion until brown.
• Add the meat, season and continue to brown all over.
• From top of the coconut milk tin, scoop out the thick cream and add to the pot.
• Add curry paste, lower the heat and cook gently for about 5 minutes.
• Add the water, remaining coconut milk, cinnamon and bay leaves and simmer, covered, for 1 hour.
• Add the potatoes and cook for another 30 min or until the meat and potatoes are tender. You may need to add a little water as the curry is cooking.
• Season to taste with fish sauce, palm sugar (see TIP) and tamarind paste.
• Garnish with peanuts and coriander and serve with steamed basmati or jasmine rice.
• ---TIP---.
• Shaving palm sugar can be a pain, especially when the sugar is a little dried out. I buy it in discs, so now I just pop a disc in a cup with a little water (about 1 T) and microwave it on high for 30 seconds. Stir, and you will find it dissolves. You can then add this liquid to your curry to taste.

HOW TO MAKE BEEF MASSAMAN CURRY

Steps:

• Place the beef in a saucepan and pour 500ml (2 cups) of water over it. Bring to a simmer and cook for 11⁄2-2 hours until the meat is really tender. You will probably need to add more water but only add just enough to cover. You want the stock to be really flavourful from the beef.
• When the meat is almost tender enough to eat, stir in the potatoes and cook until fork tender.
• While the meat is cooking, you can start making the curry. Ina wok or large frying pan, heat the oil over a medium-high heat. When it begins to shimmer, add the onion and peanuts. Fry for about 3 minutes, then add the curry paste. Stir well to combine with the oil and onions.
• Now add the coconut milk, sugar and tamarind paste, followed by the beef, potatoes, about 250ml (1 cup) of the cooking liquid and the fish sauce. Simmer for about 10 minutes to thicken.
• Taste and adjust the seasoning, adding salt to taste. Garnish with a few leaves of holy basil and serve.