Massaman Curry — Thai Mild Spiced Curry
Thailand's rich, mild 'royal' curry, often voted one of the world's most delicious dishes: tender beef (or chicken) and potatoes simmered in coconut milk with a fragrant massaman paste carrying the warm spices of the spice routes — cardamom, cinnamon, star anise, cloves — plus roasted peanuts, tamarind and palm sugar. Gentle on heat, deep on flavour, a little sweet and sour.
Fry massaman curry paste in the thick cream from a can of coconut milk until deeply fragrant. Add chunks of beef (or chicken) to coat, then the rest of the coconut milk and stock, and simmer gently. Add potatoes, onion and roasted peanuts, and season with fish sauce, palm sugar and tamarind for the signature sweet-savoury-sour balance. Simmer low until the meat is meltingly tender and the sauce is rich. Serve with jasmine rice.
- Fry the paste in cracked coconut cream first to bloom the warm spices — the key step.
- Massaman is mild and warm-spiced (cardamom, cinnamon, star anise), not fiery like other Thai curries.
- Balance fish sauce (salty), palm sugar (sweet) and tamarind (sour) — that three-way balance is its soul.
Equipment
- Heavy pot or Dutch oven
- Wooden spoon
Ingrediënten
Curry
- 800 g beef chuck or shin, in chunks, or chicken thigh
- 60 g massaman curry paste
- 400 ml coconut milk, cream on top
- 250 ml stock or water
- 2 potatoes, in chunks; 1 onion, in wedges
- 60 g roasted peanuts
Season
- 30 ml fish sauce
- 20 g palm sugar
- 15 ml tamarind paste
- 2 cardamom pods, 1 cinnamon stick, 2 star anise, 2 bay leaves
Bereiding
- STAP01
Spoon the thick coconut cream into a hot pot and simmer until it splits, then fry the massaman paste in it until deeply fragrant, 2–3 minutes.
- STAP02
Add the beef and stir to coat in the paste, cooking a few minutes. Add the whole spices (cardamom, cinnamon, star anise, bay).
- STAP03
Pour in the rest of the coconut milk and the stock. Bring to a gentle simmer, cover, and cook low until the beef is becoming tender, about 1 hour (less for chicken).
- STAP04
Add the potatoes, onion and peanuts, and season with fish sauce, palm sugar and tamarind. Simmer uncovered 25–30 minutes more until the meat is meltingly tender, the potatoes are cooked and the sauce is rich. Balance the sweet-salty-sour.
- STAP05
Discard the whole spices if you like. Serve with steamed jasmine rice (and more peanuts scattered over).
Make ahead
Even better made ahead — the warm spices and braise mellow and deepen overnight. Make a day or two before and reheat gently; add a splash of water if it has thickened too much.
Storage
Keeps 4 days refrigerated and freezes 3 months — and, like most braised curries, the flavour deepens overnight. Reheat gently. An excellent make-ahead.
Variations
Chicken or lamb
Use chicken thigh (quicker) or lamb (rich) instead of beef.
Vegetarian
Use potato, sweet potato and chunks of fried tofu, with a vegetarian massaman paste and soy instead of fish sauce.
From-scratch paste
Pound your own paste with dried chillies, lemongrass, galangal, shallot, garlic, and toasted cardamom, cinnamon, clove, cumin and coriander.
Serve with
Nutrition per serving
Nutrition values are estimates based on the metric measurements. Adjust as needed.
Veelgestelde vragen
Why is massaman milder than other Thai curries?
Massaman has Persian/Indian and Muslim-Thai roots, so it leans on warm 'sweet' spices — cardamom, cinnamon, star anise, cloves, cumin — rather than lots of fresh chilli. The result is rich, aromatic and gently spiced, balanced by coconut, peanuts, palm sugar and tamarind, rather than fiery like a green or jungle curry.
What meat is best for massaman?
Beef (chuck or shin) is the classic and stands up beautifully to the long, gentle braise, turning meltingly tender. Chicken thigh is also very common and quicker; lamb works for a richer version. Whichever you use, low and slow gives the best texture.
How do I get the flavour balance right?
Massaman is a three-way balance of salty (fish sauce), sweet (palm sugar) and sour (tamarind), over a base of warm spice and coconut. Add them gradually and taste — it should be rounded and rich, gently sweet and tangy, not sharp or one-note.
Do I need to make the paste from scratch?
No — a good shop-bought massaman paste makes an excellent curry and is the easy route. Frying it in cracked coconut cream blooms its aromatics. If you want the freshest, deepest flavour, pounding your own paste with toasted whole spices is worth it.
What are the peanuts for?
Roasted peanuts are characteristic of massaman, adding nutty richness and a little texture. They're simmered into the curry (and often scattered on top to serve), reflecting the dish's spice-route heritage. Leave them out for a nut allergy, though the flavour will be less distinctive.
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