Cheat's Massaman Curry
By Beverley Glock
Published on 28 December 2022
Quick version of a classic Massaman Curry. Massaman curries are cooked all over the Far East, unlike classic Thai green and red curries, which require fresh herbs and spices, the Massman uses a mixture of dried and fresh. The paste can be made up in larger batches and kept in the fridge for a week or frrozen for up to one month.
Any meat can be used; chicken, beef, lamb, turkey, pork or duck, or make a vegetarian version using a selection of vegetables or tofu.Children usually enjoy pounding the paste, if you're cooking this for children then reduce or leave out the chili.Time and servings
45 minsTotal time
2Servings
20 minsPrep time
25 minsCooking time
Ingredients
- 6 whole of cloves
- 1 tsp of palm sugar
- 0.5 tsp of galangal or fresh ginger
- 3 tbsp of fish sauce
- 4 cardamom pods
- 1 star anise
- 1 tsp of coriander seeds
- 1 tsp of cumin seeds
- 2 dried red chillies
- 3 kaffir lime leaves or peel
- 0.5 tsp of cinnamon
- 2 garlic cloves, chopped
- 10 black peppercorns
- 1 lemongrass stalk, chopped
- 1 tbsp of sunflower oil
- 2 chicken breasts, skinned and chopped
- 165 ml of coconut milk
- 250 ml of stock
- 1 packet of thai jasmine rice, to serve
Method
Step 1
Split open the cardamom pods and scrape out the seeds inside, discard the green pods.Step 2
Place the cardamom seeds, star anise, coriander and cumin seeds, red chillies and lime leaves/peel in a pestle and mortar and pound, add the cinnamon, garlic cloves, peppercorns, cloves, lemongrass and galangal (or ginger) and pound until it is quite ground, and mix to a paste.Step 3
Heat up the sunflower oil in a wok or nonstick frying pan, add the paste and the chicken breast pieces, stir fry until the chicken is coated in the paste.Step 4
Add the coconut milk, fish sauce, stock and sugar and cook for 10 minutes until the chicken is cooked through.