Delicious Massaman Curry Dish

 

Thai food is one of my all time favorite foods!  There is a cute little restaurant near my house, Spicy Thai.  I have to admit, I might have their number on speed dial.  Actually, it is really any dish with curry in it. 

Some people hear curry and think spicy.  Delicious massaman curry is not spicy and your whole family will love it. All the ingredients in this dish are things I have on hand in my house, except the massaman curry.  Although, after making this the first time, I now keep massaman curry in my refrigerator all the time.  It lasts for a long time.  The curry can be purchased in any grocery store and for sure in an Asian grocery store.

Delicious massaman Curry has chicken, carrots, potatoes, onions, cilantro, curry and a view other ingredients.  There is a little preparation to chop the vegetables, but once that is done, the dish comes together easily.  It needs to simmer for 15-20 minutes to marry all the flavors.  I promise, if you love curry, you will love this recipe!

How To Make Delicious Massaman Curry

1. When you buy the chicken for this dish, put it in the freezer over night.  Then in the morning, pull it out and put it in the refrigerator.  When you bring it out to slice it in the evening for dinner, it will be half frozen.  This half frozen chicken allows you to slice it very thin.  You actually are just shaving pieces of chicken as you slice.  These thin slices of chicken cook faster and make it very easy to cut the meat while eating the curry.  I like using a spoon, when I eat this, and I want to be able to cut the meat with my spoon.

2. Slice the onion very thin.  I cut the tops and bottoms of the onion off.  Then I take off the outer skin layer of onion.  Cut the onion in half and place the flat side on your cutting board.  Curl you fingers up and bring the knife down just in front of your fingers to make very thin slices.  Move your fingers back just a very small amount and make another slice.  These half moon slices of onions are so tasty in this dish.

3.  Peel the potatoes and the carrots.  I like a lot of veggies in my dish, so if you feel there are too many, don't use as many.  Once the potatoes are peeled, I cut them in half lengthwise, put them on the flat side and then make long slices 1/2 inch wide and then turn the cutting board a quarter turn and cut the other direction.  It makes perfect little cubes.  Easy to cook and easy to eat.

Then slice the carrots in round discs.

Slice the carrots the same way you sliced the onions.  Curl your fingers on top of the carrots and slice through the whole carrot moving your fingers back just a little after each cut to make beautiful medallions of carrots.

4.  Cook the curry paste and turn on the fan.  Use a large pot that you might make soup in.  Put the vegetable oil in the pan and heat it.  Add the curry paste to the hot oil.  Stir the paste in the oil while it is cooking for about three minutes.

Curry paste is made of a lot of spices that need to be cooked.  I equate this process to making a rue.   You need to cook the flour in the butter.  Now you are just cooking the spices in the oil.  

5.  Add a can of coconut milk and stir until well blended.  Now add the ginger, lime juice, chopped cilantro, brown sugar, fish sauce and Worcestershire Sauce.  Mix this all together and bring to a boil.

6.  Add the sliced onions and chicken.  This is the beginning of a beautiful marriage as you marry the flavors of the curry paste and spices with the onions and chicken.    Bring this to a boil, then add another can of coconut milk.  Once it comes to a boil again, reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes with the lid on.  Make sure the chicken is all white and cooked through.

7.  At this point, add the cubed potatoes,  sliced carrots and peanut butter.  Use a large spoon and mix everything together, then bring to a boil.  You might be a little afraid of the peanut butter, but to be honest I can hardly taste it in this dish.  There are a lot of Thai dishes that use ground peanuts. The flavors all meld together to make the most delicious curry.  I think you will miss out if you do not add it.

Bring everything to a boil and cover.

8.  Bring everything to a boil and cover.  Cook for 15 minutes.  Take the lid off and stir everything together every 3-5 minutes while this is simmering.  Then put the lid back on.

9.  While the Delicious Massaman Curry is simmering, make a pot of perfect rice.  Perfect rice is 4 cups of water with 2 cups of rice.  Put it in a pan and put the lid on.  Bring it to a boil.  Keep an eye on it so it does not overflow.  You want to turn the heat down as soon as you see steam coming out from under the lid. 

I turn the heat down to medium and watch the pan for a minute.  Then I turn it down again to the lowest setting on my stovetop.  Set the timer for 20 minutes.  DO NOT PEEK.  The steam is cooking your rice and if you peek, you mess everything up.  

When the timer goes off, turn the heat off.  Let the rice sit with the lid on for another minute or two.  When you take the lid off, your rice should look like this.  If you see those little holes, you have cooked perfect rice!

10.  After the curry has cooked for 15 minutes, add a tablespoon or two of Sriracha sauce.  I take the bottle and squirt a big circle and then spiral inside the circle.  It probably is at least a 1/4 cup.  I do not think it makes it really spicy, just flavorful.  Mix everything together well.  

Here is a little tip when making dishes like this.  When you have finished cooking everything.  Turn the heat off and leave the lid on.  Let the pot sit on your stove for an hour as it cools a little, the flavors become even better combined and takes your dish to the next level.  I like to leave enough time when I make my soups and curry dishes to let them sit and really let the flavors combine.

Let me know on Instagram or Pinterest if you make this.
  Post a picture and tag me @dinasdiner.  I want to know how it turns out.

Delicious Massaman Curry
Printer Friendly Recipe

1 lb. Chicken Breasts
6 Potatoes
4 Carrots

1 Onion

3 Tbsp. Vegetable oil

2 oz. Massaman curry paste
2 - 13 oz. cans Coconut milk 
1/2 tsp. Powdered Ginger
1/2 Bunch Cilantro
2 Tbsp. Brown sugar
2 Tbsp. Fish sauce
1 Tbsp. Lime juice
1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 Tbsp. Peanut butter
1/4 C. Sriracha Sauce

1.  Slice slightly frozen chicken into very thin pieces.

2.  Cut onions into thin slices.

3.  Peel potatoes and carrots.

4.  Cube potatoes and slice carrots into rounds.

5.  Heat the oil and drop in the the curry paste. 

6.  Cook for 3 minutes.

7.  Add one can of coconut milk and mix until well mixed.  

8.  Add the next six ingredients; ginger, chopped cilantro, brown sugar, fish sauce, lime juice and Worcestershire sauce.

9.  Add sliced chicken and onions.  When the chicken has cooked and is white, add another can of coconut milk and the potatoes, carrots and peanut butter.

10. Mix well, bring to a boil then put the lid on and simmer for 15 minutes.

11.  Make a pot of perfect rice, recipe above, and serve.

12.  When ready to serve, add sriracha sauce and mix well.