Massaman curry is slightly sweet and fragrant, full of Thai flavour and gentle warmth. It’s tasty but it won’t blow your head off heat-wise. You’ll have enough paste mixture to make two curries so store the rest in the fridge for two or three weeks or pop it in the freezer and keep for up to a month. You can try making this curry with some skinless duck breast too if you like. Without taking much of your time let’s discuss how we make Thai Massaman Chicken Curry at home.
Serves 4
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp Vegetable Oil
- 2 Red Onions, Sliced
- 500 g Skinless Chicken Breast Cut Into 1cm Strips
- 1 Large Potato, Cut Into 1cm Cubes
- Red Bird’s Eye Chillies, Slashed (If You Want A Hotter Curry, Add More Chillies)
- 250 ml Chicken Stock
- 200 ml Canned Coconut Milk (Low-Fat Is Fine)
- 2 Tomatoes, Skinned and Roughly Chopped
- 6 Kaffir Lime Leaves
- 1 ½ Tbsp Grated Palm Sugar
- 2 Tbsp Soy Sauce
- 3–4 Tbsp Thai Fish Sauce
- Juice Of 1 Lime
- Handful Of Thai Basil
- 25 g Toasted Peanuts, Roughly Chopped
- 1 Large Red Chilli, Deseeded and Sliced at An Angle
- Massaman Curry Paste 6 Cardamom Pods, Bashed & Seeds Removed (Discard The Husks)
- 1 Tsp Cumin Seeds
- 5 Cloves
- 1 ½ Star Anise
- 1 Tsp White Peppercorns
- ½ Tsp Ground Cinnamon
- 2 Tsp Dried Chilli Flakes
- 2 Tbsp Groundnut Oil
- 25 g Peanuts
- 5 Garlic Cloves, roughly chopped
- 5 Lime Leaves, Finely Sliced
- 30 g Galangal, Peeled and Roughly Chopped
- 2 Lemon Grass Stalks, White Part Finely Chopped
- 1 Tsp Thai Shrimp Paste
- 2 Tbsp Thai Fish Sauce
- ½ Tsp Grated Nutmeg
- 2 Tbsp Grated Palm Sugar
How to Make Thai Massaman Chicken Curry
- Start by making the curry paste. Place a small frying pan over a medium heat, add the cardamom seeds, cumin seeds and cloves and dry roast them for a couple of minutes to release the flavours. Tip them into a small blender or a pestle and mortar and blitz or pound them to make a powder.
- Add the remaining ingredients for the paste to the blender or pestle and mortar, plus 2 tablespoons of water, and process or pound to make a smooth paste. Set aside until ready to use.
- For the curry, place a medium casserole dish with a lid on a medium heat and add the vegetable oil. Add the onions and cook them slowly for 8–10 minutes until soft and slightly golden. Push the onions to one side of the pan, turn up the heat, then add the chicken strips. Seal them quickly on all sides, without letting them colour too much.
- Add half the curry paste and cook for another minute or so, stirring to coat the chicken and the onions with the paste. Add the potato cubes, slashed chillies, stock, coconut milk, chopped tomatoes, lime leaves, palm sugar, soy sauce and 2 tablespoons of the fish sauce. Bring to the boil, put a lid on the casserole dish and reduce the heat to a simmer. Leave to cook for 14–16 minutes or until the chicken is done and no pinkness remains, but take care not to overcook or the chicken will become dry.
- Check for seasoning and add a little more fish sauce to taste if needed. Stir in the lime juice and basil, keeping a few leaves for garnish, then add half the chopped peanuts. Spoon the curry into bowls, garnish with the remaining basil, the chopped nuts and some slices of red chilli.
So finally, Your Thai Massaman Chicken Curry has cooked and is ready to be served. serve it with rice.
