Massaman Curry (easy rice cooker recipe)
Make your fave Thai beef curry and potatoes at home using a rice cooker. This Massaman Curry recipe is easy and tasty, guaranteed to impress
Video
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp (40ml / 1.4floz) vegetable oil or any neutral oil
- 850g / 1.9lb chuck steak (trimmed, chopped into 2.5cm / 1-inch cubes) (NOTE 1)
- salt and pepper
- 3 large garlic cloves, minced
- 1 medium brown or yellow onion (peeled, roughly diced)
- 114g / 4oz massaman curry paste (NOTE 2)
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 star anise
- 400ml / 13.5floz tin of coconut cream (NOTE 3)
- 20g / 0.7oz finely chopped palm sugar or brown sugar (NOTE 4)
- 500g / 1.1lb waxy potatoes (peeled, chopped into large bite-size pieces) (NOTE 5)
- 400ml / 13.5floz tin of coconut milk (NOTE 3)
- 1 tbsp (20ml / 0.7floz) fish sauce (NOTE 6)
- 1 tbsp (20ml / 0.7floz) tamarind puree or pulp (NOTE 7)
Optional topping / garnish
- lime juice
- crushed roasted peanuts
- finely chopped coriander / cilantro
- thinly sliced red chilles
Instructions
- Season the steaks all over with salt and pepper. Remove some of the fat around the meat, but leave some to help tenderise the beef. Cut the steak into roughly 2.5cm / 1-inch chunks.
- Heat oil in a large frying pan over high heat, then brown the meat on each side for 2 or 3 minutes or until a crust forms. You may need to do this in batches. Transfer the beef onto a plate and set aside for later.
- Curry sauce - Using the same frying pan, remove some of the oil and leave about 1 tablespoon, then reheat over medium-high heat. Put the garlic and onions in and saute for a minute, then add the curry paste, cinnamon stick and star anise and stir for 2 minutes. Stir in the coconut cream and palm sugar, bring to a boil, then remove from heat.
- Choose one of the following slow cooking methods:Rice cooker - Put the potatoes, beef, curry sauce, tamarind puree, fish sauce, and coconut milk into the rice bowl, then mix to combine. Use the slow cooker function and cook for two hours, stirring halfway. The curry is done when the beef and potatoes are tender.Traditional slow cooker - Put the potatoes, beef, curry sauce, tamarind puree, fish sauce, and coconut milk into the slow cooker, then mix to combine. Slow cook on the low setting for 7 to 8 hours or until beef and potatoes are tender.Stove top - In a large cast iron or Dutch oven, combine the potatoes, beef, curry sauce, tamarind puree, fish sauce, and coconut milk, then stir to mix. Bring the curry to a boil over medium heat, then reduce heat to low and slow cook for 2 hours or until the beef and potatoes are tender. Stir occasionally so the curry doesn't catch at the bottom.
- Taste the curry and adjust to your liking by adding salt and pepper if needed, or lime juice to balance the richness. Optional - top curry with crushed roasted peanuts, finely chopped coriander / cilantro and slices of red chillies.
Notes
(NOTE 1) Chuck steak is a cut of beef from the chuck primal, in the shoulder area. It's a flavourful but tough cut, often used for braising, stews, or pot roasts because of its rich marbling that tenderises during slow cooking. You could also use beef brisket, which has similar richness and tenderness.
(NOTE 2) Massaman curry paste is a blend of dried red chili peppers, lemongrass, galangal, garlic, shallots, and various spices. I used Maesri's masaman paste, which comes in a small tin. It's affordable and very good quality paste imported from Thailand.
(NOTE 3) Canned Coconut - Coconut cream has a higher fat content and thicker consistency than coconut milk. I used one can of cream and milk to balance it out, but if you want a lighter curry, just use two cans of coconut milk. Don't use two cans of coconut cream or the curry will be too oily.
(NOTE 4) Palm sugar comes from coconut palm sap, so they don't cut down the trees, making it sustainable. Check the label to be sure it's pure or 100% palm sugar. If you don't have palm sugar, you can replace it with an equal amount of brown sugar.
(NOTE 5) Waxy potatoes hold their shape better during long cooking times because of their lower starch content, preventing them from disintegrating and creating a mushy texture in slow-cooked dishes. Waxy potatoes include: Kipfler, Dutch Cream, Red Bliss, Fingerling, New Potatoes, Charlotte, Maris Peer and Jersey Royal.
(NOTE 6) Fish sauce - My favourite brand is 'Squid' fish sauce from Thailand, but any brand of fish sauce would work. Despite its strong fish odour, fish sauce imparts a distinctive savoury taste to dishes. You should be able to pick up a bottle at the supermarket or at an Asian grocer.
(NOTE 7) Tamarind puree or pulp has a tangy and slightly sweet flavour. You can buy tamarind in various forms: whole pods, pressed blocks or concentrates, pulp, and powder. I like to use the
Leftovers - Allow the Massaman curry to cool completely at room temperature, then transfer into an airtight container. You can refrigerate the curry for 4 days, or freeze it for up to 3 months.
I've used a third-party application to calculate the calories and nutritional information, so please use this as an approximate guide only.
Cooking measurements are in Australian standard spoon and cup measurements. For specific details and conversions, visit our Australian Cooking Measurements page.
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Cheers – Cat T
Nutrition
Serving: 1 ServingCalories: 748kcalCarbohydrates: 28gProtein: 33gFat: 67gSaturated Fat: 44gPolyunsaturated Fat: 6gMonounsaturated Fat: 14gTrans Fat: 2gCholesterol: 96mgSodium: 397mgPotassium: 1281mgFiber: 4gSugar: 6gVitamin A: 3023IUVitamin C: 13mgCalcium: 90mgIron: 8mg