Create Our Delicious Thai Massaman Curry

Massaman curry is a favourite dish in Thailand and is often requested by foreign tourists. The rich, creamy, and aromatic flavour captures the attention of everyone who tries it and tourists long to recreate the dish when they return home from Thailand. You can find the dish throughout Thailand, from fine dining restaurants to street food stalls.

What is Thai Massaman Curry?

Although the dish originated in Thailand in the 17^th century, it’s a fusion dish from three sources. It combines the ingredients and flavours of Persia, the Indian subcontinent, and the Malayan archipelago. Although the exact creators of the dish are unknown, it’s believed the dish comes from the south of Thailand and was influenced by Indian and Malayan cuisine. 

The name is a misspelling of the term “moselman”, meaning Muslim. During the 19^th century, the dish became known as "Mussulman curry" and later, massaman curry.

The dish is commonly made with chicken or beef, coconut milk, and a variety of spices, including chilli peppers, lemongrass, white pepper, galangal, coriander, shrimp paste, potatoes, peanuts, garlic, onions or shallots, nutmeg, cinnamon, cumin, mace, cloves and Thai cardamom. Massaman curry gets its intensive, aromatic flavour from its cooking method, which is to simmer the meat, vegetables, and spices together in coconut milk, infusing the meat and vegetables with the aromatic spices.

Creating Thai Massaman Curry at Home

Exotic Food Thailand has created an authentic Thai massaman curry paste you can use to create an authentic and rich-tasting massaman curry. The curry paste contains all the exotic ingredients used in the dish, so you just need to add chicken, potatoes, onions or shallots and coconut milk.

Exotic Food Thailand’s Massaman Curry Paste makes creating this unique and intensively flavoured dish at home easy. Our step-by-step massaman curry recipe will reward you with the authentic flavour of massaman curry every time.

A few notes on cooking massaman curry at home:

• You can adapt massaman curry for a slow cooker. The cooking method for massaman curry is the same method used in slow cookers. Simply keep track of how long the vegetables and chicken are cooked (use our recipe as a guide) to ensure you don't cook the ingredients for too long.
• You can substitute the chicken with vegetarian foods like tofu, mushrooms, and aubergine.
• Massaman curry can be cooked ahead of time and frozen. Let the curry cool completely before freezing in a sealable plastic bag or container.

Our Massaman Curry Recipe

Our massaman curry recipe makes a delicious curry quickly and easily, so you can introduce your friends and family to the rich, creamy and intense flavour of authentic massaman curry.

Ingredients:

• 6 tablespoons (90 ml) Exotic Food Thailand Massaman Curry Paste
• 2 cups (500 ml) coconut milk divided in two
• 1 kg chicken thighs or legs, bone-in and skin-on
• 3 tablespoons (36 g) light brown sugar or palm sugar
• 2 to 3 tablespoons (30 -45 ml) tamarind paste
• 2 to 3 tablespoons (30-45 ml) fish sauce
• 300 grams of waxy potatoes cut into 3 cm chunks
• ½ a large yellow onion or 1 regular-sized shallot sliced into 1-2 cm strips
• 35 gr unsalted, roasted peanuts
• Hom Mali rice for serving

Place half the coconut milk in a large, deep pot and bring to a boil. Add the curry paste to the coconut milk and stir well to combine, letting the mixture thicken as you continue to stir until the coconut oil begins to separate from the paste (about 5 minutes). Deglaze the pot with a little coconut milk if the paste sticks to the bottom. 

Add the rest of the coconut milk, stirring to mix and scraping the sides and bottom of the pot to mix in any remaining bits of paste. Add 2 tablespoons of the tamarind paste, all the sugar, and 1 tablespoon of the fish sauce and stir to mix. Taste the sauce and add more fish sauce as needed. 

Add the chicken to the pot and simmer gently for 35 to 40 minutes, partially uncovered over low heat, stirring occasionally. When the chicken is almost done, add the potatoes, onion and peanuts and cook over medium heat for 10-15 minutes or until the potatoes are thoroughly cooked. Serve over rice. 

Explore Exotic Food Thailand Products

Exotic Food Thailand is an all-natural massaman curry paste supplier. We also produce green, red, and yellow curry pastes and tom yum paste in 50g packages and nine different types of curry pastes, including massaman curry paste, in 220g glass jars. 

We have a wide range of other popular Thai cooking products, all made with natural ingredients, that can expand your cooking skills and provide new and innovative meals for your friends and family. Discover our entire line of Thai food products and explore the flavours of Thailand from anywhere in the world.