Beef Massaman

Name: Beef Massaman
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 1 h 30 min
Total time: 1 h 40 min
Cuisine: Thai
Ingredients: 1 packet of My Thai Curry Massaman Curry paste.; 500 g of beef shin/braising steak or similar.; 400 mL can of coconut milk.; 200 g of small potatoes.; 1 onion for garnish if using.; 1 Lime.

Leave a Comment / Recipe Blog / By Nitsa Takhiansok

Jump to Recipe

A Massaman curry will always be one of my favourite dishes. Rich and creamy and ideal for a feast. My problem is that when I feel like a Massaman curry I often find myself unable to decide between Lamb Shank Massaman, Chicken Massaman, or this Beef Massaman. Sometimes my decision might be influenced by the time available to me because a Beef Massaman should never be made with a lean quick-cooking cut of steak. Instead, it benefits greatly by being cooked with a far tougher cut of beef that will require long slow cooking in the sauce to the point where it is just about to fall apart. For this reason, I use a cut such as beef shin or at least braising steak to make this dish. I’m often asked about using a slow cooker for Thai curries, any recipe using coconut milk in a slow cooker has to be adapted so please read this article here first. Slow cooker curry.
Make sure you’re using the “right” type of coconut milk as it will make or break this or any other coconut-based curry. Quick guide here, Coconut Milk Summary, or if you would like to see the difference between different brands of coconut milk the full article is here, Cooking Thai Curry with Coconut Milk.
I’m using around 500 g of beef and about 200 g of small potatoes, a can of coconut milk, and one pouch of Massaman paste. If you want to garnish it as in the photo above then you will also need an onion and some peanuts. The pastes are complete but it is always a good idea to have a little lime juice to hand to adjust sweetness, if needed, to your personal taste at the end of cooking. You also adjust saltiness by adding a little more fish sauce or salt if required.

Halve the potatoes and sauté in a little oil until quite brown. Don’t peel the potatoes but cook them in their skins to stop them from breaking down later in the sauce.

Sauté some thinly sliced onion (if used) until crisp and brown and leave to dry on kitchen paper.

Remove the potatoes from the pan and add the beef. Sauté until nicely browned.

Remove beef from the pan and reserve.

Add the Massaman curry paste to the pan and heat for a couple of minutes. Add the can of coconut milk.

Bring coconut milk to a boil and then reduce heat.

Add meat to the pan and stir through.

Add potatoes to the pan and then cover. Cook on a very low heat until meat is tender stirring from time to time topping up liquid level with water if needed. You can also cook in the oven at 170C. Cooking time can take 2-3 hours depending on the cut of meat. When meat is tender enough turn off the heat and allow to sit for five minutes. Some oil will probably have separated from the coconut, if so you can use a spoon to skim off the excess, however, you should leave some oil behind for an authentic Massaman.

Serve and enjoy!

UPDATE. Comments box added.

Beef Massaman

Author: Nitsa Takhiansok
Total Time: 1 hour 40 minutes
Yield: 3 servings 1x

Print Recipe

Description

Rich and creamy and fragrantly spiced, a Beef Massaman is best cooked with a tough cut of beef until it’s ready to fall apart in the sauce. If you want to use a slow cooker then check the notes at the end of the recipe. Otherwise this can be cooked on the hob or in the oven.

Ingredients

Scale

1 packet of My Thai Curry Massaman Curry paste.

500 g of beef shin/braising steak or similar.

400 mL can of coconut milk.

200 g of small potatoes.

1 onion for garnish if using.

1 Lime.

Instructions

Sauté some thinly sliced onion (if using) in vegetable oil until it is brown and crisp and leave to dry on kitchen paper.

Halve the potatoes and sauté in a little oil until quite brown. Don’t peel the potatoes but cook them in their skins to stop them breaking down later in the sauce.

Remove the potatoes and set aside and add the beef. Fry at quite a high heat until nicely browned.

Remove the beef from the pan and set aside.

Add the Massaman curry paste to the pan and heat until it starts to bubble. Add the can of coconut milk, bring to the boil and then reduce the heat.

Add the beef to the pan and stir through.

Add the potatoes to the pan and then cover. Cook on a very low heat until the meat is tender, stirring from time to time to prevent burning. Top up the liquid level with water if needed.

You can also cook in the oven at 170C/Gas Mark 4. The time taken to cook will depend on the cut of beef, this could be up to 3 hours for a cut like shin beef so check the tenderness from time to time.

When the meat has reached the desired stage of tenderness, turn off the heat and allow to stand for five minutes. Some oil may have separated from the coconut and if you wish you can skim off the excess with a spoon. However, an authentic Massaman should always be left with some oil.

Adjust seasoning if required.

Garnish with the onions and peanuts if using and serve with Jasmine rice.