Massaman is such a pleasingly mild and warming curry – like a hug in a bowl…
Serves: 6
INGREDIENTS
Spices
1 tablespoon coriander seeds
2 teaspoons cumin seeds
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground cardamom
4 whole cloves
Paste
2 tablespoons fish sauce
1 brown onion, roughly chopped
4 cloves garlic
3 red chillies, roughly chopped
½ cup roasted peanuts
Curry
2 x 400ml tins coconut milk
1 teaspoon shrimp paste
½ cup water
2 stalks lemongrass, hard outer leaves removed, bruised
4 whole star anise
1 bay leaf
1.5 kilograms beef cheeks, shin or stewing steak,
cut into 5cm pieces
350 grams baby potatoes (I used coloured gourmet ones)
To serve
¼ cup fried shallots
2 tablespoons chopped roasted peanuts
⅓ cup fresh coriander
METHOD
Spices: Add all the spices to a dry frying pan and toast for
a few minutes until fragrant. Place in a small food processor and whizz or grind in a mortar and pestle.
Paste: Add the paste ingredients to the food processor and whizz together.
Curry: Bring the coconut milk to a boil in a large heavy-based pot, then simmer until the oil has separated and is floating on the top. Add the curry paste and cook for 3-4 minutes. Stir in the shrimp paste, water, lemongrass, star anise and bay leaf. Add the beef, cover and simmer gently for 3½ hours. Remove the lid and simmer for a further ¾ hour. Add the potatoes and simmer for a final 20 minutes until they are cooked through.
To serve: Garnish with fried shallots, roasted peanuts and fresh coriander before serving.
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latest issue:
127
In Dream Escape, we journey from Japan and Morocco to Italy, India and beyond, sharing recipes inspired by travel, heritage and comfort. We celebrate the champions of the Outstanding Food Producer Awards, explore the stories and recipes of chefs shaped by their cultural roots, and warm up with everything from West African soups and slow-braised lamb to porchetta, butter chicken and beef noodle soup. Alongside destination menus, Scandinavian sweets and cosy pub classics, Chrisanne Terblanche shares her favourite street-side dining spots in Bangkok, while Yvonne Lorkin explores red wine varietals. This issue, we invite you to slow down, turn the pages and escape through food.