Chicken Massaman Curry With Wheat Beer and Potatoes Recipe (2024)

Why It Works

  • Thai massaman curry uses mostly Middle Eastern spices, which create warmth instead of a fiery burn.
  • Adding peanuts at the end helps them retain their crunch.

There's a kind of masoch*stic pride in determinedly finishing off a violently fiery curry, dropping the fork into the cleaned-out bowl with tears streaming down your face, nose running, and sweat dripping off your brow. But you don't need to climb way up on the Scoville scale just to get wonderfully complex curry flavor.Massamanis a perfect example of that.

Although it's now considered a Thai dish, massaman came to that country from the Middle East via trade routes and migration. As a result, it doesn't share the intense chile heat of many of the red and green Thai curries you may be familiar with. Instead, it's sweeter, thanks to the addition of palm sugar (though you can substitute brown), and relies on spices that are more warm than hot, like star anise and cinnamon. Chicken is the most traditional protein added to the massaman pot, although you'll often find beef renditions as well. Potatoes are pretty typical, too.

Massaman curry paste is easy enough to find in your local specialty store or aisle, so there's no need to make it from scratch (you certainly can—here's a recipe forhomemade massaman curry paste), though we do add a few extra spices of our own to boost the flavor of the store-bought stuff. We often use the Maesri brand, which comes in a small yellow can (you'll need two for this recipe). Its ingredients include the usual suspects—lots of cardamom, garlic, lemongrass, galangal, and, of course, chile. We add some star anise pods and a cinnamon stick on top of that, balancing it all out with a good amount of palm sugar.

Chicken Massaman Curry With Wheat Beer and Potatoes Recipe (1)

Fish sauce, a Thai staple, gives the dish a distinct piquancy and savory depth. The whole thing is then made creamy with coconut milk. We also spike the curry with a Belgian-style wheat beer—that might seem like an odd ingredient here, but we find that its citrusy note and slight bitterness play really well with these flavors.

Skin-on, bone-in chicken is the common choice for this type of curry, but we chose boneless, skinless thighs, as they're more readily cut into large chunks for easy eating. This cuts down on the cooking time quite a bit, which makes this suitable for a weeknight dinner. Thighs also have fantastic flavor and remain juicy and tender even after prolonged cooking, so they're a great choice for this kind of long-simmered dish.

For the potatoes, we prefer the waxy, red-skinned variety, which hold their shape and turn silky when simmered, though Yukon Golds also work very well. You'll want to cut the potatoes into large bite-size pieces, a little smaller than the chicken pieces, to encourage everything to cook through at the same time.

Depending on how fatty your chicken is, the curry may end up with a layer of bright red oil on top of the sauce. You can stir it back in before serving (it's damned tasty), or spoon some off if it's excessive.

Chicken Massaman Curry With Wheat Beer and Potatoes Recipe (2)

We finish the curry with peanuts and fresh lime juice; adding them right at the end keeps the nuts crunchy and the lime juice sharp and bright.

Serve the dish with plenty of limes and cilantro on the side, along with some steamed rice. If you're feeling ambitious, make someThai-style crispy fried shallotsto sprinkle on top.

And there you have it: a spicy, sweet, and flavorful curry that doesn't require a damage waiver. Your spice-loving friends will need to find another way to exercise their taste for masochism. May we suggest parkour?

April 2017

Recipe Details

Chicken Massaman Curry With Wheat Beer and Potatoes Recipe

Active60 mins

Total60 mins

Serves6to 8 servings

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon (15ml)vegetable oil

  • 2 medium red onions(about 3/4 pound), cut pole to pole into 8 wedges each

  • 8 ounces massaman store-bought curry paste (about 1/2 cup; 300g)

  • 1 (12-ounce; 355ml) bottle Belgian-style wheat beer

  • 1 (14-ounce) canunsweetened coconut milk

  • 3/4 cup (175ml)homemade chicken stockor store-bought low-sodium chicken stock

  • 3 tablespoons (45ml) Asian fish sauce

  • 2 1/2 tablespoons (30g) palm or light brown sugar

  • 2 star anisepods

  • 1 cinnamon stick

  • 8 to 10 boneless, skinless chicken thighs (about 3 pounds; 1.5kg), cut into large pieces

  • 1 1/2 pounds (700g) red or Yukon Gold potatoes, cut into large chunks

  • 1/2 cup (75g)roasted unsalted peanuts

  • 3 tablespoons (45ml) fresh juice from about 2 limes, plus lime wedges for garnish

  • Kosher salt, to taste

  • Steamed or boiled rice, for serving

  • 1 cup (30g) lightly packed cilantro leaves and tender stems, for garnish

  • Fried shallots, for garnish (optional)

Directions

  1. In a Dutch oven, heat oil over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened slightly and golden brown in spots, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a plate.

  2. Add curry paste and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Stir in beer and bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cook until reduced by half, about 5 minutes. Add coconut milk, chicken stock, fish sauce, sugar, star anise, cinnamon stick, chicken, and potatoes. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes.

  3. Add onions back to pot and continue simmering, uncovered, until potatoes are tender and chicken is cooked through, 15 to 20 minutes longer. Remove from heat. Discard star anise pods and cinnamon stick. Spoon off any excess fat on the surface, if necessary. Stir in peanuts and lime juice and season to taste with salt, if needed.

  4. Serve with rice, garnishing with cilantro, lime wedges, and fried shallots (if using).

Special Equipment

Dutch oven

Read More

  • Gaeng Massaman Neua (Thai Massaman Curry with Beef)
  • Chicken Massaman Curry (Kaeng Matsaman Kai)
  • Kaeng Kari Kai (Thai Chicken Yellow Curry)
  • A Guide to Thai Curry Pastes
  • A Guide to Thai Curry Varieties
Chicken Massaman Curry With Wheat Beer and Potatoes Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is special about massaman curry? ›

One of the signature characteristics of Massaman Curry is tender fall apart meat. It's most commonly made with beef. Though it will work fine with any slow cooking cut of beef, I find that beef chuck has the ideal amount of fat and fibre texture for this curry.

What is the spice level of massaman curry? ›

However, Thai green curry is slightly hotter than a panang but milder than a red or yellow. Massaman is our mildest Thai curry with a spice rating of 1/5.

How to enhance the taste of chicken curry? ›

Fixing cooked curries and gravies is no less than a challenge, but a simple way to do so is by adding freshly chopped herbs like coriander, basil, fenugreek leaves, spinach, mint leaves. The fresh flavour of these herbs can instantly elevate the taste and texture and give them a health twist.

How to thicken massaman curry? ›

Add one tablespoon of cornflour to two or three tablespoons of cold water and stir. Pour the mixture into the sauce and allow to simmer until the sauce begins to thicken. Which doesn't take very long. Ideal for Indian curries and can be used as a cream substitute (which is also thickens sauces).

What does Massaman mean in English? ›

Because "má·sà·màn" sounded like "maa·som" in Thai, which means "pot", it was adopted as the name of this new dish. name of this dish "massam" derives from an ethnic Khmer word which means "to make." In Old Siam, it was known as "massamaya", meaning "to cook".

What's the difference between curry and massaman curry? ›

Thai red curry uses red curry paste and is commonly made with pork or chicken. The Massaman (muslim) curry was from the south of Thailand near Malaysia and featured beef. The massaman curry uses more indian spices including cumin, coriander powder, cardamom and cinnamon) and is simmered for a longer time.

What is the secret to a good curry? ›

Tips for the Perfect Curry
  • Use fresh spices. For the best results, always try to use fresh spices. ...
  • Give the spices a toast. ...
  • Wrap up your whole spices. ...
  • Blitz your tomatoes. ...
  • Onions are the key. ...
  • Don't overcook your chicken. ...
  • Keep your garlic and ginger fresh. ...
  • Add exciting toppings.

What is the secret ingredient in curry? ›

Whether you may be familiar with the differences between curries from various countries, such as Indian versus Japanese curry, and perhaps even know how to make them at home, there's a special flavor enhancer that you may not have thought to add: honey.

What vegetables go in curry? ›

The curry base is made with onions, tomatoes, ginger, garlic, red chilli powder and garam masala. I prefer to go with potatoes, carrots, peas, green beans, cauliflower, corn and bell peppers. Though you can use other veggies like baby corn, sweet potato and broccoli, the curry will have different flavors.

When to add cream to curry? ›

Puree the ingredients with either an immersion blender or a regular blender. Return to pan and add lemon juice plus salt to taste. Now add your chicken and simmer in the curry on medium-low to medium until the chicken is cooked through. Once cooked through, add the heavy whipping cream, then stir.

How do you reduce the spice in Massaman curry? ›

Adding dairy is an ideal way to dull down the heat in hot spicy food. Try serving spicy curries with a dollop of plain yoghurt or serve that spicy soup with a hearty pour of cream or sour cream. Another method to counteract spiciness in a dish is to add a squeeze of acid such as lime or lemon juice, even vinegar.

What is the king of all curries? ›

Thai dishes have won over the hearts of foodies all over the world. A sentiment that is shared globally and was made official in CNN's readers' poll on the “World's Best Food”, a vote which amounted to a chart of the top 100 most delicious dishes being served across the planet.

Is Massaman or green curry healthier? ›

Like its red and green counterparts, massaman curry gets its creaminess from coconut milk. But this version is made with peanuts and potatoes, so it's often higher in calories. One cup can have more calories than a cheeseburger and fries -- and twice as much fat.

What is the Flavour of Massaman? ›

Flavour Notes:

A rich, sweet and tangy coconut curry infused with cloves, cinnamon and galangal, Massaman is one of Thailand's most loved curries and can be cooked at home with seafood, chicken, beef, lamb, or vegetables.

What is another name for massaman curry? ›

Massaman curry has a very interesting history to it. Also known as Matasaman curry, it is believed that this dish was introduced to Thailand by Persian merchants and soon became an integral part of the Thai Muslim cuisine.

References

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