Made-from-scratch Beef Massaman Curry! This epic Thai coconut curry takes time to make but you’ll be rewarded with a rich, fragrant curry with fall apart meat and beautiful layers of flavours that you can’t buy in a jar.
BONUS: I’ve also included directions for how to make this using store bought Massaman Curry paste, including my tip for the BEST brand to use!
Feeling inspired to make a Thai banquet? Try adding Chicken Satay Skewers, Thai Fish Cakes, Pad See Ew Noodles or Thai Fried Rice to your menu!
Massaman Curry
Peanuts, coconut, aromatic fresh and ground spices, potatoes and fall apart beef. What’s not to love about Massaman Curry? It’s like all my favourite things, simmered in one pot!
And it’s not just me. There’s a reason why Massaman Curry seems to appear as a Chef’s Special at almost every Thai restaurant, along with its lamb shank counterpart. And that it was probably the single most requested recipe when I did a recipe call out.
We’ve embraced Massaman as a firm favourite and it’s totally worthy!
What is Massaman curry?
Massaman Curry is a bit of an outlier in Thai cuisine. It was born from Indian and Malay influences and as a result, the main flavours comes from spices typically associated with Indian curries. Spices such as: cumin, coriander, cloves, nutmeg, cinnamon and cardamom.
Basically, if you take Indian curry spices and do a mash up with aromatics used in Thai curries (garlic, lemongrass, galangal), add coconut and peanuts, you end up with Massaman Curry. So it tastes like a mash up between an Indian curry and Thai Curry.
And we love it!
“It’s not quick and easy, but it’s worth it!”
This recipe was never going to make my quick ‘n easy recipe collection, but every minute is worth it. The freshness of a made-from-scratch massaman curry paste puts store bought to shame.
Yes there are quite a few steps – but it’s not hard and I hope these process photos and the recipe video will give you the confidence that you got this!!!
Best beef for 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.
The cooking method for the beef is quite unique – it’s simmered in a pot with beef broth with lemongrass trimmings and bay leaves until it’s fall apart tender, then the reduced braising liquid and beef are later stirred into the curry.
This cooking method makes Massaman Curry very easy to adapt for almost any protein because basically, you just simmer your chosen meat until it’s super tender.
PS The pieces of beef are quite large – and that’s the way it’s supposed to be. Big, juicy, fall apart pieces of beef. yesssssss!
The aromatics
The curry paste uses fairly common Thai aromatics.
Galangal is a common ingredient used in South East Asian cuisine – it looks like a red ginger but is tougher to cut, and tastes like citrusy/piney ginger. It can be found at everyday supermarkets in Australia (Coles, Woolies, Harris).
In addition to this, there’s dried Asian chillies (Asian store, or use these ones from Harris Farms), ginger, lemongrass and eschalots (the baby onions / French shallots).
The preparation of the Aromatics for Massaman Curry is quite unique, so I’m going to step through some of the key ones.
Dried Chillies – The seeds of chillies is where most of the spiciness is so by removing the seeds, it makes this curry quite mild. Also, dried Asian chillies are typically more mild than dried chillies from other regions (such as Caribbean and Hispanic).
Lemongrass – Typically when lemongrass is called for in a recipe, the reedy outer layers are peeled off and discarded. I like how the trimmings are used to flavour the beef broth in this recipe. Then the softer inside stalk is used in the standard manner – finely chopped then blitzed in the curry paste.
How to make Massaman curry paste
One of the characteristics of Massaman Curry is the signature hint of smokiness. In order to achieve this, the Aromatics are charred in some way – methods vary from using a charcoal grill to cooking in oil, or in a dry skillet which is how I do it in this recipe.
Once charred to infuse the Aromatics with the smokey flavour, the galangal is grated (it’s tough, so that’s the best way to ensure a smooth sauce), the garlic is peeled and the chillies are emptied of the seeds before blitzing in a food processor with toasted spices to make the paste.
Alternative: BEST store bought curry paste
We all have times when we need Massaman Curry but making it from scratch simply isn’t viable for whatever reason.
So I’ve included directions for how to make a really great Massaman Curry using store bought curry paste. Whatever the jar says to do, IGNORE IT! Follow the directions I’ve provided to toast the curry paste and brighten it up with a fresh hit of garlic, ginger and lemongrass paste before adding the coconut milk.
And for the BEST Massaman Curry paste, find the little Maesri cans. Restaurants use it, chefs use it, and I hoard it.
And it happens to be a bargain at ~$1.50 a can.
I use it for all my Thai curries when I don’t have time / ingredients to make the curry paste from scratch – Red, Green and Lamb Shank Massaman Curry.
Where to find Maesri curry paste – at your local grocery store!
It’s sold at most metropolitan Coles and Woolworths grocery stores in Australia (Asian section), at Harris Farms, practically all Asian stores (it would be un-Asian not to carry it!) and here it is online in Australia, US, Canada* and UK.
* Obscenely expensive, please try to get to an Asian store!
Can’t find it?
Use any Massaman Curry paste you can find. Order of preference (Aussie brands) – Ayam, Five Tastes and bringing up the rear is Volcom (it’s always too sweet).
Making the Massaman curry sauce
We’re on the home stretch here with the best part yet to come – EATING IT!
Making the Massaman Curry sauce and bringing it all together is relatively straight forward. Start off by sautéing the curry paste to bring out the flavour, add coconut milk, cinnamon and star anise.
Next, we season the curry sauce with fish sauce (the salty), tamarind (sour) and sugar (sweet). The holy trinity of Asian cooking – the perfect balance of sweet, salty and sour!
Add potatoes (raw) and by the time the potatoes are tender, the sauce should have reduced and thickened. If it thickens too fast, just thin it with water. Then lastly, plonk the beef back in just to heat through.
OMG can you imagine the smell of this, simmering away on the stove?? It’s insane!
And those hunks of beef that just fall apart at a touch…. and those tender potatoes that have sucked up all those amazing flavours….
And that sauce… that sauce!! 😩
It’s simply amazing.
Well, not that simple to make. But it’s so, so worth it! – Nagi x
PS Update: I’ve since shared Lamb Shank Massaman Curry. That too is amazing – with a capital A!
Complete your meal – starters!
On the side
Watch how to make it
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Massaman Curry
Ingredients
Spice Paste:
- 1 lemongrass (Note 1)
- 6 dried red Asian chillis (not Thai! Note 2)
- 4 eschallots , peeled (Note 3)
- 5 cloves garlic , unpeeled
- 3 cm / 2.25″ galangal piece , peeled, cut into 3/4 cm / 1/2″ slices (Note 4)
- 4 – 6 tbsp water
Spice Paste Dried Spices:
- 1/2 tsp ground cloves
- 3/4 tsp cumin
- 1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
- 3/4 tsp coriander
- 1/2 tsp cardamom
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
Beef:
- 700 g / 1.4lb beef chuck , cut into 4cm / 2.5″ cubes (Note 5)
- 500 ml / 2 cups beef broth , low sodium
- 2 bay leaves
Curry Sauce:
- 1/4 cup / 65 ml vegetable oil
- 400 ml / 14 oz coconut milk (full fat, 1 can)
- 1 cinnamon quill
- 1 star anise
- 1 tsp tamarind paste/puree (Note 6)
- 1 tbsp fish sauce
- 1 tbsp white sugar
- 2 medium-small potatoes , peeled and cut into 2.5cm / 1″ pieces
Garnish & serving:
- 3 tbsp peanuts , roughly chopped
- Finely sliced red chilli (optional)
- Asian fried shallots (optional, Note 7)
- Steamed jasmine rice
Instructions
Lemongrass (see video):
- Remove reedy outer layers and trim lemongrass per Note 1.
- Reserve all the trimmings (for beef). Finely chop the white part (for paste.
Beef:
- Place Beef ingredients in a medium saucepan. Liquid should almost cover beef but not completely – if not, add water.
- Add lemongrass trimmings.
- Bring to boil over high heat, then reduce heat and simmer gently for 1.5 – 2 hours until beef is fork tender.
- Remove beef. If there’s much more than 1.5 cups liquid, simmer to reduce. Set liquid aside.
Char Aromatics (char = flavour!):
- Place heavy based skillet over high heat until smoking (no oil).
- Add eschalot, garlic and galangal in skillet. Get a nice char on them, then remove (~1.5 minutes).
- Add dried chillies into skillet, char 10 seconds or so on each side until charred, then remove.
- Once cool enough to handle: Grate galangal. Peel garlic. Break chillies in half, shake out seeds and discard.
Spice Paste Dried Spices:
- Wipe the skillet used above or use a clean one. Heat on medium heat, add Spice Paste Dried Spices. Toast for 30 seconds or until they start to smell fragrant – do not let them burn. Immediately transfer into bowl.
Curry Paste:
- Place chillies in food processor. (Note 8) Blitz until finely chopped.
- Add galangal, finely chopped lemongrass, the toasted Spice Paste Dried Spices, and remaining Spice Paste ingredients, starting with 4 tbsp water. Blitz until smooth – add more water if required.
Curry Sauce:
- Place oil in a pot or large skillet over medium high heat. Add curry paste and cook for 3 minutes until the liquid has cooked out and it’s thick and fragrant.
- Add coconut milk, stir to incorporate.
- Add cinnamon, star anise and reserved beef braising liquid. Reduce heat to medium and simmer for 3 minutes.
- Stir in fish sauce, tamarind and sugar, stir.
- Add potatoes and cook for 7 minutes or until potatoes are tender, turning as required.
- Add beef and simmer for 2 minutes or until sauce has reduced and thickened.
- Adjust: saltiness with fish sauce, sour with tamarind and sweet with sugar. The taste should be sweet, salty and sour, with more emphasis on the sweet and sour notes. Top up with a little water if the curry seems too thick
- Serve over jasmine rice, garnished with peanuts (essential!) plus optional crispy Asian shallots and fresh chillies.
Recipe Notes:
- Follow Beef steps to cook beef and make broth;
- Skip all curry paste making steps;
- Under Curry Sauce steps, use store bought paste instead of homemade PLUS 2 garlic cloves minced, 2 tsp minced ginger plus 1 tbsp lemongrass (paste OR finely grated fresh, white part only).
- Cook it off for 3 minutes per recipe, proceed with recipe as written.
Nutrition Information:
I adore Thai curries!
Proof:
Life of Dozer
His eyes boggle at the sight of a big slab of beef…. OMG OMG….
Made this today as a weekend meal as it did take longer to make, but boy was it worth it!
I only had thai chillies so i used 4… i would say medium heat!
I couldn’t get any lemongrass so had to use paste.
It was beautiful! Will definitely make again!
Thank you!
Made this for dinner on Friday. It was really good! I used beef shin. Thank you for this recipe.
That’s great! So pleased you enjoyed this Serene – N x
Made this recipe a few times now and I absolutely love it!! I even made it in the slow cooker once and it turns out really good as well, and saves the time I spend in the kitchen! Once I had no lemon grass and I used lemon rind and a couple slices of lemon in the broth. Great recipe, so good for the fall and winter months!
Hi Par! Can I ask how you did t no the slow cooker? Thank you!
Hi Nagi
Thank you for your recipes. I have tried several (pork shoulder roast with crispy crackling, biryani, chicken tika, to name a few and they were all DELICIOUS. The one I’m going to try now is your Massaman Curry. My question is what’s in the salad? It looks wonderful. I recognize the cucumbers, tomatoes and of course the lettuce, not sure of the exact lettuce name.
Thank you in advance.
Hello Nagi,
I made this dish for the party at the weekend.. everyone loved it. Very flavorful and loved the aroma of the spices.
Thanks for sharing.
That’s terrific to hear Charlotte! Thanks for letting me know you enjoyed this – N x
Hey there!
Am I missing it in the recipe instructions to fry the dried spices? Cheers!
THANK YOU!!! Updated 🙂 N x
OMG Nagi!! I made this for dinner last night WOW what amazing flavours THANK YOU this recipe is a keeper. Definitely worth the time and effort
Glad to hear you enjoyed this Fish!! Thanks for letting me know 🙂 N x ❤️
Well that was lovely thanks Nagi. I followed slavishly except…
What I thought was a tin of coconut milk in the cupboard was actually coconut cream so I used half of it. No galangal here (UK, didn’t manage to go to Chinese supermarket) and I would say if subbing add the lime zest more towards the end as I put it in the paste and it was lost.
I’m glad you were able to make it work with what you had Kath!! You did exactly what I would have done with the coconut cream 🙂 N x
I made this yesterday for dinner. It was perfect and my husband loved it! I absolutely love curry and make Thai curry often, but using a canned curry paste. This was fun making my own paste. I felt so proud! I did run into a time issue; I forgot that living at a high altitude (5000+) that braising takes longer. (Have got to get that Hot Pot now, and this recipe alone is worth it)! Thank you so much Nagi for taking cooking to the next level!!!
YES YES YES!!! I’m so glad to hear that Raelene, thank you for trying it! The braising time is always a bit of a guide, once when I made it the beef took 30 minutes longer 🙂 I always have plenty of buffer built in for “fall apart meat” recipe times! N x
I made this dish tonight and the flavor was wonderful BUT the heat was almost overwhelming. Next time 3 chilis, not 6! One note, in the description of the beef you say to add the lemongrass, bay leaves, and star anise. But in the ingredients for the beef, there is no mention of the star anise. I used it in both steps without any problems or taste. It was the heat that did us in.
Yikes! What chillies did you use?? It’s really important to use Asian chillies! The Asian dried chillies from Asian stores are not that spicy, it’s more about the flavour they bring to curries 🙂 I’m glad you enjoyed the flavour though! And thanks for picking up the star anise point, it only goes in the curry 🙂 N x
Yep, definitely Asian. I must be getting whimmpy in my old age
I 100% swear to you, we (the RecipeTin family) made this multiple times leading up to publishing it (may 5?) using varying chillies from varying stores, different brands, but all from Asian stores. And none of those times was it spicy!! Did you char the chillies well and knock out all the seeds??? N xx
definitely Asian and charred, broken and seeds removed. Brand name Ot-Kho, a product of Thailand, exported to the US by A S World Trading Ltd., Bangplee, Samutprakarn Thailand. I am sure it is my taste buds and not your recipe.
You mention star anise in the commentary but it doesn’t appear in the ingredient list. Perhaps a typo? Massaman curry is not my favourite but I might be prepared to give this a go although I have not yet seen galangal or dried Thai chilies in the small BC town in which I live. Might have to make a trip 1 1/4 hr up the highway (just like a drive across Sydney from one side to the other) to an Oriental supermarket!
Typo! It’s removed from the post text, the star anise only goes in the curry sauce. Thanks for picking that up Wendy!
Tasty and quick to prepare!. A bit sweet and a bit zesty.
I am guessing this message is on the wrong recipe – NO ONE has ever described Massaman as quick to prepare! 😂
Wow, wow Mother WHAT ARE YOU doing to DOZER?? AS for Food YOU can Cook and I’ll Eat and , and Wait I’ll WASH DISHES,OK.ITS CALLED FAIR TRADE( our Polis WOULD NOT KNOW about IT). BE good.
Fair trade?? There is no fair trade in Dozer’s world, it’s a one way street! 😂
Yummo. It’s different from my recipe but it looks SO good!!
I bet you make a killer curry
Thank you for the recipe and video (which makes me want some now😋) it was my reader’s choice!
I like the idea of simmering the beef seperately in beef broth and doing the other stuff while waiting. Thanks again 😊
The cooking technique is interesting, isn’t it!! Also good because you can really control how tender the beef gets 🙂
Hello Nagi, Thank you as I was one of the many people who requested a Massaman Beef Curry recipe during your recent ‘request a recipe’ post. I have dried numerous Massaman recipes using bought paste and adding aromatics but never have been able to achieve the depth of flavor that you get from Thai restaurant versions.
I never knew that the traditional way of cooking Massaman Beef Curry was to essentially twice cook the beef, boil in stock then heat through in curry sauce! This now make a lot of sense as I often wondered how I could order Massman Beef Curry for take away from my local Thai Restaurant, they would tell me it would be ready in 20 minutes, and on eating it was obvious it had been slow cooked as the meat is melt in your mouth. So a lot of restaurant must pre-boil the meat then heat in the curry sauce with the potato to order!?!?
I normally make Massaman Beef Curry in the slow cooker, but with this twice cook traditional method I don’t think it could be adapted for the slow cooker? I will have to add in to my menu planner for a lazy Sunday when I have plenty of time.
Thanks again Heidi
I’ve tried several times in the past to make a good Massaman using store bought paste and like you, added fresh aromatics but was also dissatisfied 🙂 Cooking the beef in the broth for ages is a key flavour step – the concentrated beef stock is a flavour bomb! For the slow cooker, you could absolutely cook the beef on low for 6 hours, but then you would need to reduce the liquid down to about 1 1/2 cups by boiling rapidly. 🙂 N x
Thank you Nagi, I requested this recipe! It has made my day and I cannot wait to make it! Your recipes are amazing! and your Mum’s. My rice for sushi is made to perfection now and I made the Japanese cheesecake, it was delicious! Other recipes for the Japanese cheesecake look so complicated but your Mum explains it beautifully!
Giving you 5 stars already for the beef massaman recipe as every one of your recipes I have made so far have worked! I’m working my way through them and printing the recipes off. I have 5 folders full of recipes so far! Thank you again!
Honestly it was the single most requested recipe! I couldn’t believe it!!!
Sugar!! And I always thought Massaman curry I have made thousands of times (well, hundreds!) over the last four decades was Malayan Muslim!! OK: looked up and you are naturally right: and I have been thru’ three or four
Royal Thai’ cookery courses in that country !!!!!! OK: ‘horses for courses’ . . . . to me Massaman has always been the driest curry on the block . . . . shall try yours and we agree in this being worth the while to prepare But then I am talking of experts KL south !!!
Hey! I get plenty of things wrong!!! And anyway, regardless of background, I bet you make a KILLER Massaman curry!!!
I love your recipes. They are not only delicious (have made several) but so clearly and simply written and laid out. Thank you.
You’re so welcome Brydee! Glad you’re enjoying them 🙂 N x
What great pics of Dozer relaxing in the sunset, and having a nap.
Story of his LIFE!!!