Massaman Curry | แกงมัสมั่น |Kaeng Matsaman

Massaman curry is a walk-in-the-park to prepare. This Super easy delicious 1-Pot dish is done in less than 30 minutes.

Trust me. You will never need to google - Thai curry near me – again in order to eat one of your favourite restaurant dishes.

In this recipe for Massaman curry, we will use Shrimps or Prawns. Same-Same but different). 

Traditionally, beef is used but, we want this recipe to be QUICK, TASTY, EASY, and low risk.

Beef takes ages to cook and can sometimes disappoint when the quality is not there.

The other great news is you can skip the whole make your own curry paste step and just buy a good store brand. Mae ploy brand being the most popular.

For best results make a big batch of Massaman curry paste when you feeling inspired and freeze it in small batches for when you need it.

I included the recipe and steps for my authentic Massaman curry paste recipe below. You deserve to know how to make the real deal. The taste will blow your mind!

I am fortunate enough to have worked with chefs from top Thai restaurants and lucky enough to have gained their knowledge and secrets about making great Thai food. 

What is it

It's a rich mild Thai coconut curry made with a variety of spices traditionally found in Indian cuisine.

Of all the Thai curries. Massaman curry is the most disputed when it comes to its origin. Some claim it to be of 17th-century Persian descent, while others claim it to be a hybrid Southern Thai dish influenced by Indian and Malay cuisines.

What they all agree on though, is that this curry is incredibly delicious. 

Massaman curry consists of marrying distinct Thai ingredients like lemongrass, galangal, ginger, coconut milk and lime leaf with spices not normally found in Thai cuisine. 

Spices might include coriander, cumin, aniseed, cloves, turmeric, cinnamon, nutmeg and cardamom. Like with all curry spice blends, there are variations of on the combination and quantities used. 

Ingredients required

• Protein– Use whichever you like. In this recipe we use Prawns. They cook quickly, are easily available and light and healthy especially if you have this in the evening. If you prefer vegan or vegetarian I have included the steps for that down in the article.
• Vegetables – All curries start with chopped onion or shallot. We also use potatoes and butternut squash in this recipe. They are available year-round, cheap and flavourful and the butternut gives good colour while the potatoes ads texture to most curries respectively. 
• Coconut milk – Use the best quality you can afford. Something creamy with good fat content. I used Arroy-D for this recipe which is a medium level brand but it is stable and does the job nicely while not breaking the bank.
• Curry paste – Making your own is always best which is why I lovingly included the recipe for you. If you in a rush or feeling a bit lazy the best store-bought alternative is Mae ploy brand.
• Fish sauce/ Soy sauce – Any good Thai or Vietnamese fish sauce brand will do. I make my own and if you are interested in fermentation then contact me on Instagram and I’ll be happy to explain the process of easily making homemade fish sauce or soy/shoyu. Use soy instead of fish sauce in case of wanting it vegan/vegetarian.
• Sugar – Palm sugar is obviously what is used traditionally but regular or brown sugar will work just fine. If you are following a low sugar diet then use your usual alternative by adding to taste.
• Herbs – Fresh coriander is the only thing you need here. If you forage then wild ginger is also pretty nice added last minute.
• Nuts – Peanuts are the go-to here but you could also use cashews. Exclude if you have a nut allergy. Please.
• Acid – Fresh lime although if you really can’t get hold of limes, go for lemon. 
• Aromatics –  The usual Thai suspects. Galangal, ginger, garlic, lemongrass, lime leaf. Most of these are readily available and sometimes are even sold in a nice and convenient pack together with chillies and coriander.

Pro tip

Thai food is all about balancing sweet, sour, spicy and bitter. 

When you understand how to balance these your cooking skills will dramatically increase. Even with more mainstream cuisines like with this Italian burst tomato pasta.

How to make the curry paste

Spices and aromatics used for the paste

I use a mortar and pestle for this paste but a Nutri-Bullet blender works perfectly and much faster too.

Always buy the best quality spices and raw ingredients you can find and afford when making your own curry pastes. It shows in the results.

How to make the curry

All the ingredients needed to make Massaman curry are pretty straight forward even though it all looks a lot it's very simple to prepare.

Cooking this curry mainly relies on your ability to taste and make sure everything is cooked and nicely balanced. A very simple task indeed.

Make this recipe vegan

The process of making Massaman vegan is very straight forward and most of you would probably manage without my help. If you wondered how to do it then follow the following two easy steps.

• Replace the prawns with more vegetables or add in some broccoli, bok choy, or sweet potato.
• Replace the fish sauce with soy sauce. 

The rest stay exactly the same. It’s that easy!

Variations

This curry is extremely versatile and you can substitute any part of the protein/carbs and replace it with some other food items you love. For example:

• Chicken -  Replace the prawns with chicken thigh or fillet and cook a touch longer. 
• Beef - The classic variant. Stew the beef beforehand until very tender. Add to the curry sauce the same as you would add the shrimps to this recipe.
• Vegetables - We touched upon it before but, you could add any vegetable here. Think aubergine, carrot, cauliflower, cabbage, and peppers. 
• Quicker version - For an even quicker version add a good quality pre-cooked frozen mix. There is nothing wrong with that when you are in a hurry or just got home after 18 hours slaving. 
• Tofu - Prepare your tofu by frying in a pan or roasting in the oven. Add last-minute when your sauce is ready. 

Serving suggestions

Massaman curry is best served with some steamed rice. You could also serve it with some extra greens like broccoli, bok choy or spinach.

Other Asian dishes you might like

• Quick and Easy Duck and Kale Stir Fry
• Coconut chicken curry
• Thai spiced roasted cashews
• Homemade Sriracha hot sauce
• Filipino Beef Adobo

Frequently asked questions

Useful equipment for this recipe

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Prawn Massaman Curry

Massaman curry is a mild rich and creamy Thai curry with warming spices and aromatics. This recipe for Massaman curry takes less than 30 minutes to cook.

June 1, 2020

by Charlé Visser

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Rate this recipe

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22 ratings

Persons

4

Serving Size

250g

Prep Time

8 minutes

Cook Time

20 minutes

Total Time

28 minutes

Ingredients

For the Massaman curry paste

• 90g fresh red chillies(or 20g dried)
• 2g coriander seeds
• 2g aniseed or star anise
• 2g cloves
• 2g cumin seeds
• 1g cardamom(seeds from 6 pods)
• 2g turmeric powder
• 50g chopped shallot or onion
• 20g garlic (chopped)
• 20g galangal (chopped)
• 1 lemongrass stick(peeled and chopped)
• 10g coriander root (washed and chopped)
• 4g salt

For the Massaman curry

• 142g cleaned prawns or shrimp
• 75g finely chopped onion
• 15g minced ginger
• 10g minced garlic
• 60g Massaman curry paste(this homemade version or store-bought
• 400g coconut milk
• 50g water to rinse out the tin making sure you get all the coconut flavour
• 25g fish sauce or soy sauce
• 8g brown sugar
• 3 large lime leaves
• 100g peeled baby potatoes
• 120g peeled butternut squash
• 16g chopped fresh coriander
• 16g roasted unsalted peanuts
• 6g lime juice
• salt to taste

To Finish

• more roasted peanuts
• more fresh coriander
• a few fresh lime wedges

Instructions

For the Massaman curry paste

1. Roast all the spices together in a dry pan until fragrant apart from the turmeric powder.
2. when cooled down blitz in a spice grinder or grind in a pestle and mortar till fine powder.
3. Next, blend all the rest of the ingredients together in a mixer or pestle and mortar until a paste has formed.
4. Store in an air-tight container or use immediately.

For the Massaman curry

1. Heat a pan with a generous amount of frying or coconut oil.
2. Fry the chopped onions until translucent and soft.
3. Add the curry paste, minced ginger, and minced garlic and fry until cooked and fragrant. About 5 minutes.
4. Next add the coconut milk, water, fish sauce, sugar, lime leaves, roasted peanuts and potatoes.
5. Simmer gently for 5 minutes and add the butternut. Cook a further 10 minutes or until the potatoes and butternut are both cooked.
6. Add the chopped coriander
7. Finally, add the prawns and simmer till just cooked. About a minute. Add lime juice and adjust the seasoning if necessary.
8. Serve with steamed rice and finish with more fresh coriander, peanuts and a few lime wedges.

Notes

** Massaman curry can be made with any other protein or vegetable.
** Curry is best served with steamed rice
** For some extra green vegetables serve with Bok Choi on the side or add to the curry last minute.

Nutrition Facts

Prawn Massaman Curry

Serves: 4 portions

Amount Per Serving: 250g
Calories		366.9 kcal
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 28.86 g		44.4%
	Saturated Fat 23.13 g	115.7%
	Trans Fat 0.01 g
Cholesterol 46.11 mg		15.4%
Sodium 790.74 mg		32.9%
Total Carbohydrate 22.29 g		7.4%
	Dietary Fiber 3.98 g	15.9%
	Sugars 5.15 g
Protein 10.77 g

Vitamin A 22.97 %		Vitamin C 20.98 %
Calcium 9.51 %		Iron 30.07 %

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

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