Massaman Curry

By Naz Deravian

Updated Jan. 10, 2024

Massaman Curry
Christopher Testani for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.
Total Time
1 hour
Prep Time
10 minutes
Cook Time
50 minutes
Rating
4(335)
Notes
Read community notes

Thicker than other Thai curries, massaman curry is rich with coconut milk, peanuts and warm seasonings like red curry paste, cardamom, coriander, cumin and cinnamon —  flavors that reflect the dish’s Central and South Asian influences. You can buy premade massaman curry paste at Thai markets and online, but it’s easy to make from scratch, starting with store-bought red curry paste and adding toasted and ground spices. (Don’t shake the can of coconut milk before opening, so you can use the thick cream on top to fry the curry paste.) This version calls for boneless chicken thighs, but feel free to substitute beef, shrimp or tofu as you wish. Finally, it’s important to make sure the flavors — salty (fish sauce), sweet (sugar) and sour (tamarind)  — are balanced, so towards the end of cooking, taste and tweak as needed. Serve alongside a pile of fluffy jasmine rice.

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Ingredients

Yield:6 servings

    For the Massaman Curry Paste

    • 2whole green cardamom pods
    • 1teaspoon coriander seeds
    • 1teaspoon cumin seeds
    • 1(1-inch) cinnamon piece
    • 4whole cloves
    • ⅛teaspoon ground nutmeg
    • 4 to 6tablespoons Thai red curry paste, to heat preference

    For the Curry

    • 2(14-ounce) cans full-fat coconut milk (do not shake)
    • 2large shallots, thinly sliced in rounds
    • 1pound Yukon gold potatoes (about 2 potatoes), peeled or unpeeled, cut into 1-inch cubes
    • 1½ to 2pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1-inch pieces
    • ¼cup dry-roasted, unsalted peanuts, plus more for serving
    • 2tablespoons fish sauce, plus more as needed
    • 2teaspoons granulated, light brown or palm sugar, plus more as needed
    • 2teaspoons Thai tamarind concentrate, or lime juice, plus more as needed
    • Cilantro leaves, for serving
    • Steamed jasmine rice, for serving
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)

596 calories; 38 grams fat; 27 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 5 grams monounsaturated fat; 3 grams polyunsaturated fat; 34 grams carbohydrates; 4 grams dietary fiber; 4 grams sugars; 34 grams protein; 693 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Prepare the curry paste: Heat a small pan over medium heat. Add the cardamom pods, coriander, cumin, cinnamon and cloves. Swirl the pan around, or toss the spices with a wooden spoon, and gently toast until fragrant, about 1 minute, taking care not to burn the spices. Transfer to a small bowl to cool, then place in a spice grinder or a mortar and pestle. Grind to a fine powder, then return to the bowl. Stir in the ground nutmeg and red curry paste.

  2. Step 2

    Heat a large (about 5½-quart) Dutch oven or pot over medium-high. Scoop 4 tablespoons of the thick cream off the top of a can of coconut milk and add it to the pot; it will sizzle as soon as it hits the hot surface. Stir for a few seconds, then add the curry paste and continuously stir until the mixture becomes a thick paste and the oil starts to separate, about 3 minutes. If it starts sticking, pour in a splash of coconut milk. Stir in the shallots, and cook until slightly softened, about 2 minutes.

  3. Step 3

    Pour in the rest of the coconut milk from both cans and bring to a boil. Stir frequently to make sure nothing sticks to the bottom of the pot, maintaining a lively boil, until slightly reduced and a bit thickened, about 10 minutes.

  4. Step 4

    Reduce heat to medium and stir in the potatoes. Bring to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until the potatoes are slightly softened at the edges, about 10 minutes. Add the chicken, peanuts, fish sauce, sugar and tamarind. Cook at a lively simmer, stirring frequently, until the potatoes and chicken are cooked through, the curry coats the back of a spoon, and all the flavors come to life, about 15 minutes. Taste and season to get the right balance of salt (fish sauce), sweet (sugar) and sour (tamarind).

  5. Step 5

    Remove from the heat and let stand for a couple minutes, until the bright orange oil rises to the top. Serve with cilantro and peanuts, alongside steamed jasmine rice.

Ratings

4 out of 5
335 user ratings
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Cooking Notes

Hope

Maseri brand massaman curry paste is great. An easy way to get classic massaman flavor.

Bill Hooson

Our favorite Thai restaurant, Surin of Thailand, in Atlanta, does not use potatoes or peanuts. Instead they add sliced avocado and cashews. One of my favorite comfort foods.

Patrice from Bellingham

This recipe is so underrated - one of the best I've ever made from NYT! My husband and I loved the complexity of flavors. It's a keeper and one that I will cook many times. Maybe the reason it is underrated is that it is hard to read as written. I reformatted it to one page and, next time I cook it, it will take far less time.

Pat B

Great flavors, but be careful of which curry paste you use. I have used Thai Kitchen red curry paste for years, but it has become less and less hot (apparently being reconstituted for American tastes). I used it recently in another dish and used a whole jar and it was barely spicy. Got a new brand of curry paste - Mekhala - recently and it was like the old Thai Kitchen level of heat. I used 3 tbl. and it was too hot. Had to add more coconut milk to offset.

Ron

I can get pre made Massaman curry paste. I'd think the quantity for red paste here could be used, but at the upper end of the range if not adding the extra spices. Perhaps 6 or 7 spoons rather than 4 to 6. Massaman curry is not especially spicy, but replete with sweeter spices.

James

Agree, the Maseri brand is the benchmark for store-bought curry pastes. Add some pineapple juice at the end for a lovely tropical kick. Slow cooked brisket is another great meat to use in a massaman.

kimmie in the kitchen

We’ve been searching for a good massaman curry recipe and finally found it here! Delicious! We subbed tofu for chicken and it worked out great.

Diane

Since I lost my old recipe for massaman beef I tried this one. It was good and we enjoyed it but I had to do too many substitutions to make comments on how it was in general. I did like the spices and I’m sure the leftovers will be even better. The premade curry is always a problem (other’s comments) but that’s why I liked my old recipe where you made it all with no canned red curry. Still yummy though.

Thomas

I substituted chicken for 800 grams of firm tofu, besides that followed the steps. Made it for friends who came to eat with us, and everyone loved it. Great recipe. (PS. I used ground cinnamon, cardemom, cloves and cumin. Only my coriander seeds were whole. Still turned out great.)

red curry level

4 tablespoons was plenty hot, too hot for Barbara

Emily

I made extra spice mix, for next time! xo

cooking instructions

Masseur brand paste

Tim

Made this last night, with a chicken thigh and tofu versions. I made it all in one pot until the time I needed to add the chicken, at which point I placed some of the curry/potato mix into another saucepan. I added the tofu, which I'd previously baked for some texture, 5 minutes prior to the chicken finishing. I used Kroger Private Selection red curry paste, and 3 tbsp was pretty spicy. I'll use 2 tbsp next time. Everyone loved it. May add some peas for color and taste next time!

Darwin R.

added two tablespoons of peanut butter to the fish sauce and sugar slurry. Punches up the nutty flavor.

Lawrence Mccabe

Parboil potatoes in water covered by plate for four minutes. Two red peppers in with potatoes

Lawrence Mccabe

Parboil potatoes in microwave in blow with water covered with plate.

Jackson condrey

Do you just add the cut chicken pieces raw to the curry/coconut milk mixture?

Michael

Yep. The simmering broth cooks it up nicely

Ray

The red curry paste I got was way too hot for this recipe so I would probably reduce it to one or 2 tablespoons, and then add more if necessary.

Nancy

Loved it. We added broccoli florets after the potatoes and before the chicken. It was really yummy. Thanks NYT!

Joanne

We loved this made with chicken. Has anyone substituted veggies and/or tofu to make this vegan? Details, please. Thanks!

Lisa Portland,OR

Followed the recipe as written and it was a big hit with the crowd. I did add a handful of green beans that I had on hand during the last 10n minutes of cooking. Will definitely make it again!

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