Kaeng Massaman

I am loving me some Surat weekend. I spent my last perusing the market scene. I picked up a few odds and ends of ingredients that I felt may be valuable in my kitchen in the upcoming weeks and months.  I didn't find exactly all I wanted; a start nonetheless. It's a but a start to many great moments. Are you ready for this? ..My first cooking experience in my very own Thai kitchen. For those of you that know me, it's an exciting event. I invited my Thai friend, Chanphen over for the festivity.

I have been cleaning all the posts, pans, floors, counters, and more. I will spare you the unpleasant details. What's important is that this step got me to the ultimate goal - massaman curry at my table. I am going to guess many of you haven't had the chance to taste this Southern Thai curry (arguably it may have originated in the country's first capital near Bangkok, the city of Ayutthaya). Either way it is an amazing dish, commonly made with beef. However, it is also made with chicken, fish, duck or tofu. Traditionally it isn't made with pork, due to Muslim origins.

Lets curry things up a bit, shall we?

My Thai Massaman ingredient expenses
1 medium size carton - 23 baht
 8 pc. chicken or other protein - 40 baht
1/4 c fresh massaman curry paste - ~13 baht
1 potato - 10 baht/potato
1 large yellow onion - 10 baht 
1 4 pkg of fresh palm sugar 5 baht/~4 ounces (I only used 1/4 of the pkg) 
1 tamarind clump - 5 baht
 fish sauce (pre-bought)
sea salt (pre-bought)
1 toasted loaf of bread (optional) - 17 baht
1 small package of roasted peanuts - 10 baht (I used half)

Total cost: ~130 baht or $4.30, for 4-5 servings. This works out to be less than $1 per meal.  Also, I had several ingredients left over, of which I plan to make other curries and such.

 Fresh chicken, purchase the morning of food preparation. The chicken sold by weight and packed in plastic with ice.  After being brought home, I washed the chicken under cool water (I only have one temperature).

 

Soaking tamarind piece in water. The legume is soaked just long enough so that the pulpy flesh dissolves into the water.  Discard the fibrous remnants, as the juice is what's used.  Tamarind juice offers a great taste to the curry, at it is both sweet and tangy. It may look unpleasant but if you ever have the chance to try it, please do. It is a popular flavor for candies, desserts, and dishes all over the world. Tamarind isn't native to SE Asia.

 Ingredients pictured include: salt, unsalted roasted peanuts, palm sugar (white solid in the bag), bean paste (in the plastic bag), massaman curry spices (the red-brown liquid contents in the plastic bag), coconut milk, and fish sauce.

 First heat the coconut milk over the stove top. Most Thai kitchens have gas stoves, if any stove at all. As it start to simmer, add the curry spice.

 As the pot continues to a rolling boil, add the chicken and chunks of potato. Add 1 oz of sugar (taste to your liking), a dash of salt, tamarind juice, and the quartered medium-sized onion.  Cook until potato is tender. Add the peanuts at the very end.

 So my first cooking experience. A big success. I owe Chanphen a huge thanks, as she assisted me in the kitchen. I have had so many great Thai dishes, but this one ranks high.  I know that I will be bringing this recipe back with me.  The flavor was something I have never experience.  The great part about this dish is that you can be experimental with it.  I choose to make mine spicy, slightly tangy, creamy, and a little sweet.  The flavor is so satisfying and the roasted peanuts were a nice touch. Honestly, if I had this as left overs for a week, I'd be a pretty satisfied gal.

I am going to go ahead and add the recipe on here, though I am going to warn you, I eyeballed nearly everything. You can always message me with questions.

Thai Massaman Curry Recipe

Yield: 4-5 servings

1 12-16 oz carton of coconut milk or bag purchases in the market

1/4 C Thai Massaman curry paste* (more of a sauce than a paste), adjust the heat to your liking

10 oz chicken or other protein of choice (beef, tofu, duck, etc)

1 large potato, cut into chunks

1 large yellow onion, cut into chunks

.5-1 oz palm sugar

1 dash sea salt

2 tsp fish sauce

3 ounces tamarind juice or adjust to your liking OR add 3-4 oz water to a tamarind pod to make your own juice. See picture above.

.5-1 oz bean paste

3 ounces roasted peanuts, unsalted

1 small loaf of toasted bread for dipping, optional 

(this dish may also be served with rice)

*Thai Massaman curry paste typically contains: cardamon, cinnamon, cloves, coriander, cumin, whole dried chilies, galangal, garlic (roasted), lemongrass (roasted), peppercorns, salt, shallots, shrimp paste, mace, nutmeg.  The paste is made through a series of steps, roasting and grinding the spices and herbs.  The paste typically keeps for one month if stored properly.

Directions

Separate the solid and liquid coconut milk contents.  Save the solid (top part for later). Heat the liquid-watery coconut milk over medium heat. As the pot begins to simmer, add the curry paste. Stir often. As the curry heats through add the protein, stir occasionally.  Add the potato, cook 5-10 minutes. Then add the sugar, salt, tamarind juice, bean paste, fish/soy sauce. Allow the pot to cook until the potato is tender.  Add the peanuts once the potato is done. 

The dish may be served with toasted bread or rice. The meal can be kept in the fridge for several days.  You will notice that it may taste better on day two, as the flavors fuse into entire dish.

Variations and Ideas

You can buy curry pastes in many Asian food stores or grocers. An alternative to using coconut milk, and still getting the creamy flavor is either strained plain/Greek yogurt or soy milk. This would offer less calories and saturated fat.  If I made this again I would avoid adding the salt, as is already salt in the curry paste and fish sauce.  An alternative or vegetarian option to fish sauce is soy sauce.  

I choose to make the authentic Thai curry with the help of a native Thai so that I could have a good baseline to run from. After making it I think I have gained lots of creative ideas.  For one, the next time I make this dish I think I will add more vegetables and cut the potato in to smaller pieces (perhaps add carrots/sweet potato).  As far as protein, I may try this with lean beef or chicken, or tofu. I would also try the final dish with some toasted whole grain bread, something that is rare to find in this white bread region. I am certain that this dish could be adapted to the crockpot as well, guaranteed to make your kitchen smell delicious.