BROWSE: EASY WEEKNIGHT (NEW BLOG!)

Rasa Malaysia: Easy Delicious Recipes

Rasa Malaysia: Easy Delicious Recipes

You are here:Home  /  Recipes  /  Thai Recipes  /  Beef Massaman Curry

Beef Massaman Curry

59 Comments
Jump To Recipe
Recipe Index

Beef Massaman Curry - crazy delicious Thai beef massaman curry. Learn how to make massaman curry with this easy and fail-proof recipe | rasamalaysia.com

Massaman curry is a rich, relatively mild Thai curry. So easy and delicious, just follow the recipe down below.

Thai mild Massaman curry with beef.

Massaman Curry

Massaman curry is a popular Thai curry that is rich in flavor. It’s made with coconut milk, beef, potatoes and peanuts. It’s often made with beef but you can use chicken.

While you can make the Massaman curry paste from scratch, store-bought curry paste will work just fine. It’s very convenient and delivers amazing authentic flavors.

Massaman Curry with beef, potatoes, peanuts and spices.

What Spices are in Massaman Curry?

There are many spices used in Massaman curry, such as green cardamom seeds, cinnamon sticks, cloves and star anise. The curry paste calls for dried red chilies, garlic, lemongrass, galangal and shrimp paste.

Easy homemade Massaman curry in a rich curry sauce.

This beef Massaman curry recipe does take a bit of time to cook as you want to slowly cook the beef so it becomes tender, soft, and melt in your mouth.

The active time is actually really short, so you can watch TV, read a magazine while waiting for the curry to cook.

Easy Thai beef massaman curry.

How Do You Make Beef Massaman Curry

The method is very easy. For best results, marinate the beef with the curry paste. Next, stir fry the spices before adding the beef. To make the curry sauce, add coconut milk, fish sauce, water, potatoes, peanuts and palm sugar.

The curry is done when the beef becomes tender. Massaman curry is good for you as it is 553 calories. This recipe is from Taste Buddies.

Menu and Meal Ideas

Other Recipes You Might Like

SUBSCRIBE AND GET NEW RECIPES

Print
Rating

Beef Massaman Recipe

Beef Massaman Curry - crazy delicious Thai beef massaman curry. Learn how to make massaman curry with this easy and fail-proof recipe.

Course Main Course
Cuisine Thai
Keyword Beef Massaman Curry
Prep Time
Cook Time
Total Time
Servings 4
Calories 553 kcal
Author

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 pounds cubed chuck beef or stewing beef
  • 3 tablespoons Massaman curry paste
  • 10 green cardamom seeds
  • 2 cinnamon sticks
  • 3 star anise
  • 8 small shallot onions peeled
  • 2 small cans 5.6 fl oz coconut milk
  • 1 cup water
  • 2 1/2 tablespoons fish sauce or to taste
  • 1 medium-sized potato peeled and cut into chunks
  • 1/2 tablespoon tamarind paste
  • 2 tablespoons palm sugar or brown sugar
  • 4 tablespoons unsalted roasted peanuts
  • 2 tablespoons cooking oil
  • A handful of fresh Thai basil leaves

Instructions

  1. Coat beef in 1 tablespoon of oil and massaman curry paste. Stir well and set aside.
  2. In a large pot, heat remaining oil over medium heat. Stir-fry the cardamom, cinnamon and star anise for 40 seconds. Add the whole shallots and fry until golden brown.
  3. Add the beef and brown for 1-2 minutes. Stir to mix well with the spices.
  4. Add 1 can of coconut milk, 2 tbsp of fish sauce and 1/2 to 1 cup of water until the beef is just covered by the liquid. Stir well and then bring to the boil. Once boiling, turn heat down very low and cover. Gently simmer for 1 hour.
  5. Add the remaining can of coconut milk, potatoes, peanuts and half the basil leaves. Stir well. Taste and add a little more fish sauce if necessary.
  6. Turn heat up to medium-low and cover. Cook for another 30 minutes or until potatoes are tender.
  7. Once the potatoes are cooked, remove the curry from the heat. Stir in the palm sugar, tamarind juice and remaining basil. Stir well and serve the curry with steamed rice.
Nutrition Facts
Beef Massaman Recipe
Amount Per Serving (4 g)
Calories 553 Calories from Fat 387
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 43g 66%
Saturated Fat 22.6g 113%
Cholesterol 64mg 21%
Sodium 1187mg 49%
Total Carbohydrates 22.6g 8%
Dietary Fiber 4.5g 18%
Sugars 8.3g
Protein 21.8g 44%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Latest Recipes:

If you try my recipe, please use hashtag #rasamalaysia on social media so I can see your creations! Follow me on Facebook | Instagram | Pinterest | Twitter for new recipes, giveaways and more.

IMPORTANT:

All photos and recipes on Rasa Malaysia are copyright protected. Please do not use the photos and recipes without prior written permission. If you wish to republish this recipe, please rewrite the recipe in your own words instead of copy and paste and link back to //rasamalaysia.com/beef-massaman-curry-recipe/. Thank you very much!

Pin16K
Share400
Tweet
16K Shares
JOIN RASA MALAYSIA INSIDERS ON FACEBOOK

59 COMMENTS... read them below or add one

  2. Oh, this sounds so wonderful. I took cooking classes in Pattaya while on vacation a few years ago. And I just planted a Kaffir Lime tree on Wednesday. I am looking forward to more Thai cooking. Thanks for this Massaman recipe!
    Lori Lynn

    Reply

  3. I seldom cook curry but I am attracted by your recipe, which uses roasted peanuts and fish sauce.I love roasted peanuts so I will find a chance to try this Thai cuisine!

    But why do we add coconut milk in two times?

    Reply

  6. I love masamman curry because I am Malaysian. All the other Thai curries such as red curry, yellow curry and green curry are all too rich and sweet for my taste. Masamman curry is closer to the curries in Malaysia but we don’t use fish salt to flavour curry.

    Nice post!

    Reply

  7. I love the pinkish beef in the first photo, looks so tender and yummy. Never tried masamman curry before, will have to order it the next time when I go to Thai restaurants.

    Reply

  8. Hi everyone, thanks for your comments and glad you like the recipe.

    Limpepsi, in response to your question as to why I had the coconut milk twice…this is because the first time I add it, it just covers the meat. As it boils down, it becomes more and more concentrated and this results in the beef absorbing the intense flavours.

    The second batch of coconut milk is added to dilute the concentrated liquid. This is the stage when the potatoes, peanuts and basil are added. Hope this helps.

    Cheers, Syrie

    Reply

  9. My husband made this tonight and it is excellent. My mouth was watering while it was cooking. It is definitely a keeper. Thank you!

    Reply

  10. Ohhh looks amazing Syrie. This is one of my all time favourite curries (indian, thai or otherwise). Your version looks fantastic.

    Reply

  11. Thai curries are so wonderfully deep in flavor but at the same time have a vibrant fresh note…that’s why I love them! :) I have a bunch of these curry pastes in my pantry…I should pull out the massaman one already and use it for this!

    Reply

  12. I always love potatoes in my curries, they are always so nice. Thanks for the massaman recipe, will have to get the instant curry paste to try it out.

    Reply

  13. Your picture’s are great!

    This recipe is almost exactly like what my grandmother, who is of Indian/Hyderabadi descent. makes. I think the differences is the addition of basil leaves and peanuts, which of course make the recipe distinctly Thai, but this is a very common dish amongst Muslims in India/Pakistan as well. The proper name escapes me, but I just call it aloo-gosht, which literally translates to potato meat.

    Reply

  14. hehe, I’ve done exactly the same during last week-end. I love this curry, spicy but not too much. Great photo, as always! cheers

    Reply

  15. Your blog is super. So are your photographies. They make me hungry. I have spent a nice moment when seeing them. Thanks a lot.

    Reply

  18. I know I am late, but I want to share what I know in this coconut milk topic! In Indonesia we also add coconut milk twice to the dish. The reason is because coconut milk, esp. the thick one, will “break” (the fat/oil is separated from the water) if you heat it too long. So at the beginning we add thin coconut milk to stew the meat, and at the end we add thick milk to give a rich broth. Hope this helps!

    Reply

  19. The best massaman curry I’ve ever cooked! Thank you very much for sharing the recipe! I’ll surely cook this again.

    Reply

    • Nurul i used the Valcom brand thai style massaman curry paste available from Coles or Woolwoths and that seem to work fine.

      Reply

  23. mmmm half way through making this and smells devine….lokking forward to eating this tonight…Thanks so much for your yummy recipes and great photos

    Reply

  24. I have been wanting to make this for a long time but I have one reservation. Since the whole spices are never taken out how do you eat it in the end? The star anise and cinnamon sticks are large enough so that you can avoid them, but doesn’t biting into whole cardamon pods taste kind of bitter? Am I missing something?

    Reply

  25. We usually buy take away from our local Thai Restaurant in Bundy. I always order their Massaman. Just love it to death. I cooked some lamb in a slow cooker yesterday and thought I might try make a Lamb Massaman. Found this recipe, looks like what I usually order so wish me luck. Just off to the asian grocer for a couple of the ingredients. Hope he has the Massaman paste. Will make do if he doesn’t. Keep you posted. Cheers. Love chicken Tikka Masala too will have to try that next. Yummo.

    Reply

  26. Long time lurker, first time poster! I’d like to make this for 8 people but I’m unsure whether I should double the spices. Would they become too overpowering if I did so?

    Reply

  27. Great Massamn curry and very easy to make. It takes a bit of time but the end result is well worth the effort. One suggestion – watch the amount of liquid added, as I used less than the recipe specified to avoid the curry sauce becoming too thin.

    Reply

  29. Hi Bee, I would like to thank you another fantastic recipe. I love beef massaman and was very interested in trying your version. I have to say it was fantastic. Loved every mouthfull. I will be following your site more often if this and the last recipe I tried are that good cant wait to try your others. Keep up the good work and most importantly willing to share it with the world thanks. Your new fan.

    Reply

  30. I’ve made this a zillion times, super recipe! Quick question, it’s been ages since I’ve made this, should I take 10 cardamon pods and use the seeds from those 10 pods, or is it just ten of the little black seeds that come from the pod?
    Can’t recall!
    LOL – please hurry, making this tonight! :)
    Thanks!

    Reply

  31. I researched many massaman curry recipes but decided to use this one because the picture looked so vibrant and yummy,,

    Just cooked this for dinner and was so happy with the result.. Everyone said that it tasted better than the ones served in restaurants in the Philippines. I must say I used fresh coconut cream and milk because of its abundance in our country.. I also blitzed the shallots, cardamom and cinnamon which I heated in the oil…… Thank you so much for this wonderful recipe… Till I try the next one….

    Reply

  33. I’ve eaten a “Mussulman curry” at my favorite thai restaurant – it was superb. I’d love to cook it. Don’t think I can find any Mussaman Curry Paste where I live, so can you speculate on what’s in it, so I can try to make the curry paste myself?

    Reply

  34. Hi Bee,
    Hope you’re well. Can I please ask if it’s possible to substitute the following ingredients :
    Blade beef instead of chuck beef
    Tamarind puree instead of tamarind paste
    Beef stock instead of water
    Also may I please ask why do you put basil? I’m planning to cook this dish this evening and looking forward to hearing from you soon.
    Many thanks & kind regards,
    Orn

    Reply

  35. Hello. This recipe looks wonderful, and I would like to make it this week. I was wondering if you think it would be okay to substitute yams, or sweet potatoes for the white potatoes? Thanks in advance for your advice.

    Reply

  36. I cooked this dish over two evenings. After simmering the beef for an hour I left it to marinate over night. The following evening I brought the curry to temperature and added the potatoes and coconut milk and basil to simmer and cook for 30 mins. I didn’t need to add the palm sugar or anything else- the flavour was so rich and gorgeous, the consistency thicker than Thai curries- meat so tender- it was really lovely, big favourite. Highly recommended, great recipe.

    Reply

  38. “Made this and as usual Rasa Malaysia recipes do not disappoint. It was a hit!” Verbatim, my husband said… “That was so good!” I would only use 1 cinnamon stick next time though. Furthermore,I have to confess I did not follow the recipe entirely (never be afraid of substituting for similar ingredients), as I did not have everything on hand. I had a nice 1 lb top sirloin thawed but wasn’t sure what I wanted to do with it until I came across this dish. I love dishes that stretch out protein, making an economical meal. My substitutions were as follows (there were a lot): I used three new medium sized potatoes (1 per person); a combo of basil and bayleaf for the Thai basil; ½ a lime with an additional 1/2 tsp of sugar for the tamarind; 1 cup of water with powder coconut milk for the 2 X5.6 oz. coconut milk; 3 cloves of garlic minced; 1 inch of sliced ginger; and lastly I used coconut sugar to replace the brown sugar. Can’t wait to try it according to the recipe next time. I am sure it will be great, as I have found with all the recipes I have tested from this site, so far.

    Reply

      • Marni, looks like you might need to start your own fb page.
        Rasa I’m trying your recipe tonight. Love the tip regarding the 2 cans of coconut milk. My other tries at making Massaman curry are that they are a tad dry.

        Reply

  39. can you comment on what brands of Muss. curry paste are the best to buy?
    I don’t want to miss out or use something second rate.
    Also I need to stay away from MSG

    Reply

  40. Quite a few people asking for curry pastes.
    Whilst I cannot help those not in Sydney, for the rest of you, go to Paddys Market and up to the First Floor.
    Inside is an IGA store which carries Asian Groceries.
    As soon as you walk in, the Thai section will be staring you in the face (signs showing different countries) at each section entrance.
    On the left hand side, first section you will find Authentic Thai Pastes for around $1.00 each which are imported from Thailand.
    Tried them all and had a little play as well.
    Can highly recommend the Green as being the best blend Ive ever eaten. Very warm.
    Massaman really good as well, but Im still messing with a few things and this great recipe could be my answer to what I seek.
    One more tip for you which is out of left field.
    Try baking these curries in the oven, 190 degree’s for around 75 minutes plus extra if beef and see how those flavors intensify.
    In a rush one day, couldn’t hang around so dumped it in and baked.
    Love your recipes and thanks for taking the time to post them up Bee.

    Reply

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *