Massaman Curry is one of the more unique Thai curries. With a strong Persian cooking influence and both Thai and Indian spices and ingredients. This curry is said to have originated from the Thai and Malaysian border. The flavour profile hence is much deeper, with smoky hints due to the dry roasted ingredients. The use of cardamom and nutmeg ensures a taste much closer home to Indian curries. Unlike the red and green curries, this uses slightly fewer aromatics. But instead, the palatable nutty flavour makes it ideal for proteins like chicken and lamb. I did cook it off with a medley of vegetables though, but I would recommend a chicken curry for sure. In case you are using vegetables, use half of this paste, you can easily freeze it for future use.
The techniques used in the Massaman curry are quite different from the Thai Red curry which I also made from scratch. Read the recipe here.
More Thai recipes? Check out an easy Pad Thai, Thai Green Curry and a coconut and tofu noodle bowl. Read more about the history of Massaman curry here.
Ingredients for the Massaman curry paste (for a curry that serves 4-5 people)
- Onion – 3 small
- Garlic cloves – 10
- Green Cardamom – 6
- Cloves – 4
- Cinnamon stick – 4 inch
- Coriander powder – 3 tbsp
- Cumin seeds – 1 tsp
- Dried Kashmiri red chilli, deseeded – 1
- Peppercorn – 1 tsp
- Lemongrass – 2 stalks, approximately 8 inches each
- Minced Galangal/ fresh ginger – 1 tsp
- Salt – 1 tsp
- Nutmeg, ground – 1/2 tsp
- Peanuts – 1/4 cup
- Water – 4 to 6 tbsp
- Oil – 1 tbsp
Method
- Start by preparing the kadhai/ wok. On high flame add the oil and smoke it slightly. Spread all over the wok.
- Halve the onions and add the onion and garlic cloves with the skin to the hot kadhai. Toss and cook until they soften and develop a slight char, about 8-10 minutes on medium flame.
- Remove from the kadhai and let it cool slightly. Remove the papery skins and any burnt parts from the garlic cloves and onions and set aside. This smoky process packs SO much flavour into the curry. It seemed bizarre to me as well, to begin with, but turned out absolutely smashing.
- Next, dry roast the spices – cardamom, cloves, coriander powder, peppercorn, cumin seeds, red chilli. Toast for 5 minutes on medium-low flame. Set aside to cool.
- Prepare the lemongrass. This was a very interesting process, unlike soaking in Thai curries, this one uses the dry stalk. Peel off the harder outer cover of the stalk and then roughly chop the stalk.
- Roast the chopped lemongrass and minced ginger for 3-4 minutes on medium-low heat.
- Finally, dry roast to peanuts until they have browned, about 5-8 minutes on medium-low flame. Cool.
- Transfer all the ingredients into a blender, add the ground nutmeg and salt and 2 tbsp water at a time and pulse to make a smooth paste.
Onion and garlic before dry roasting 
The papery skins and slight char 
Dry roasted peanuts 
All the ingredients into the blender 
The paste
Making the curry
To make the final curry, cook the chicken or veggies, add the curry paste, salt and 1 tsp turmeric and cook for 8-10 minutes. Add fresh coconut milk and mix. Top with sesame seeds and fresh lemon juice for best results!
Many people add peanut butter as well, but peanuts go into our paste, so you needn’t worry about it.
Serve with rice or parottas!
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