Beef Massaman Curry is one of Thailand’s most beloved dishes, combining the rich creaminess of coconut milk with the warming spices of cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, and cumin. Influenced by both Thai and Middle Eastern cuisines, it’s a curry unlike any other—mild in heat but incredibly deep in flavour.
Slow-cooked until the beef becomes melt-in-the-mouth tender, this comforting dish is filled with soft potatoes, roasted peanuts, and a fragrant sauce that balances sweet, savoury, and gently spiced notes in every spoonful. It’s the sort of meal that rewards patience, transforming simple ingredients into something truly special.
What makes Massaman Curry so appealing is its accessibility. While packed with complex flavours, it’s not overly spicy, making it a perfect introduction to Thai cooking for those who prefer warmth over heat. Served with fluffy jasmine rice, it’s a hearty, satisfying dish that’s equally suited to a family dinner or a weekend feast with friends.
Rich, aromatic, and deeply comforting, Beef Massaman Curry is proof that some of the best dishes come from taking your time and letting the flavours develop slowly.
Beef Massaman Curry
Ingredients
- 750 g Beef chopped into bite size pieces
- 2 tbsp Oil use what you have
- 1 large Onion roughly chopped
- 2 cans Coconut Milk full fat
- 2 tbsp Fish Sauce
- 2 tbsp Tamarind Paste
- 5 to 6 tbsp Massaman Curry Paste
- 200 g New Potatoes cut into bite size pieces
- 150 g Carrots optional, I like carrots in my curry
- 2 tbsp Rock Sugar I used Maple Syrup
- Water of Stock use enough to cover the ingredients
- Handful Salted Peanuts roughly crushed, added at the end
Instructions
Brown your beef
- Add 1 tbsp oil to your pan and brown off your beef, I prefer to do this as it helps cook out any impurities and also adds colour and flavour to the beef
- Once browned remove from the pan
Make your curry
- Add remaining oil along with your chopped onion
- Once onion is slightly browned add in half a can of coconut milk. Reduce the coconut milk by half which will help intensify the flavour and release some of the oils.
- Now add in your Massaman curry paste and fry it off with the reduced coconut milk and onions.
- after 5 minutes you can now add your browned beef, continue to fry for another 1 to 2 minutes or until the beef is well coated in the curry paste.
- Now add in the fish sauce, tamarind paste and sugar
- Pour in the remainder of the coconut milk and then add in your potatoes and carrots
- Finally pour in enough water or stock to cover the ingredients
- Bring to the boil and then turn down to low.
- Pop on a lid and cook very gently for 2 to 2 and half hours checking that the sauce does not evaporate during cooking. (You want the curry to thicken but you also don't want the curry to dry out)
- Finally serve over sticky white rice and you can garnish with a sprinkle of crushed salted peanuts
For more recipe checkout my Chinese Made Easy Cook Book
