Beef or Chicken Massaman Curry

I may have mentioned before that my husband gets to travel for work sometimes. And of course he eats out a lot when he's traveling. He has grown to love Thai food. He found a restaurant in Hawaii that he would rave about their Massaman Curry. He went their multiple times (on different trips) and loved to order it. He always said it was the best. Well I decided for Father's day this year to surprise him with a Massaman Curry dish. I hoped it would be good, but never intended to be able to match his beloved Hawaiian restaurant's version. He coached me a bit at the end with how to adapt this recipe that I found at Favorite Family Recipes. And lo and behold when we tasted the finished product, he loved it and I did too! He said it was equally as good if not better as his favorite version. Soul food. So there you have it folks. You can make exotic (at least for me this is considered exotic) food in the comfort of your own kitchen. This version is not too hot or spicy, so even the kids loved it.

Just a few notes about the recipe. We've made it several times since with both beef and chicken. Both are amazingly delicious. I tried making it once subbing the fresh lime, ginger and cilantro (because I was out at the time) for their non-fresh counterparts. Don't. It really makes a difference. If you want to feel even more unauthentically (my spell checker says this is not even a word) exotic, make this dish with Naan bread. I know it's not Thai food, but it really should be. It's a delicious companion. And great for soaking up all of the leftover yummy sauce.

Beef or Chicken Massaman Curry
Printable Recipe

*Serves 8-10 

INGREDIENTS:
3 Tbsp. canola oil
1/2 Cup (or 4 oz. can) Massaman curry paste (You can make this, but I use the Mae Ploy brand from the Asian Market)
2 14-oz. cans coconut milk
1/2 tsp. minced fresh ginger
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro
2 Tbsp. packed brown sugar
2 Tbsp. fish sauce (Trust me the brand matters here, some are "fishy". I use the Tiparos brand from the Asian Market)
1 Tbsp. fresh lime juice
1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 onion, sliced thin
1 lb. boneless chicken or beef roast sliced VERY thin
4-5 medium potatoes, peeled, cubed into bite sized pieces
2 carrots, peeled, sliced into bite sized pieces
1-2 tsp. Sriracha sauce + more to taste (I used the Grand Mountain brand from the Asian Market. I was a little wary of this ingredient as it says it is very strong, but trust me on this 1-2 tsp. is not hot but adds a very important flavor. If you are looking for heat go ahead and add more.)
3 Cups brown jasmine rice or regular brown rice, cooked (*See Note below)

DIRECTIONS:
Heat oil in very large skillet or saucepan (I use a large saucepan as my skillet is not large enough). Stir in curry paste; cook and stir for about 2-3 minutes. Add 1 can coconut milk and stir until well blended. Add minced ginger, cilantro, sugar, fish sauce, lime juice, and Worcestershire, and bring to a boil. Add thin sliced onion and meat and then reduce to a simmer. When meat is cooked through (about 5 minutes or so) add another can of coconut milk and bring back to a boil. Add potatoes, carrots and Sriracha sauce and stir until everything is well mixed. Cover and simmer for 20-30 minutes or until the potatoes are tender. Serve hot over brown rice.

*Note: I cook the brown rice or brown jasmine rice in my pressure cooker on high pressure for 21 minutes with a 3:5 ratio of brown rice to water. 

Recipe Source: Adapted from a recipe found at Favorite Family Recipes