60gms large dried red chilliesseeded; soaked in warm water and roughly chopped
1medium red onion
1 ½heads garlic
1large galangal knob
3stalks lemongrassonly the pale part
4-5coriander roots with a bit of stalk
60gms roasted peanuts
1 ½tbspcoriander seeds
½tbspcumin seeds
½tbspcloves
½nutmeg
3/4th tbsp mace powder
1large cassia/cinnamon bark
3green cardamom
For the braising liquid:
2tbspvegetable oil
1large knob galangal; roughly chopped
1stalk lemongrasspale part; roughly chopped
2large red chillies; seeded and sliced
½red onion; chopped
300mlcoconut cream
2cupswater
1cuphomemade chicken stock
1/3cupfish sauce
100gms palm sugar
For the curry:
1kgbeefchuck steak; cut into 5-6 large pieces
1cupkecap manis
6tbspvegetable oil
200mlcoconut cream
5-6tbspmassaman curry paste
2shallots; diced
70gms pineapple; diced
1tbsppalm sugar
2tbspfish sauce
2large potatoes; boiled and cubed
1-2tbsptamarind water
½cuptoasted peanuts; crushed
Crispy shallots; for garnish
Coriander leaves; for garnish
Instructions
Massaman curry paste:
Blitz the chillies, onion, garlic, galangal, lemongrass, roasted peanuts and coriander root to a coarse paste.
Grind the spices and add this to the paste along with a good pinch of salt.
Blitz again to get a smooth paste (you may need to add water).
Freeze in small batches.
To make the curry:
Marinate the beef pieces in kecap manis for a few hours or overnight.
Wipe off the excess sauce and keep aside to be braised.
To get the braising liquid going, heat 2 tbsp oil in a large vessel and add the onions, chilli, lemongrass and galangal. Cook to release the aromas for a couple of minutes and then coconut cream, water, stock, fish sauce and palm sugar.
Bring to boil and add the beef pieces to this. Cover and slow cook on the lowest heat possible till the beef has become really tender (took me about 1 ½ hours). Alternately, braise in the oven at 150°C till the meat is tender.
Meanwhile, 2 tbsp oil and coconut cream along with a good pinch of salt in another heavy based pan. As the cream separates and the oil starts to split, add the massaman curry paste and cook on high (with frequent stirring) for about 10 minutes. The aroma as the paste starts to cook is so aromatic. Reduce heat a bit and continue to cook the curry paste with frequent stirring till the oil starts to separate. Takes a fair bit of time so be patient.
Once the meat has cooked, allow the pieces to cool in the liquid, remove and cut into bite sized pieces. Strain the braising liquid and reserve the stock.
In another pan, heat the remaining oil and cook the shallots till golden. Add the pineapple pieces and continue to cook until it has softened and cooked out. Then add the palm sugar to get a caramel like mixture.
Add this to the curry paste and continue to cook till the oil starts to separate again. At this stage, add half of the strained braising liquid along with the fish sauce and tamarind water. Taste and season with salt if necessary; also balance out seasoning with fish sauce, tamarind water etc….
Add the boiled potatoes and the beef pieces and simmer on low heat. Add the remaining braising liquid and simmer till the meat and potatoes have warmed through.
To serve, spoon into a large bowl and garnish with crushed peanuts, crispy shallots and coriander leaves
Notes
The excess Massaman curry paste can be stored in the freezer in an airtight container for upto 3 months.