Here’s what this recipe delivers!
Please do not write to me about the recipe’s “authenticity.” It tastes the way I want it to taste and if you make it, I hope you will enjoy!
Continue reading why and how I arrived at this recipe or Jump to Recipe.
It was the summer of 2019 when I first enjoyed Massaman Curry at Sabai Sabai - a Thai resto in Toronto. Part owner and chef was Nuit Regular, a celebrated chef and cookbook author. In 2022, she was named one of “The 20 Most Influential Female Chefs and Restaurateurs Right Now.” Sabai Sabai closed before I could return. I enjoyed her curry once more at her resto Pai. Meanwhile, Hamilton’s Pintoh restaurant made a very good facsimile. At a recent birthday celebration at another TO Thai resto, the Massaman Curry was too spicy for me. I contented myself with another dish but left determined to finally make this at home!
I tried to do this once a year ago using a jar of Saha Thai Massaman Curry base but the results were “meh.”
My continued research was guided by various hints from the menus at Chef Nuit’s restaurants stating that my beloved dish contained onions, tamarind, curry, potatoes or sweet potatoes, cinnamon, cloves, star anise, coconut milk, peanuts or cashews - and a protein - beef or chicken, shrimp or tofu. At Pai, they topped the dish with crispy shallots. Google “Massaman Curry” and you get over 6 million results. I studied several, finding overlaps but never two that were the same. I had to experiment to match the flavour memory.
Before launching into the recipe - a few words about the history of this dish. Wikipedia describes it as “a fusion dish, combining ingredients from three sources: Persia, the Indian Subcontinent, and the Malay Archipelago.” The Persian connection is linked to the name. Wiki goes on to say that it is a “corruption of the term mosalman, an archaic word derived from Persian, meaning ‘Muslim.’ Hence, many earlier writers from the mid-19th century called the dish ‘Mussulman curry’.” In time, that evolved into Massaman.
The above may explain why of all the proteins that can be used to make this dish - beef, tofu, shrimp, chicken - pork is uncommon (but technically should be fine.)
The spice trade introduced Thailand to the flavours that combined to create this mildly spicy (almost sweet) dish enjoyed at first only by the royal court. The first written record of the recipe was in 1889. Spices more common to the Middle East such as “cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, star anise, cumin, bay leaves, nutmeg, and mace (were combined) with ingredients more commonly used in native Thai cuisine (e.g., chili peppers, coriander, lemongrass, galangal, white pepper, shrimp paste, shallots, and garlic).” Source
You may be surprised by some of the ingredients I used. In Notes (below) I explain some of the choices I made. Once again, please do not write to me about the recipe’s “authenticity”. It tastes the way I want it to taste and if you make it I hope you will enjoy!
Sabai Sabai Beef Massaman Curry
Massaman (Chicken) Curry at Pai - note whole potatoes, onions and broccoli.
Massaman at Pai - clearly the idea was to spoon the curry over the rice
Here's the Recipe!
Getting Ready:
you’ll need curry powder; I suggest you use my mixture which - partly because it contains garam masala - will enhance the recipe with slightly sweet spices such as cloves, cardamom, peppercorns, coriander, cumin, and cinnamon.
be sure you have 10 green cardamom pods, 2 cinnamon sticks, 3 star anise, turmeric and nutmeg
cheesecloth to make a bouquet garni (worst case, you can skip this)
8 shallots
2 cans of coconut milk (each is added at a different point in the recipe) (My grocery store had Aroy-D brand, 400 ml each)
tamarind sauce
red curry paste
fish sauce
one medium potato, (sweet potato - optional), roasted peanuts
the surprise ingredient! - Hungarian sweet paprika and Gulyas Cream (Csemege = Mild) - it contains tomato paste, salt, sugar and onions; Click here for notes and photos of the gulyas cream.
protein of your choice - e.g. 1.5 lbs stewing beef, chicken or shrimp; or 250-450g of firm tofu; few recipes use pork, but it would work.
basmati rice - if that’s how you choose to eat this, though it can also be eaten as a “stew” with a spoon
1.5 lbs (680 g) stewing beef or other protein (see above)
3 tsps of curry powder
I don’t eat red meat often, but I’ve been making this with beef. Whatever the protein option, consider cutting it into 1/2” cubes if you plan on eating this with a spoon. If you plan to serve it over rice then you may be ok with slightly larger pieces.
Mix the protein with the curry powder and set aside until after the next step.
IF using shrimp or tofu, most recipes suggest lightly browning first and then setting it aside and adding it to the curry just before serving.
1-2 tsp neutral cooking oil (vegetable, avocado or grapeseed)
8 shallots
10 green cardamom pods (see Notes below)
2 cinnamon sticks
3 star anise
You’ll be briefly blooming these spices in a Dutch oven and then sautéing the shallots. Do the following prep first.
Shallots: One version of Massaman Curry I have had used small shallots left sort of “whole.” Peel the shallots and cut off the root end. I’d recommend cutting them in half lengthwise and then separating them into “petals.” Or… you could do a rough chop, or even a fine chop. The time it will take to cook these until translucent will depend on how you decide to prep them.
Green cardamom pods: Note the difference between pods, seeds, and powder. Use pods which will be removed at the end before serving. If you leave them loose you’ll have to hunt through the curry to find and remove the 10 pods; a better idea if you have cheesecloth (available at most grocery stores) is to bundle the pods into a bouquet garni - one thin layer of cheesecloth tied into a bundle.
Heat the oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the cardamom, cinnamon sticks and star anise. Stir for a minute and then add the shallots. Sauté until soft and translucent, verging on golden but not browned.
If you are using beef, chicken or pork add it now, mixing it with the spices and browning for a few minutes.
1 can coconut milk
1-2 tsp red curry paste (or more)
2 TB fish sauce
1 cup water
Add a little bit of coconut milk first and stir in the red curry paste. It’s considered to be moderately spicy but you need to decide how much heat you can tolerate.
Pour in what’s left of the first can of coconut milk, the fish sauce and water into the pan so that the contents are just covered. Stir and after bringing it to a boil, reduce the heat and cover the pot, simmering for 1 hour.
Uncover and remove (and discard) the cardamom, cinnamon sticks and star anise.
1 can coconut milk
1 medium-sized potato (cut into chunks)
4 TB unsalted roasted peanuts
1 small sweet potato (peeled and cut into chunks - optional )
2 TB Hungarian (mild) Gulyas Cream
1 tsp Hungarian sweet paprika powder
1/2 tsp turmeric
(I have eaten this with sweet potatoes and now add them when I make this at home.) Whether using a large potato or several baby potatoes, consider scrubbing the skins and leaving them on. Apparently, the skins offer many nutrients. Cut the potatoes into spoon-size chunks. (One of the resto pictures I shared shows whole baby potatoes which works best if you’re serving this over rice - your choice.) Add the remaining can of coconut milk, potatoes, and peanuts (and sweet potatoes if using).
Here’s where I went off the rails. The curry was “pale” and not yet the colour I was aiming for. It could be that more plentiful use of the red curry paste would have achieved that but I didn’t want the dish to be spicy. My “creative” twist was the addition of paprika, gulyas cream and some turmeric. Mission accomplished! Remove about 1/2 cup of the broth to a separate dish and whisk in the paprika, gulyas cream and turmeric - then add this back to the pot. (BTW - paprika and gulyas cream come in a spicy version if you’re into that.)
Stir and cook (covered) until the potatoes are done (15-30 minutes). If using shrimp or tofu add this to the pot for the last 5 minutes or so until they warm up.
Was it wacko to add some Hungarian seasoning? Given that Toronto’s Kensington Market has a Hungary Thai restaurant I decided it was ok - hehe.
2 TB tamarind sauce
1 TB brown sugar
Once the potatoes are done, remove the Dutch oven from heat and stir in the tamarind and brown sugar.
If you feel the result is too thick, add a wee bit of boiling water. Serve with rice or eat as a “stew.” It could be garnished with crispy shallots or onions and/or chopped coriander or parsley. As you can see in some photos, peanuts or a slice of red chilli pepper can also be added as a garnish.
Notes and Tips...
KB “Massaman Curry” :-)
Red Curry Paste - is mentioned in many recipes but it is somewhat hot/spicy (which I avoid). Some recipes call for up to 1/3 cup of this! I added only 1 tsp.
Massaman Curry Paste/Base: as mentioned above, I tried this once and did not like the results. Here’s a recipe I found for this mixture - but I have not tried it.
Curry Spice - I used my own curry spice mixture. It contains garam masala which is ideal for this dish. “curry powder is generally a blend of aromatic, earthy, and sometimes hot spices such as turmeric, cumin, coriander, and fenugreek, while garam masala is a blend of warm, sometimes slightly sweet spices such as cloves, cardamom, peppercorns, coriander, cumin, and cinnamon.” Source
Green Cardamom Pods: do not confuse these with black pods and note that you will be using whole pods - you don’t open them to release the seeds.
Peanuts: some recipes use cashews
Didn’t Use: the following were mentioned in some recipes; for no special reason, I did not use: garlic, lemongrass, pearl onions, cloves, ginger root or peanut butter; I did not add other vegetables such as broccoli; some recipes use tamarind paste instead of sauce.
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