Massaman curry recipe made with an aromatic curry paste, chunks of juicy chicken, sliced new potatoes and a Thai coconut cream sauce. Great served up with cashew nuts, sliced red chillies and fragrant fresh coriander.
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👩🏻🍳 Why make this recipe
Massaman is a mild Thai curry recipe made with a yellow Massaman curry paste, coconut milk and potatoes. Massaman curry recipes tends to be milder and sweeter than other Thai curries due to the addition of spices like cinnamon, star anise and cardamom. So its a great option if you're not a fan of spicy foods and whats more this lovely curry can be made and on the table within 45 minutes.
Massaman is the mildest of the Thai curries, so opt for the more spicy Thai red curry or Thai green curry if you're after something with a bit more heat.
🥘 Ingredients
To make massaman curry for 4 people you will need:
- ½ tablespoon Oil
- 1 Garlic clove finely chopped
- 1 Onion sliced
- 2 Chicken Breasts cubed (360g)
- 25g potatoes, chopped into bite sized pieces
- 2 tablespoon Massaman Curry paste (homemade or shop bought)
- 400ml tin of Coconut milk (full fat)
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 Star anise
- 100g sugar snap peas (roughly chopped)
- ½ teaspoon Fish sauce
- ½ a lime juiced
- Toppings: Fresh coriander, sliced red chillies and chopped cashew nuts
Ingredient notes
Recipe: For the full recipe and amounts required, see the recipe card below and use the toggle button to see the recipe in cups.
Chicken: This recipe uses raw chicken. However, cooked shredded chicken can also be used. This means you could buy a rotisserie chicken or use leftover chicken from a previous meal.
Potatoes: Choose a waxy variety that will hold together well such as Charlotte, Anya, baby or new potatoes. Leave the skins on for a more rustic finish and to add more fibre to your meal.
Coconut milk: Coconut milk is the base of most Thai curries. However, if you need a different option the best replacement in terms of consistency and flavour is cream. This can be a little heavy so you could also use yogurt (full fat).
Fish sauce: Fish sauce is the main seasoning ingredient in Thai cooking and completely transforms the dish. I highly recommend using fish sauce in this recipe for the best flavour. If you can't get hold of any or if you are making a vegetarian curry, you can substitute with soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce or seaweed paste.
🔪 Step by step instructions
- Place a large pan on a medium heat and the oil, garlic and sliced onions and gently fry until starting to soften. Next add the chicken and stir fry to seal off the edges of the meat.
- Add the sliced potatoes to the chicken and onions and continue to stir fry for 2 to 3 minutes so allowing the potatoes to start cooking. Then transfer the contents of the pan to a large bowl and set to one side.
- Return the pan to the heat and add 2 large tablespoon of Massaman curry paste (homemade or shop bought). Cook for a minute or so and allow the paste to release its flavours. Turn the pan to a low heat and stir in the coconut milk, sugar and star anise.
- When the sauce has heated through add the partially cooked chicken, potatoes and onions and mix in until well coated in the sauce. Bring the pan to a very gentle simmer then place on a lid and cook for 20 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through and the potatoes are soft.
- Next add the chopped sugar snap peas to the curry and simmer for a further 2 minutes.
- Find and remove the star anise. Then taste the curry and season to your liking with lime juice and fish sauce.
- Serve and top with freshly sliced red chillies, fresh coriander leaves and chopped cashews nuts.
💭 Expert tips
Chicken massaman curry: The chicken can be replace with your preferred meat or fish (lamb or cod are good options). Or swap in for veggies (courgette, aubergine, sweet potato) if you want to make a vegetarian tikka masala.
Coconut milk: This will have separated in the can so give it a shake and a stir before adding to the pan.
Spicy massaman curry: For an extra kick add in sliced chilli pepper or a few drops of Tabasco or a teaspoon of hot chilli powder.
❓ Frequently asked questions
Once made, allow the massaman curry to completely cool then transfer to a sealable container and keep in the fridge for 2 days or or in the freezer for up to 3 months. Defrost in the fridge overnight. Reheat in a pan or in the microwave until piping hot throughout.
Serve up with a helping of jasmine rice or plain rice, plus extra cashew nuts, fresh chilli and fresh coriander.
Massaman curry is a type of yellow curry but isn't exactly the same as Thai yellow curry. The paste used in Massaman curry starts off as Thai yellow curry paste but extra, sweeter spices are mixed into this to create the Massaman flavour.
Massaman is a very mild, sweet Thai curry. The flavours of the cinnamom and cardamom really stand out and the milder sauce means you can really taste the coconut milk. The addition of potatoes helps to provide a thicker consistency to the sauce
🍛 Other easy homemade curry recipes
- Thai Red Curry Recipe
- Fish Biryani
- Thai Green Curry Recipe
- Chicken Tikka Masala Curry
- Thai Green Prawn Curry
- Quick Chicken and Almond Curry
- Thai Panang Curry
- Sweet Potato and Spinach Curry
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📖 Recipe
Massaman Curry
Equipment
- Bowl
Ingredients
- ½ tablespoon Oil
- 1 Garlic clove finely chopped
- 1 Onion sliced
- 3 Chicken Breasts cubed 500g
- 250 g potatoes chopped into bite sized pieces
- 2 tablespoon Massaman Curry paste homemade or shop bought
- 400 ml tin of Coconut milk full fat
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 Star anise
- 100 g sugar snap peas roughly chopped
- ½ teaspoon Fish sauce
- ½ a lime juiced
- Toppings: Fresh coriander sliced red chillies and chopped cashew nuts
Instructions
- Place a large pan on a medium heat and the oil, garlic and sliced onions and gently fry until starting to soften. Next add the chicken and stir fry to seal off the edges of the meat.½ tablespoon Oil, 1 Garlic clove finely chopped, 1 Onion sliced, 3 Chicken Breasts cubed
- Add the sliced potatoes to the chicken and onions and continue to stir fry for 2 to 3 minutes so allowing the potatoes to start cooking. Then transfer the contents of the pan to a large bowl and set to one side.250 g potatoes
- Return the pan to the heat and add 2 large tablespoon of Massaman curry paste (homemade or shop bought). Cook for a minute or so and allow the paste to release its flavours. Turn the pan to a low heat and stir in the coconut milk, sugar and star anise.2 tablespoon Massaman Curry paste, 400 ml tin of Coconut milk, 1 teaspoon sugar, 1 Star anise
- When the sauce has heated through add the partially cooked chicken, potatoes and onions and mix in until well coated in the sauce. Bring the pan to a very gentle simmer then place on a lid and cook for 20 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through and the potatoes are soft.
- Next add the chopped sugar snap peas to the curry and simmer for a further 2 minutes.100 g sugar snap peas
- Find and remove the star anise. Then taste the curry and season to your liking with lime juice and fish sauce.½ a lime juiced, ½ teaspoon Fish sauce
- Serve and top with freshly sliced red chillies, fresh coriander leaves and chopped cashews nuts.Toppings: Fresh coriander
Video
Nutrition
Notes
This post was first published in Jan 2020. Updated in Oct 2021 with new step by step instructions and expert tips.
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