Beef Massaman Curry

Serves 6

Active time: 30 minutes

Total time: 4 hours

Note: You can use  4 pounds (1800g) bone-in stew beef, such as short ribs or oxtails in place of the boneless stew beef in this recipe.

Server with plenty of steamed jasmine rice and eat with a spoon and a fork, using the fork to push rice and curry into the spoon, then lifting the spoon to your mouth.

1 (15 ounce; 445ml) can full fat coconut milk, unshaken

4 ounces (150g) massaman curry paste (store-bought such as Maesri or homemade, such as Hot Thai Kitchen's excellent recipe

3 pounds (1350g) boneless stew beef, such as chuck or flap meat, cut into 2-inch chunks (see note)

2 tablespoons (30ml) Thai shrimp paste (optional)

1 large onion (about 8 ounces; 225g), cut into 1/4-inch slices

4 medium yukon gold potatoes (about 1 1/2 pounds; 675g), peeled, if desired, and cut into rough chunks

2 tablespoons (30ml) fish sauce

2 tablespoons (25g) palm sugar (or any other type of sugar you'd like)

1/2 cup (60g) raw or roasted peanuts

2 tablespoons (30ml) tamarind concentrate (or lime juice)

Steamed jasmine rice for serving

1. Spoon a few tablespoons of the creamy white fat from the top of the can of coconut milk into the bottom of a large Dutch oven or wok (reserve the rest of the can). Heat the fat over medium-high heat until it separates into clear coconut fat and white coconut solids. Continue to cook, stirring frequently, until the coconut solids have a nutty aroma and turn golden brown, about three minutes total.

2. Immediately add the curry paste and cook, stirring constantly, until the paste darkens in color and the fat that breaks out is a deep red, about 1 minute.

3. Immediately add the beef and cook, stirring, until it’s coated in the curry paste. Add the rest of the can of coconut milk. Refill the can with water and add that to the pot as well. Add the shrimp paste and stir everything to combine. Bring to a bare simmer, cover, and cook, adjusting the heat to maintain a very bare simmer, until the beef is starting to become tender but still shows some resistance when poked with a fork, about 2 hours.

4. Add the onion, potatoes, fish sauce, palm sugar, and peanuts, and return to a a bare simmer. Cover and continue to cook until the potatoes, onions, and beef are fully tender (a chunk of beef should hold its shape but pull apart easily when you pull it with two forks), about half an hour longer. Stir in the tamarind paste or lime juice. Season to taste with more fish sauce or salt.

5. Serve with steamed jasmine rice, or better yet, let it cool completely overnight and gently reheat it the next day before serving with steamed jasmine rice.