Continuing with our Thai curry series this is a very kid-friendly recipes. It is one of the milder and sweeter curries in taste. So if you are looking to introduce Thai food or curries into your diet this one is a pretty good introductory choice.
The original Thai recipe is a bit tangy because it uses a lot of tamarind. I have used some tamarind in it but not too much. You can also skip this step entirely if you can’t find tamarind. Also, peanuts are commonly used in this recipe but you can always substitute it for cashews. The wife likes the potatoes in the massaman curry as it adds more body to the gravy. Since the gravy is nice and thick you can also dip and scoop up it up with some roti (bread) and enjoy it that way as well. This is an easy one pot curry recipe perfect for a weeknight dinner. Enjoy!
Ingredients
5 Drumsticks
1 Cinnamon stick
1 Star anise
1 Onion
1 Russet potato
7 tbsp of Massaman Curry
1 tbsp palm sugar (or 1/2 tbsp sugar)
1/4 cup of peanut (or cashew if you have peanut allergy)
1 pinch of salt
2 tbsp of tamarind (optional but recommended)
1 can of coconut milk
1.5 cup of water
1 Shallot (optional but highly recommended)
Instructions
Curry
1. Coarsely-chopped onion to about 1 inch.
2. Peel and cut potato into about 1 inch cube. Rinse and soak potato in cold water.
3. In a small bowl soak 1tbsp of tamarind with 1/2 cup of water. (Optional but recommended)
4. In a medium pot heat up some oil over medium high heat and sauté onion until lightly brown
5. Add masaman curry and 1 cup of coconut milk. Sauté until oil starts to separate from the the mixture.
6. Add chicken and a little bit more of the coconut milk. Add in cinnamon stick, star anise, pinch of salt and palm sugar. Stir fry for 2-3 minutes then add the rest of coconut milk and 1.5 cup of water.
7. Once your curry starts to boil, turn down the heat and wait until chicken is about 80% cook then add potatoes and peanuts.
8. Cook until potato is soft and chicken is cooked all the way.
9. Use a spoon and mix tamarind that is soak in water until everything is combined. Scoop up 2 tbsp of tamarind water and add it to the curry.
10. Masaman curry should be salty, sweet and tangy taste.
11. Transfer masaman chicken into a deep bowl and place Crispy shallot on top (See below on how to make Crispy Shallot)
Crispy Shallot (This is optional but highly recommended)
1. Thinly slice shallot and place it on a sheet of paper towel
2. Sprinkle sliced shallot with salt and let it sit for 15-20 minutes. Salt will help bring out moisture of the shallot and make it crispy when deep fried
3. Pat dry the shallot with paper towel.
4. In medium pot heat up some oil for deep frying.
5. Once oil is hot enough (I use bamboo chopstick to check if oil is hot enough, stream of bubble will be coming out of the chopstick if oil is hot enough) put in the shallot and make sure that you stir it and take it out as soon as it starts to brown. Note: Shallot will burn really quick so you have to take it out as soon as it starting to turn brown
