Matsuman Beef Curry

Submitted by Toast

Matsuman (or Mussaman or various other transliterations) is one of my favorite thai dishes. The rich brown curry has such an incredible aroma and the taste is such a unique combo of spicy and savoury that most people instantly love it or can't handle it. As with most thai dishes you can alter the spice level to your taste, but it will always have at least a bit of tang since some of heat is inherent to the paste used.

This is purported to be an authentic recipe by the person I got the original from. I've altered it a bit to fit my tastes and perhaps make it a bit more authentic. This version is much better, and gives a very satisfying flavour. That being said, I would feel free to the spices/curry paste/lime levels to suit your personal taste.

I have no idea on how to make the paste from scratch, if someone does, please let me know. The kind I buy comes in pouches and one pouch is enough to make the dish many times.

The pictures today are from a multi-course Thai meal that I made the other night for a dinner party, so ignore any random looking other thai things that may have crept into the shots.

One of the very nice things about this dish (and something I took advantage of for the dinner party) is that it can be left to simmer for quite a while, and should be in fact to let some of the flavours combine better.

In both the dishes I submitted today I was cooking for someone allergic to white onions. You can use green or white

Ingredients

Main

• 8oz of Beef (I generally use a good semi-lean cut of steak)
• About 5oz. Onion or Green Onion Diced.
• 10oz Potato (1/2-1" cubes)
• 2 Bay Leaf
• 2 Cardamon pods
• 2.5 TBSP Matsuman Curry Paste
• One 18.5oz. Can of coconut milk
• Handful of Cashews
• Thai chili for garnish (optional)

Beef Marinade

• 1 TBSP Fish Sauce
• 1.5 TBSP Water
• 1 tsp Cornstarch
• 1 tsp Oil

Seasoning

• 1.5 TBSP Fish Sauce
• 2 TBSP Tamarind Paste
• 1/4 Cup Water
• 2 TBSP Sugar

Method

• Mix Marinade and Seasoning

• Peel your potatoes, cube them (somewhere between half an inch and an inch, smaller they are the less time they'll take to cook). Place cubed potatoes in cold water for about 20 minutes, switch water after about 10 mins.

• Slice your beef aainst the grain. Add your marinade and set aside for around 30 mins (can be longer if you need to)

• Heat your coconut milk in a wok over low heat. Once it's getting quite hot, mix in your curry paste, stirring until it's mostly blended and your mixture starts to turn orange or red. Simmer for about 5 minutes.

• Add your onion, cardamon, bay leaf and potato then mix your pre-mixed seasoning into the mixture. Heat until it boils and simmer until the potatoes are mostly soft enough to eat.

• Add your beef, cook over medium heat until beef is done and mixture is boiling again.

• Add your cashews (optional) then serve. Thai Chilis can be added for garnish and for a bit of extra heat.

• I was stupid and forgot to take a picture of the served product. I'll try to rectify that next time I make it.

Serving

I generally serve it in a baking dish with cashews crumbled over top. In my opinion Thai food isn't about plating, digging in and trying everything is the atmosphere I'm going for. On this particular occasion, I served it with Mee Krob Pad Thai and the somewhat non-sequitor dessert of Kiteless' Triple Layer Peanut Butter and Ganache Tart