Matsuman Beef Curry

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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.

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' Chocolate Peanut Butter Ganache Tart