Chicken Massaman Curry
Method
- 1 Spoon about 3/4 cup of the thick coconut cream from the top of the can into a heavy-bottomed pot. Add the curry paste and fry over medium-high heat until the mixture turns oily and deeply aromatic. ⏱ 4mUses: full-fat coconut milk, Massaman curry pasteNote: cracking the cream — the oil splitting out is the flavor foundation, do not rush it
- 2 Add the chicken drumsticks along with the remaining coconut milk, palm sugar, fish sauce, and tamarind pulp. Pour in just enough water to barely cover the chicken.Uses: chicken drumsticks, full-fat coconut milk, palm sugar, fish sauce, tamarind pulp
- 3 Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then drop to a steady simmer. Cover and stew the chicken gently. ⏱ 10m
- 4 Add the potatoes, shallots, cinnamon sticks, and star anise. Top up with water if needed so everything is submerged. Cover and simmer until the chicken, potatoes, and shallots are all tender. ⏱ 18mUses: waxy potatoes, large shallots, cinnamon sticks, star anise
- 5 Stir in the peanuts. Pull off the heat and let the curry settle for a few minutes before serving with steamed jasmine rice. ⏱ 5mUses: dry roasted peanuts
The cracking step at the start — frying the thick coconut cream with the curry paste until the oil splits out — is the entire flavor foundation. Skip it and the curry tastes thin and raw.
**Balance.** Massaman wants sweet–tangy–salty in roughly that order. Taste before serving and adjust: more palm sugar if it leans sharp, more tamarind if it's flat, more fish sauce if it's underseasoned.
**Shallots vs onions.** Whole peeled shallots collapse into something jammy and sweet by the end. Quartered yellow onions work but read more aggressive. Use shallots if you can.
**Whole spices and peanuts are optional** in the traditional sense — the curry is recognizable without them — but both add a lot. Cinnamon and star anise round the spice profile; peanuts give crunch and richness.