Slow-Braised Massaman Beef with Potatoes and Peanuts

⏱ 165 min · Serves 4

Rich, gently spiced and just a little sweet, this Massaman is the most comforting of Thai curries. Beef shin turns silky over a couple of hours in coconut milk fragrant with cardamom, cinnamon and star anise, while potatoes soak up the sauce and roasted peanuts add crunch. Serve with plenty of jasmine rice.

Per serving: 1010 kcal · 52.0g protein · 48.0g carbs · 70.0g fat

Ingredients

• 800g beef shin or chuck, cut into 4cm chunks
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• 6 tbsp Massaman curry paste (shop-bought is fine)
• 2 x 400ml tins full-fat coconut milk
• 250ml beef stock or water
• 3 cardamom pods, lightly crushed
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 star anise
• 3 bay leaves
• 500g waxy potatoes, peeled and cut into 4cm chunks
• 1 large onion, cut into thick wedges
• 3 tbsp fish sauce, plus more to taste
• 2 tbsp tamarind paste
• 2 tbsp palm sugar or soft brown sugar
• 80g roasted unsalted peanuts, plus extra to serve
• Juice of 1/2 lime
• Coriander leaves and sliced red chilli, to serve
• Jasmine rice, to serve

Method

1. Pat the beef dry and season lightly. Heat the oil in a large heavy casserole over high heat and brown the beef in batches, 3-4 minutes a side, until deeply coloured. Set aside.
2. Scoop the thick cream from the top of one tin of coconut milk into the pot. Simmer over medium heat for 3-4 minutes until it splits and looks oily.
3. Add the curry paste and fry, stirring, for 2-3 minutes until very fragrant and darkened.
4. Return the beef with any resting juices. Pour in the remaining coconut milk and the stock, then add the cardamom, cinnamon, star anise and bay leaves.
5. Bring to a bare simmer, cover partly and cook gently for 1 hour 30 minutes, stirring now and then, until the beef is starting to yield.
6. Add the potatoes, onion wedges, fish sauce, tamarind, sugar and peanuts. Simmer uncovered for a further 35-45 minutes until the beef is meltingly tender and the potatoes are soft and the sauce has thickened.
7. Fish out the cinnamon, star anise and bay. Taste and balance with lime juice, extra fish sauce for salt or a little more sugar for sweetness.
8. Rest 10 minutes off the heat, then scatter with peanuts, coriander and chilli. Serve with jasmine rice.