Beef Massaman Curry

This rich and flavourful beef Massaman curry is slow cooked in the oven for maximum flavour! It’s perfect over rice or with naan bread, and the leftovers are even better!

What Is Massaman Curry?

Massaman is a type of Thai curry, and often appeals to a wide variety of palettes as it known as the sweetest Thai curry. It is not as spicy as for example, a green or red Thai curry. It uses warm spices such as cinnamon and coriander!

When you order beef Massaman curry in a Thai restaurant, you’ll typically receive a dish with soft, tender chunks of beef, potatoes, carrots and onions and roasted peanuts (my favourite part)!

Since I love how the beef I use in this curry gets nice and soft in the Dutch oven, I usually end up shredding it so it can really soak up that delicious sauce!

Ingredients for Beef Massaman Curry

The list may look long for this curry but it is all fairly simple ingredients. You’ll need:

• 2 1/2 – 3 lb bottom blade roast
• avocado or olive oil
• yellow onion
• garlic
• fresh ginger
• Massaman curry paste
• coconut milk
• yellow potatoes
• carrots
• roasted peanuts
• cilantro or Thai basil for topping

Bottom blade roast: This cut of beef is very marbled and juicy. It’s my favourite type of beef to use for this curry, but you could also try a chuck roast as the meat will soften up the longer it cooks!

Here is a great (Canadian) article on the different cuts of meat available.

Ginger/garlic: I like to use fresh ginger and garlic for this recipe, but you could also substitute with a garlic and ginger paste, about 2 tablespoons.

Massaman curry paste: You can usually find this in the grocery store aisle that sells Asian sauces and spices, but if you’re having trouble finding it, you can look on Amazon! You can also try making your own.

Directions for Massaman Curry in The Dutch Oven

I always like making my curry in the Dutch oven! It does such a wonderful job of cooking it low and slow in the oven, allowing all the flavours to mingle together and the beef to really soften up.

1. Start with the roast out of the fridge for one hour before you start the recipe. Cooking the meat from room temperature ensures the best sear! Slice the roast into large chunks, then add flaky sea salt to the top of it.

2. Preheat the oven to 275 F. In a Dutch oven over medium heat on the stove, add 1 tablespoon of the avocado oil and heat it for 1-2 minutes before adding a few chunks of the beef to the pot. Leave enough space between the pieces of meat to ensure a nice crust, otherwise you may end up steaming the meat! This means you’ll have to brown the meat in batches. Sear the meat on each side for about 4-5 minutes or until it easily loosens from the pan. Set the meat aside.

3. Turn the heat the low-medium and add another tablespoon of oil to the pot. Add in the diced onions and stir, cooking for 3-4 minutes or until softened. Add in the garlic and ginger, and cook for another minute. Next, add the curry paste and stir, breaking it up and incorporating it into the onions with a large wooden spoon.

4. Add 1/2 cup of coconut milk and stir, deglazing the pan. Stir until the paste is incorporated into the coconut milk, then add the remaining coconut milk.

5. Place the beef and carrots and potatoes (see recipe tip above) into the pot, moving things around a bit so it’s evenly spaced out. Place the lid on to the Dutch oven and place in the oven.

6. Cook the curry for 4 1/2 – 5 hours at this low heat. If you are adding the veggies to the pot a bit later, set a timer for 2 hours, then add the vegetables, before returning to the oven. You’ll know the curry is ready when the beef is super tender and easily shreds with a fork. When the beef is ready, remove the chunks from the pot to a cutting board, and use two forks to shred the beef, before returning it the pot and stirring. Place the curry back in the oven for 20-30 minutes, which is a great time to prepare the rice!

7. Remove the curry from the oven, and serve over rice, cauliflower rice, or even rice noodles. Top the dish with roasted peanuts and Thai basil, if you have it on hand.

Leftovers are amazing! This dish makes a whole lot of food, so if you have a lot leftover, you can definitely store it in the fridge for 3-4 days in an airtight container. You can also freeze the curry for later!

*Tip* Add the peanuts at the end when serving to maintain their crunch and salt, rather than stirring them into the entire curry.

What To Serve Beef Massaman Curry With

As with all of my curry recipes, this dish is perfect with:

• coconut rice
• basmati rice
• cilantro lime cauliflower rice
• rice noodles
• quinoa
• naan bread
• extra potatoes or roasted potatoes

Can This Curry Be Made In The Slow Cooker or Instant Pot?

You could absolutely use the slow cooker for this recipe! Follow all instructions as is, using the insert of your slow cooker, if possible, to sear the meat and prepare the sauce; otherwise, use an alternative pot for these steps and then transfer everything to the slow cooker and cook on low for 5-6 hours, or longer!

You can cook this recipe for up to 8 hours on low if you want it to run by itself while you’re at work.

Instant Pot: I have not tried this recipe yet in the Instant Pot, as I don’t know that the flavours would be developed as nicely as they would in a slow cooker or Dutch oven. If you do try the Instant Pot, I would cut the beef into chunks, searing it first if you have time, then combine everything into the Instant Pot, other than the peanuts and basil for garnish.

Reduce the coconut milk to one can if you are using the Instant Pot. Cook on high pressure for 20 minutes, then let the pressure release naturally.

Other Curries From The Blog

We love curry around here! Here are some of my favourite dishes:

• prawn Massaman curry
• Thai chicken peanut curry
• easy vegetarian curry
• Thai green chicken curry
• easy Thai basil curry

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