Massaman Curry is a slightly sweet and lightly tangy mild Thai curry made by simmering meat, potatoes, and vegetables in a mixture of coconut milk and fragrant curry paste. It’s thick and creamy, richly aromatic, and oh-so-wonderful!
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A Massaman curry recipe for the home cook.
To make this an easy Massaman curry recipe, I chose to doctor up more widely available Thai red curry paste with the warm spices that make Massaman curry unique, rather than calling for hard-to-find Massaman curry paste.
For add-ins, I kept the traditional potatoes, added carrots, and opted for chicken as the protein. But feel free to add other veggies like green beans or baby corn or swap out the chicken for chickpeas or tofu. This is a recipe you can feel free to make your own.
Bonus: Thai Massaman curry is one of those glorious dishes that tastes even better after a day or two in the fridge. All those flavors have time to mix and mingle, making your curry extra tasty!
Key Ingredients
You’ll find the full list of ingredients in the blog post below, but here are some notes to keep in mind.
- Chicken Thighs. Tender, juicy chicken thighs work beautifully in Massaman curry. You can also use chicken breasts in this recipe.
- Thai Red Curry Paste. This ingredient is key to the deep, rich flavor of the Massaman curry. It’s a flavor powerhouse that can’t be substituted.
- Coconut Milk. To achieve the ideal consistency without being too heavy, we’re using a combination of full-fat coconut milk and light coconut milk. If you prefer a richer curry, you can use entirely full fat.
- Potatoes. As this Potato Curry demonstrates, potatoes are fabulous in curry recipes, because the chunks become creamy and absorb the curry flavor. Don’t skip them.
- Fish Sauce. Bold umami goodness. The fish sauce really boosts the overall flavor of the curry (and does not taste like fish!). It’s widely available, and if you want to cook Thai food, it’s a necessary purchase.
- Peanut Butter. Adds rich peanut flavor to the curry and helps make it thick and creamy.
5 Star Review
“Wonderful recipe and super simple! Perfect fall flavors for a dreary cold October day. Thank you!”
— Julie —
How to Make Massaman Curry
Bloom the Spices. Heat the curry paste with the aromatics and spices. Don’t rush this part! This step makes them more fragrant and flavorful. It really makes the difference between a stellar curry and one that’s ho-hum. After 2 to 3 minutes, stir in the coconut milk and peanut butter.
Add the Carrots and Potatoes. Or any other veggies you choose. Make sure they’re all cut to roughly the same size. This ensures that they’ll all be done cooking at the same time. You don’t want some tender potatoes and some that are hard and raw tasting!
Add the Chicken. Simmer until it’s cooked through.
Finish. Remove the pot from the heat, then zest and juice the lime into it. Serve over rice with chopped peanuts and cilantro. ENJOY!
What to Serve with Massaman Curry
- Rice. For a traditional pairing, serve your Massaman curry with brown rice or white rice. Or free up room on your stovetop and make Instant Pot Brown Rice instead!
- Other Grains. In the mood for something different? Quinoa also works, as does farro.
- Salads. Round out your meal with Asian Cucumber Salad or Asian Cabbage Salad.
Massaman Curry
Video
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Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon canola oil grapeseed oil, or similar neutral cooking oil
- 1 (4-ounce) jar Thai red curry paste
- 1 small onion chopped
- 3 cloves garlic minced (about 1 tablespoon)
- 2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 (13.5-ounce) can full-fat coconut milk do not use light or your broth will be too thin
- 1 (13.5-ounce) can light coconut milk or full-fat for a richer curry
- 1 pound Yukon Gold or baby yellow potatoes scrubbed and cut into ¾-inch chunks
- 3 medium carrots scrubbed and cut into ¼-inch coins
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce
- 1 tablespoon peanut butter creamy or crunchy
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 ¼ pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs or breasts trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 small lime zest and juice (about 1 ½ tablespoons juice)
- ⅓ cup dry roasted peanuts roughly chopped
- ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro
- Prepared brown rice for serving (see Instant Pot Brown Rice for an easy method)
Instructions
- Measure and prep all of your ingredients and keep them near the stove (measure the spices into a bowl, open the coconut milk, chop the veggies, etc). In a Dutch oven or similar large, deep skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Once it is hot and shimmering, add curry paste, onion, garlic, ginger, cumin, coriander, and cinnamon. Cook, stirring constantly, until the paste darkens and the spices smell ultra fragrant, 2 to 3 minutes.
- Stir in the full-fat and light coconut milk, potatoes, carrots, fish sauce, peanut butter, and salt. If needed, use a whisk to blend everything together until smooth.
- Bring to simmer. Cook until potatoes and carrots are barely tender, stirring periodically, about 12 minutes.
- Stir in the chicken. Continue simmering, stirring periodically, until chicken is cooked through, about 10 to 12 minutes more.
- Remove from the heat. Zest the lime directly into the pot, then squeeze in the juice. Serve over cooked rice with a generous sprinkle of chopped peanuts and cilantro.
Notes
- TO STORE: Refrigerate curry in an airtight storage container for up to 4 days.
- TO REHEAT: Rewarm leftovers in a pot on the stovetop over medium-low heat or in the microwave.
- TO FREEZE: Freeze curry in an airtight, freezer-safe storage container for up to 3 months. Let thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.
Nutrition
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Wonderful recipe and super simple! My kids love curry, but takeout is expensive when you are feeding a family of 6, like we have. I doubled the recipe and with rice, we should have plenty plus leftovers! For those who don’t care for spice, there is a good amount, but my kids are ok with that. Perfect fall flavors for a dreary cold October day. Thank you!!
Hi Julie! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
Made this for my mother and younger brother and it was amazing!
Hi Austin! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
This is delicious! I substituted the chicken for tofu but other than that, I pretty much followed the recipe (I did use a little less paste). SO YUMMY! I really love the flavors.
Hi Becky! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
So delicious, now all my family who are great Thai food eaters want the recipe.
Hi Kaye! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
My family just LOVES this recipe!!! We make it with chickpeas instead of chicken and it is so yummy!!! I have to make a second batch each time I make it to take to my best friend as her family loves it too!! Thanks so much for the recipe!
Hi Jamie! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
Massaman paste is easily available at Woolworths. Thai red curry paste is usually missing the tamarind, shallots, and kaffir lime that is essential for a good massaman curry.
Thanks for the tip Clint!
Will be making this tonight and wanted to let you know that vegan (and gluten free) fish sauce is available! It’s made with seaweed, so a bit less bite, but still amazing that us vegans can have the alternative!
Yay! Thanks for letting me know, India!
YUM this was so good! My husband and I love Thai food, so, expecting to love it, I doubled it. It worked well in my Dutch oven. We added a little sriracha to our own bowls to spice it up a little to our own liking. Roasted peanuts and cilantro was absolute perfection. So glad we have leftovers now! Thanks for sharing
So happy to hear it, thanks Camille!!
My whole family loved this! It smelled so good and tasted even better. I would add extra veggies next time. Combination of flavors was amazing. Top Notch!
Great to hear, thank you Olive!
I want to make this recipe, but is the calorie count correct for one serving? 731?.
Hi Pauline, These numbers are meant to be a guide, not a statement of fact. Many elements can cause the dish I make at home to vary nutritionally from the iteration you create, including brands of ingredients, measuring styles, and final serving size. Further, the accuracy is limited by the information available in the Wordpress Recipe Maker databases. When in doubt I would double check with a free source like myfitnesspal.com. Hope this helps!
I sautéed the veggies just a little longer as my family likes veggies on the softer side. Added some zucchini which was a great add. Only real difference to the recipe is that I double the amount of peanut butter (we love peanut butter flavor) and a little extra lime juice and fish sauce. This recipe will definitely go into our regular dinner rotation!
Glad you enjoyed it, Laureen!
My hubby and I loved this recipe. Proper comfort food that didn’t leave us feeling bloated and gross. The only changes were 3 tbsp Mae Ploy Massaman Curry Paste in place of red curry paste and a pinch of cayenne pepper. Added fresh baby spinach at the end, for extra nutrients and color. A new staple in our household for sure and we didn’t feel the need to add a side, so it was a lovely easy one-pot dish.
PS My dear friend and former neighbor cooked this together, whilst chatting on the phone, 100’s of miles apart. We prepped the ingredients beforehand and caught up on life whilst making dinner together. Perfect!
Such a wonderful story! Thank you Katherine for sharing!
Fantastic recipe! Love the fresh flavors. Easy to customize the spice level.
Thanks Linda!
So delicious! I only used about 4 tablespoons of the curry paste because my daughter is sensitive to spicy foods, but the dish was still wonderfully flavorful.
Thank you.
Great to hear, thank you Jocelyn!
I substituted vinegar for the fish sauce and orange juice for the coconut milk. It was horrible.
Would make it again!
So glad you’ll give it another try!
Absolutely delicious! I also added cauliflower with the potatos/carrots and spinach at the end. As well, some red pepper flakes to spice it up. I also used 2 cans of full fat coconut milk. Look forward to the leftovers!
Great to hear, thank you Ron!
I make Indian curry alot, but I am going to give a couple of these recipes a try. Thanks
Enjoy Kay!
A great base recipe! I had to nearly triple all of the spices, garlic, ginger, and peanut butter as it tasted bland (mostly just of coconut milk) with just what it called for in the recipe. I also did 1.5x the amount of red Thai paste. That’s why the four stars instead of the five. With that change it tasted straight out of a Thai restaurant. I will definitely be making this again! I also added a bit of tamarind paste (about a teaspoon) based on someone else’s comment. Thanks for the great recipe! Delicious!
Thanks for the feedback, Katie.
I made this for very young eaters, so cut the red curry past by 25%. I always use some sweet potatoes along with Yukon Gold. Aside from also adding fresh pineapple chunks along with the lime, I followed the recipe. It was a hit with 3 generations. Thanks for this recipe.
Thank you Marilyn!
Ye s but it didnt come out sweet at all. I ended up having to add sugar. know some recipes call for tamarind
Hi Shane, the flavor profile works for us, but I know we all have different taste. Other’s have added tamarind as well with great success. Thanks!
I’m so glad I used half of the red thai curry paste and omitted the extra garlic in the recipe, (the 2nd ingredient in the paste is garlic) because it was flaming hot and almost ruined my curry! I had a 3.5 oz bottle, and had i used the entire thing, it would’ve been inedible.
I’m sorry to hear the recipe wasn’t to your taste, Berta. I know it’s disappointing to try a new recipe and not enjoy it. I (and many other readers) have enjoyed it, so I really wish they would’ve been a hit for you too! Could you please tell us what brand you used that is a 3.5oz bottle? Thank you!