Massaman curry - slow cooked

While I love nearly all curries, Massaman curry holds a particularly special place in my heart (or should that be stomach?). Some years back I did a cooking class at Spirit House on the Sunshine Coast. If you ever get the chance to do one I'd highly recommend it.

So yesterday, being Sunday whereby I had help with the kids, I spent a couple of hours in the kitchen making a curry from scratch. That is, nothing came from a jar and my mortar and pestle made an appearance after too much time in the cupboard. The result was a beautifully fragrant and delicious curry, tasting absolutely NOTHING like what you buy in a jar!

Massaman Curry

Serves 4-6

1 tablespoon dried chilli flakes (hot)
2 cardamom pods *
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 tablespoon coriander seeds
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 stalks lemon grass - bottom white half only, finely chopped
1 tablespoon peeled, chopped ginger
1/4 cup chopped garlic (that's nearly a whole bulb)
1/3 cup finely chopped red onion

1.2kg diced beef (large pieces)
4 large potatos, cut into 1 inch square pieces
1/4 cup dry roasted peanuts
4 tablespoons fish sauce
4 tablespoons brown sugar
1 brown onion, cut in half and layers peeled apart.
1 litre coconut milk

Using a non stick pan take the cardamom, cumin, coriander, cloves and pepper and lightly toast over a high heat for about 1 minute or until fragrant. Set aside. Place the rest of the ingredients in a mortar and pestle or blender and pound/process till a paste consistency. Add in the seeds and pound/process until combined.

Pour a little olive oil in a non stick pan and brown meat lightly all over. Set aside.

Add more oil and put all the paste in the pan, stirring for about 3-5 minutes until lightly brown. Add all the coconut milk together with the fish sauce and brown sugar and bring to the boil. Boil for 1 minute then turn heat off.

I used a large slow cooker for this curry but you could use an oven proof dish too (covered, in the oven for about 4hrs on a low heat = 140C). Put the meat, potatos, onion and peanuts in the slow cooker. Pour the liquid over and leave it simmer for 6hrs or until meat is falling apart. All ingredients in the cooker should be just covered with the liquid. If not quite covered, add a little fish stock until covered.

Serve with steamed jasmine rice and a sprinkling of crushed peanuts on top.

*Cardamom pods should be cracked open and seeds removed before toasting. Pods are discarded.