The No. 1 Thai dish in my household - Massaman Curry Kae

People are curious about this dish. Why? Because its a Thai dish that can hardly be found at any Thai restaurant, well...not even in Bangkok.

Surprise surprise...this curry is not spicy but savory with a little sweetness.

Mr W's Thai friend, Mr L first brought us to the Rose Garden Riverside restaurant for lunch and that was where we first had Massaman curry. Subsequent time, Mr L drove us to this hidden gem - Baan Pee Lek which is nested among the private estate which is so ulu and a little eerie. Below is a photo of the restaurant's entrance and see what is situated opposite this restaurant.

The well lighted entrance of the restaurant

The haunted looking house that is opposite the restaurant

See what I mean by haunted looking.

Alright back to the delicious dishes this restaurant serves.

One of which happens to be Mr W's current favourite - Massaman Curry Kae (Massaman Curry Chicken).

For my Massaman Curry, I used Chicken thigh, bone in. You can use shrimps, beef, lamb and even pork ribs! So you can choose one of your favourite to make this curry.

Even with the Massaman Curry paste I bought while I was in Bangkok. The taste is still not right. I have to add my own spices in and make it authentic.

Here is the recipe.

Massaman Curry

Ingredients

140g Massaman Curry paste
800ml coconut cream

4 cloves of  garlic

4 silver ginger 

3 coriander roots with stems

1 tsp of ground cinnamon

1 tsp of ground cumin
1 tsp of cardamom seeds

1 bay leaf
4 shallots
3 tbsp palm sugar/brown sugar
3 tbsp fish sauce
2 tbsp tamarind juice
Roasted Peanuts
1 cup of evaporated milk

Preparations

Coarsely pound the garlic, ginger and coriander roots and stems together like below and set aside.

Spices - I was lazy, so I bought the ground cinnamon and cumin. I can't find any ground cardamom. So I pound them and set them aside.

Directions

1.  Peel the potatoes and half them. Pour 400ml of coconut milk into a pot and simmer the potatoes in it on low heat.
2. While the potatoes are cooking in the pot of coconut milk. Fry the chicken thighs 5 minutes on each side. *I removed the skin before frying them. 
3. Once the chicken is sealed, add them into the pot of coconut milk.
4. In a pan, stir fry the massaman curry paste. Adding coconut milk scoop by scoop. 
5. Simmer the paste till the oil separates.
6. Add in the pounded ginger, coriander and garlic into the pan and mix them.
7. Pour the paste mixture into the pot of coconut milk with chicken and potatoes.
8. Add in the spices, shallots, palm sugar, fish sauce and tamarind juice into the pot. Stir well.
9. Let it simmer for 30 minutes.
10. While it simmers, roast the peanuts in the oven or on the pan. *It is easier to remove the skin once the peanuts are roasted.
11. Add in the roasted peanuts.
12. Before turning off the stove, add in the evaporated milk and stir. 

There you have it, one of the world's best dish - Massaman Curry Kae. Well it tastes so good with toasted butter croissant. 

*Note: If you prefer pork ribs, shrimps, beef or mutton, just choose one and make your Massasman Curry with it.