I know I have been doing a lot of curries at the moment, but these pastes are fantastic to have in the fridge for meals and they have such amazing flavours and when made, make very economical meals. A Massaman curry does tend to take a long time, unlike my “Curry In A Hurry” but it has a lovely flavour and you can use cheaper cuts of meat.

Massaman Curry Paste, has little hints of Indian as it has those spice influences that the Thai’s adapted for this recipe. Massaman is a derived word meaning muslim, so really, it is a muslim curry. Just a little background information to this delicious curry. When it comes to Thai food, this is often the curry that people order if they want it very mild… Here’s the thing, the hotness of the curry depend on the type of chilli, if you leave the seeds in or out and how much paste you use as your base. So if you make the paste yourself, you can have any Thai curry any heat you like.

This recipe is the first step for Massaman Curry, normally it is made using beef, but I prefer lamb… I have also seen chicken and even a vegetarian. You could easily use anything you like, you would just have to adjust your cooking times.

Ingredients

3 Tablespoon Coriander Seeds

1 Tablespoon Cumin Seeds

2 Teaspoons Fennel Seeds

2 Cardamom Pods

6 – 12 Dried Chillies (deseeded if you don’t like it very hot)

3 Tablespoons (60g) Coconut Oil

1 Red, 1 Brown Onion

8 Cloves Garlic

2 Teaspoons (15g) Shrimp Paste

4 Inner Stalks Lemongrass (lemon zest works well if you don’t have access to lemongrass)

1 x 5cm Knob Galangal

1 Teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 Teaspoon Nutmeg (freshly ground if possible)

1/2 teaspoon Cloves

Method

1. Place dried chillies (the amount you want) in a bowl and cover with boiling water for 5 minutes.

2. Place cardamom pods, coriander, cumin and fennel seeds into dry frying pan and dry roast until ingredients are fragrant, about 3 – 5 minutes.

3. Place spices into a spice grinder, food processor or mortar and pestle and grind into a fine spice mix.

4. Place oil, chopped onion and garlic and sauté in a frying pan on a low heat, until onions are tender. Add the shrimp paste and continue to fry for about 3 minutes. (Your kitchen is going to smell a bit with this one!)

5. Place all prepared ingredients and all other ingredients from the list, including drained chillies into a good food processor or blender and blend until a smooth paste.

6. Place ingredients into a clean airtight jar and put in the refrigerator for up to 4 months. If you prefer you can freeze it into portions and it will last up to 1 year or even more!

THERMOMIX METHOD

This recipe was made in the TM31 and can be made on manual in the TM5

1. Place dried chillies (the amount you want) in a bowl and cover with boiling water for 5 minutes.

2. Place cardamom pods, coriander, cumin and fennel seeds into mixing bowl and dry roast 5 minutes/Varoma/speed 1. Then mill 1 minute/speed 9 and set ground spices aside.

3. Without cleaning bowl place onions and garlic into mixing bowl and chop 5 seconds/speed 5.

4. Scrape down the lid and bowl and add shrimp paste and oil, sauté 6 minutes/Varoma/speed 1.

5. Add all other ingredients, including drained chillies and blend into a paste 10 seconds/speed 9. Then scrape down the lid and bowl and blend again 20 seconds/speed 6, repeat this process until the paste is smooth.

6. Place ingredients into a clean airtight jar and put in the refrigerator for up to 4 months. If you prefer you can freeze it into portions and it will last up to 1 year or even more!

As always Charmaine Solomon is the inspiration for my Thai food recipes. I generally use her recipes as a base then tweak them to how I like the flavour! I hope you like my version! Don’t forget to pop in and let me what you think!

Enjoy Irresponsibly!

Liz xx

If you like this recipe maybe you would enjoy these?

 Chicken and Mango Thai Curry (Thermomix Method Included)

 Thai Red Curry Paste (Thermomix Method Included)

Green Thai Curry Paste (Thermomix Method Included)

 Green Thai Curry (Thermomix Method Included)

Elizabeth Connolly

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I have been cooking since I can remember. I am a Thermomix consultant, so now (whenever possible) try to give you Conventional AND Thermomix methods for the recipes. I like to share tips on how to save money and how making food from scratch isn't really that hard (especially with a Thermomix). If you have any questions about the Thermomix or cooking/food in general please email me as I'm happy to chat.
Liz xx
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