Massaman Curry (แกงมัสมั่น) – Beef with Potatoes and Peanuts

Massaman curry is the mildest of the well-known Thai curries. Besides dried chilies, lemongrass and galangal, the paste contains cinnamon, cardamom, cloves and cumin. With tamarind, palm sugar and fish sauce, the sauce tastes sweet, sour and salty at once. Beef, potatoes and roasted peanuts make it a braise you can cook the day before.

By Laura Chen· November 4, 2026

50 Mintotal

4servings

740kcal

ThaiCuisine ›

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Use beef shoulder or shank. Both cuts need a good two hours, but afterward they fall apart under a fork. Fry the curry paste first in the thick part of the coconut milk until red oil separates. That brings out the spices. Add the potatoes only after an hour so they stay whole. Store-bought massaman curry paste from an Asian grocery store works well, and the note below gives a homemade version.

For a hotter curry without cinnamon, cook panang curry. With turmeric and potatoes, the yellow curry gaeng kari comes closest, and with chicken and more chili the red Thai curry.

Image: AI-generated.

Massaman Curry (แกงมัสมั่น) – Beef with Potatoes and Peanuts

Name: Massaman Curry (แกงมัสมั่น) – Beef with Potatoes and Peanuts
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 50 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Thai
Ingredients: 800 g beef shoulder or beef shank, in 4 cm cubes; 1 tbsp vegetable oil; 400 ml coconut milk (1 can), not shaken; 4 tbsp massaman curry paste (about 60 g); 300 ml water; 1 cinnamon stick; 4 cardamom pods, lightly crushed; 2 bay leaves; 400 g waxy potatoes, in 3 cm pieces; 2 onions, in wedges; 50 g roasted, unsalted peanuts; 2 tbsp fish sauce; 1 1/2 tbsp palm sugar or brown sugar; 2 tbsp tamarind paste; 300 g jasmine rice, cooked; 2 tbsp fried onions for garnish

Laura Chen

Servings

Prep time

20 minutes

Cook time

2 hours 30 minutes

Calories

740

Cuisine

Thai

Ingredients

For the curry:

800 g beef shoulder or beef shank, in 4 cm cubes
1 tbsp vegetable oil
400 ml coconut milk (1 can), not shaken
4 tbsp massaman curry paste (about 60 g)
300 ml water
1 cinnamon stick
4 cardamom pods, lightly crushed
2 bay leaves
400 g waxy potatoes, in 3 cm pieces
2 onions, in wedges
50 g roasted, unsalted peanuts

To season:

2 tbsp fish sauce
1 1/2 tbsp palm sugar or brown sugar
2 tbsp tamarind paste

To serve:

300 g jasmine rice, cooked
2 tbsp fried onions for garnish

Instructions

Pat the meat dry. Heat the oil in a heavy pot over high heat and brown the cubes in two batches, 4 minutes each, until browned all over. Remove them.
Scoop the thick cream from the top of the coconut milk can into the pot and simmer it over medium heat for 3 minutes, until oil separates.
Stir in the curry paste and fry it for 2 to 3 minutes, until it smells fragrant and red oil appears.
Add the meat, the rest of the coconut milk, water, cinnamon, cardamom and bay leaves. Simmer everything covered over low heat for 1 hour.
Add the potatoes, onions and peanuts and braise the curry partly covered for another 50 to 60 minutes, until the meat and potatoes are tender.
Season with fish sauce, palm sugar and tamarind. The sauce should taste first sweet, then salty and slightly sour. Fish out the cinnamon stick and bay leaves.
Divide the curry and jasmine rice among plates and sprinkle with fried onions.

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Massaman Curry (แกงมัสมั่น) – Beef with Potatoes and Peanuts

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