Beef massaman curry

Slow-cooked, meltingly tender beef and a sprinkling of crunchy peanuts to finish - it's curry heaven

Ingredients

• 85g unsalted peanuts
• 400ml can coconut milk
• 4 tbsp massaman curry paste
• 600g stewing beef steak, cut into large chunks
• 450g waxy potatoes, cut into 2.5cm chunks
• 1 onion, cut into thin wedges
• 4 kaffir lime leaves (available from Thai shops or dried from supermarkets)
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 tbsp tamarind paste
• 1 tbsp palm or soft light brown sugar
• 1 tbsp fish sauce
• 1 red chilli, deseeded and finely sliced, to serve
• jasmine rice, to serve

Directions

Method

• STEP 1

  Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6, then roast the peanuts on a baking tray for 5 mins until golden brown. When cool enough to handle, roughly chop. Reduce oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4.

• STEP 2

  Heat 2 tbsp coconut milk (use the cream on top if there is any) in a large casserole dish with a lid. Add the curry paste and fry for 1 min, then stir in the beef and fry until well coated and sealed.

• STEP 3

  Stir in the rest of the coconut with half a can of water, the potatoes, onion, lime leaves, cinnamon, tamarind, sugar, fish sauce and most of the peanuts. Bring to a simmer, then cover and cook for 2 hrs in the oven until the beef is tender.

• STEP 4

  Sprinkle with sliced chilli and the remaining peanuts, then serve straight from the dish with jasmine rice.