Summary

This dish is popular served with whole chicken legs in Thailand, but if beef was more available, as it is in the UK, then I think slow cooked beef and massaman curry would be the definitive combination of savoury, sweet, hot, and sour flavours.

I would encourage you to try my recipe and I'm confident that you'll absolutely love it!

This isn't a particularly hot curry, but you could always add one or two chillies if that's how you prefer it.

Click to watch video

Method

Note: I like to use a metal pot which is suitable for both the hob and the oven. If you’re using a standard casserole dish, then you’ll need to get the curry sauce started in a pan on the hob first.

1. Trim off any excess fat and cut meat into 4cm cubes. Peel and cut the sweet potato into 4cm chunks. Peel and chop the onions. Cut the pineapple into cubes. Coarsely chop the peanuts.
   
   
2. Pre-heat the oven to 180 centigrade (170 fan, Gas mark 4).
   
   
3. On the hob, add a little oil to the pot, heat, and add the curry paste and the cinnamon. Work the paste with the oil, keeping the pot sizzling hot but without burning the paste. Add 100ml of the milk and keep mixing with the paste until smooth, and repeat until you’ve about as much milk in the pot as will cover the meat. Keep the pan hot (gentle sizzle) throughout.
   
   
4. Add the meat and stir making sure you keep the pan hot and that all sides of the meat get a good coating of the sauce. After 4 or 5 minutes, add the rest of the milk and the water. Stir and bring back to a boil. Add the sugar and the tamarind sauce and stir. Add the bay leaves.
   
   
5. Place the pot into the oven and after 15 minutes reduce to a low temperature - The contents of the pot need to be barely bubbling. Check the pot occasionally and stir very gently. Adjust the oven up or down as required.
   
   
6. After 2 hours, add the potatoes, onions, pineapple and peanuts to the pot and stir gently. Return to the oven.
   
   
7. Leave the pot in the oven for a further 45 minutes or until the potatoes are cooked through. Taste the curry sauce and, if required, add seasoning to taste.
   
   
8. Serve the curry with a garnish of coriander.