Slow-Simmered Massaman Beef Curry with Potatoes and Peanuts

What you need

• 800 g (1 3/4 lb) beef chuck, cut into 4 cm (1 1/2 in) cubes
• 400 ml (14 fl oz) coconut milk, 1 can, not shaken
• 100 g (1/3 cup) massaman curry paste
• 1 cinnamon stick, or a 10 cm (4 in) piece of cassia bark
• 5 green cardamom pods, lightly cracked
• 1 star anise
• 2 bay leaves
• 500 ml (2 cups) water
• 400 g (14 oz) waxy potatoes, cut into large bite-sized chunks
• 250 g (9 oz) small shallots, peeled, left whole
• 70 g (1/2 cup) roasted unsalted peanuts, a quarter kept back and chopped for serving
• 2 tbsp tamarind paste, seedless
• 2 tbsp palm sugar, or dark brown sugar
• 3 tbsp fish sauce
• steamed jasmine rice, for serving

Method

Restated from the original video

1. 1

   Open the can of coconut milk and spoon the thick cream from the top into a heavy pot, about 4 tbsp.

2. 2

   Boil the coconut cream over medium-high heat, stirring, until it thickens and the fat starts to separate and shimmer on the surface, 3-4 min.

3. 3

   Add the curry paste and fry it in the cream, stirring constantly, until it darkens slightly and smells toasty, 2-3 min.

4. 4

   Add the beef and stir until every piece is coated in paste, about 2 min.

5. 5

   Pour in the rest of the coconut milk and the water. Drop in the cinnamon, cardamom, star anise and bay leaves.

6. 6

   Bring to a gentle simmer, cover with the lid slightly ajar and cook over low heat until the beef is nearly tender, about 1 1/2 hours. Stir now and then and add a splash of water if it gets thick.

7. 7

   Stir in the tamarind, sugar and fish sauce.

8. 8

   Add the potatoes, shallots and the whole peanuts. Simmer, partly covered, until the potatoes are soft and the beef is tender enough to cut with a spoon, 30-40 min.

9. 9

   Taste and balance: the curry should be rich, gently sweet, a little sour and salty. Add more fish sauce, sugar or tamarind a little at a time.

10. 10

    Fish out the cinnamon stick and star anise. Let the curry rest off the heat for 10 min so the sauce settles and thickens slightly.

11. 11

    Serve with rice, scattered with the chopped peanuts.

Imported from krumpli.co.uk. Recipe Grab pulled out what you need to cook it; the video stays where its author put it.