A speedy, must-make take on massaman curry
Our family home in Christchurch is set behind a row of houses and begins at the end of a driveway. Like the shape of the plot it sits on, our single-storied dwelling is laid out long and skinny, with the driveway hugging along its length until meeting the garage at the very end. For most families, the area in front of the garage has a predictable, vehicle-related function, like providing room to turn and wash the car. But I’ve always known that space as an extended kitchen.
If you’ve ever made a stir fry, you’ll know that they inject the air with delicious aromas. While intoxicating to inhale (in a good way), it was this potent smell and its threat to perfume every thread of soft furnishing that encouraged Mum to do all her stir frying outside, in front of the garage. The sound of Mum calling out from the kitchen for Dad to set up the gas hob and wok was an almost nightly one. The patter of her feet would then follow as she made her way down the long hall to the back of the house, where the stir fry would materialise within minutes, full of wok hei, or smoky breath of the wok.
That Mum and Dad unquestioningly go this extra length for stir fries is a mark of the dish’s indispensable role in Cantonese homes. With fast preparation and endless combinations of flavours and ingredients, it’s also easy to see why the stir fry has been adopted, and then adapted, in all corners of the world.
In today’s recipe, we give the stir fry treatment to a popular Southern Thai dish – massaman curry. Perfect for when you want a curry in a hurry, it delivers all the flavour punch you’d expect from street food in less time than it takes to head down to your local market.
We’re using Blue Dragon’s handy massaman paste pot, designed to serve two in traditional curry form but stretches to four hungry mouths once we’re done with it. When tumbled together with juicy strips of beef and shreds of potato – a common component in massaman curries – our massaman stir fry is as addictive as our recipe for green curry reimagined as a fried rice. Finish with a drizzle of cooling coconut milk, and you’ll be eating right out of the wok (as we did!).
Beef and Potato Massaman Stir Fry
By the Dumpling Sisters
Serves 4-6, with rice
2 medium potatoes, julienned
200g beef rump, sliced
1 tbsp light soy sauce
1 tsp cornflour
1 tbsp + 1 tbsp vegetable oil
100g mangetout
1 medium onion, diced
50g massaman curry paste
2 tsp fish sauce
2 tsp sugar
2 tsp tamarind paste (optional)
3-4 tbsp Coconut milk, for drizzling
1. Soak the julienned potatoes in water for about 10 min to remove excess starch, and then drain in a sieve.
2. Combine the beef, light soy sauce and cornflour and set aside.
3. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a wok over a high heat. Add the potatoes and stir fry until glossy and slightly softened. Add the mangetout and fry until both are tender, adding in a sprinkle of water if needed. Remove and set aside.
4. With the wok over a high heat, fry the onions and curry paste in the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil. Add the beef and stir fry for a few minutes.
5. Return the vegetables to the wok, along with the fish sauce, sugar and tamarind paste, if using. Stir fry until well combined, and then drizzle with coconut milk just before serving.
This post was kindly sponsored by Blue Dragon. All of the opinions expressed here and the recipes are our own. For more information, visit: http://www.bluedragon.co.uk
Dumpling Sisters 