There's a fabulous restaurant near me called The Cuckoo where the food is always really good and the service is excellent. The first time I ate here I had the Massaman and I've been hooked ever since.
You can replace the beef with boned skinned chicken thighs, leave them whole and cook for the smaller amount of time (3hrs). Imagine a gently spiced casserole and that is what you have.
I serve mine with Naan bread and basmati rice. Double the ingredients and this will make a perfect crowd pleaser over the holiday period.
Serves 4
5 tbsp oil
2 heaped tbsp of plain flour
Salt & pepper
800g braising steak
1 red onion thinly sliced
200g jar massaman curry paste (I use M&S or Tesco finest)
1 tbsp tamarind paste
1 knorr beef stock pot
150mls boiling water
400ml can coconut milk (just the cream not the clear liquid)
4 kaffir leaves
1 tbsp cinnamon sugar (or 1 tsp cinnamon & 1 tsp of brown sugar)
80g peanuts
300g baby new potatoes
1 lime
Preheat the oven 210˚c
Dust by rolling the meat in the flour seasoned with salt and pepper, the batch fry in the oil, use a slotted spoon to remove the meat. Now add a little more oil to the pan and fry the onions, when they start to turn golden add the tamarind and massaman paste, fry off for 2 minutes.
Return the meat to the pan, add the chilli flakes and coconut milk, next combine the stock pot with the water and add to the pan. Cook for a couple of minutes, add the cinnamon sugar, kaffir leaves peanuts and new potatoes.
Clamp on a lid and cook for 40 minutes, turn the oven down to 100˚c (simmering AGA) and cook for at least 3 hrs, but can be left as long as 8, if the liquid is kept topped up.
Just before serving remove the lid, squeeze in the juice of a lime and cook for 20 minutes in a hot oven to reduce the liquid.
*This is fabulous made 2 days before and can easily be doubled to feed a crowd, also will freeze beautifully.