Thai Recipes (Main Course)

Kaeng Masaman Kai ("Muslim Style" Chicken Curry)

This was the first of a series of my wife's Thai recipes posted on theInternet. The "masaman" indicates that the recipe is of a "musselman"or islamic origin, and it probably owes something to early Portugueseinfluences, and is similar in concept to the "sour and hot" Goan stylevindaloo dishes. By Thai standards this is usually afairly mild curry, so I findit is a good starting point. It is also one of my favorite curries. The curry paste can be prepared in advance and stored in the fridge in apreserving jar for several weeks or even months. The potatoes used can be 'normal' western style potatoes, or any of thesweet potatoes. (I prefer the latter, as it seems to complement the flavour ofthe curry, and western style potatoes are for from common, and quite expensivein Thailand, so clearly not the normal authentic component of the dish). This recipe can also be prepared with pork (kaeng masaman mu) or beef (kaengmasaman nuea). A recipe for the masaman curry paste can be found below.

Ingredients

1 pound of chicken, cut into "bite sized pieces"
5 small potatoes, peeled and partly boiled
5 peeled, but whole, small onions (the type sometimes sold as "pickling onions")
3 cups of coconut milk
3 tablespoons palm sugar (you can use a light brown sugar instead if youcan't get palm sugar)
3 tablespoons tamarind juice (this is the "sour" ingredient - youcan use white vinegar instead if you can't get tamarind juice. The juice is madeby soaking tamarind paste in a little water then squeezing it out, and runningit through a sieve to extract the juice from the pulp)
3 tablespoons lime juice 2 tablespoons roasted peanuts (unsalted), broken
1-3 tablespoons masaman curry paste (see below)
1-3 teaspoons crushed garlic
3 bay leaves
5 roasted cardomom fruits (i.e. the whole pod) a small piece of roasted cinnamon bark

Method

Allow the coconut milk to separate, bu leaving it standing in a cool place,and you will have about 1 cup of thick "cream" and two cups of thin "milk".In a small saucepan bring the milk to a simmer and add the chicken or pork. If you are using beef you will need another two cups of milk. simmer the meat untilit is beginning to become tender (beef takes longer, hence the additional milk). Put the coconut cream in a wok and bring to a boil, add the masaman pasteand "stir fry" until the flavor is brought out and maximised. The coconut oil will seperate out and can be skimmed off with a spoon or ladle.(this removes much of the vegetable 'cholesterol', and makes the dish much lesstrouble for those watching their weight or heart). Add the remaining cream and curry paste to the meat. Add the peanuts. taste and adjust the flavor until it is (just) sweet (byadding sugar), sour and salty (by adding tamarind juice, lime juiceand fishsauce). Add the remaining ingredients and cook until cooked. Note: The potatoes act as a"moderator" to reduce the heat of the curry, and should not be left out.

Nam Prik Kaeng Masaman (Masaman Curry Paste)

Masaman curry is a delicate blend of hot and sour, originating from the Islamic south, possibly brought by early Portuguese traders

Ingredients

10-20 dried red chillies
4-6 tablespoons kratiem (garlic)
Chopped 4 tablespoons of chopped shallots (i.e. the small red skinned onions)
1 tablespoon ground corriander seed
1 tablespoon "kaffir" line skin (ordinary lime skin will do ifyou can't get it)
1 tablespoon kapi (fermented shrimp paste - note this smells awful untilafter you cook it, but it is quite essential to the flavour)
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon (from fresh bark)
1 teaspoon gound cloves
1 teaspoon ground star anise
1 teaspoon ground cardamom
1 teaspoon ground white pepper
2 2" pieces of lemon grass stalk, sliced into thin rounds
a cube about half an inch on a side of galangal root, roughly chopped
1-2 teaspoons of fish sauce.

Method

The galangal is roasted before use. The ground spices should preferably befresh, in which case you should briefly toast them in a wok without any oil tobring out the flavor before grinding them.The ingredients are blended to a finepaste (traditionally in a heavy granite mortar and pestle, but you can use afood processor just aswell, and with far less effort). Note if you can get freshred chillies you can usefully use them instead of the dried ones.

You can keep this paste in a well stoppered bottle in a cool place for 3-4weeks. Alternatively it can be frozen and kept for 3-4 months. I recomendfreezing it in an ice-cube tray to form known quantities for subsequent use.