Massaman curry is a traditional Thai dish usually made with beef, lamb or chicken. It's got a slight tangy flavour that differs from other curries, usually from the fish sauce and tamarind flavouring. I love the scent of lemongrass and keffir leaves so I thought I'd turn this into a vegan dish with tofu and lots of vegetables.
Loaded with sweet potatoes, beans, carrots and capsicum, it's a healthy vegan alternative with the same thick coconut tangy curry flavour. Easy to make and stores in the freezer wonderfully to have for later.
Loaded with sweet potatoes, beans, carrots and capsicum, it's a healthy vegan alternative with the same thick coconut tangy curry flavour. Easy to make and stores in the freezer wonderfully to have for later.
The first step is to make the paste. You can always get store made paste, make sure however they are vegan. A lot have fish sauce as an ingredient. Maesri does a really good range of curry pastes that are vegan if you are short on the ingredients. However I love making everything from scratch, the fresh ingredients makes this paste divine.
It's quite simple to make, as long as you have all the ingredients it's a simple whiz up in the blender. I usually double the ingredients and make a large jar (roughly 2 cups) and then store the leftover in the fridge or freezer until the next time I crave curry!
It's quite simple to make, as long as you have all the ingredients it's a simple whiz up in the blender. I usually double the ingredients and make a large jar (roughly 2 cups) and then store the leftover in the fridge or freezer until the next time I crave curry!
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Vegan Massaman Curry curry paste 1/2 cup roasted peanuts 1/4 cup maple syrup 1/4 cup tamari 1/4 onion 2 cloves garlic juice of 2 limes 1 1/2 tsp lime rind 3 inch piece of ginger 3-4 keffir lime leaves 2 dried chilli (depending on taste) 1 stalk lemongrass 1 tsp cumin 1 tsp coriander 1 tsp tumeric 1/2 tsp cinnamon 1/4 tsp cloves 1/8 tsp nutmeg 1/8 tsp cardamom 1/8 tsp pepper 1 can coconut cream 1 cup vegetable stock 1 med sweet potato 1 cup chopped green beans 2 carrots 1 red capsicum (bell pepper) 1 pack firm tofu 3 bay leaves fresh coriander (cilantro) |
1. Combine all the ingredients for paste in a blender and blend on high speed until it turns into a smooth paste. This should make up roughly a cup. It is best to let it sit in fridge for a couple of hours, just to let it set and the flavours integrate. This makes roughly 1 cup of curry paste.
2. Cube the sweet potato and tofu into 1 inch size chunks, chop the beans, carrots and capsicum into 1 inch length pieces - I always like chunky vegetables in my curry
3. Heat the coconut cream, vegetable stock, curry paste and bay leaves in a large pot until boiling, then turn it down to med heat and let it simmer. You can start off with half a cup of paste and then add more according to taste.
4. Add in the sweet potatoes and on med heat for 6-7 mins
5. Give it a stir to make sure nothing is sticking to the bottom, then add in carrots for a further 5 mins
6. Gently stir, then add in the beans for another 5 mins
7. Stir again, then add the capsicum for about 3 mins
8. At the end add in the tofu and turn off the heat. The residual heat will cook the tofu without making it go too soft
9. Let sit for about 15 mins to let the flavours soak in. Serve over rice or lentils and garnish with freshly chopped coriander
* If you don't have all the ingredients you can easily buy a can of curry paste, a good vegan brand is Maesri, which is readily available in most big food stores.
* The curry taste fantastic after it's been sitting for a while, usually if I have it in the evening I'll make it in the morning and leave it in the pot. When it's dinner time, I'll heat it up and have it then.
* I freeze the leftovers into individual portions and keep in the freezer to have for later.
2. Cube the sweet potato and tofu into 1 inch size chunks, chop the beans, carrots and capsicum into 1 inch length pieces - I always like chunky vegetables in my curry
3. Heat the coconut cream, vegetable stock, curry paste and bay leaves in a large pot until boiling, then turn it down to med heat and let it simmer. You can start off with half a cup of paste and then add more according to taste.
4. Add in the sweet potatoes and on med heat for 6-7 mins
5. Give it a stir to make sure nothing is sticking to the bottom, then add in carrots for a further 5 mins
6. Gently stir, then add in the beans for another 5 mins
7. Stir again, then add the capsicum for about 3 mins
8. At the end add in the tofu and turn off the heat. The residual heat will cook the tofu without making it go too soft
9. Let sit for about 15 mins to let the flavours soak in. Serve over rice or lentils and garnish with freshly chopped coriander
* If you don't have all the ingredients you can easily buy a can of curry paste, a good vegan brand is Maesri, which is readily available in most big food stores.
* The curry taste fantastic after it's been sitting for a while, usually if I have it in the evening I'll make it in the morning and leave it in the pot. When it's dinner time, I'll heat it up and have it then.
* I freeze the leftovers into individual portions and keep in the freezer to have for later.
