Homemade Massaman Curry

This Thai inspired Homemade Massaman Curry is saucy, comforting and delicious. Made with onion, carrots, potatoes and crispy tofu simmered in an aromatic sauce and served over jasmine rice. It’s quick, easy and only requires 1 pot to make!

This Homemade Massaman Curry recipe was inspired by our travel to Thailand 11? 12? years back. While I was busy enjoying Phad Thai, Mr. Matt would order this traditional thai dish on repeat and now after making it – I can understand why. It’s rich, creamy and flavourful and incredibly easy to make! With just the right amount of spice and sweetness, this is weeknight comfort food at it’s finest.

I always used to think of Massaman as just regular curry, but after doing more research to develop this recipe, I learned that it’s a beautiful fusion of Southeast Asian and Indian Curry combined. It includes both a red-style curry paste (Thai influence) and spices like cumin, coriander, cinnamon and nutmeg (Indian influence). The traditional Thai flavours combined with the aromatic Indian spices come together beautifully. Roasted peanuts add an extra layer of richness and depth to the curry.

Bake The Tofu

To keep this dish quick, easy and vegetarian friendly, I decided to use tofu as the protein source. It bakes in no-time and I also find the texture soaks up the curry sauce perfectly. First, cut the block of extra-firm tofu into 2 inch thick cubes and lay it on a prepared baking sheet or a baking silicone mat. Then, toss the tofu cubes in a small amount of oil to coat. This will allow the cubes to get nice and crispy as they bake. Pop it in the oven to bake as you prepare the curry sauce.! 

Prep The Sauce

Next up is the best part, the sauce! In a large pot, add in some olive oil and thinly sliced shallots. Saute for a minute or two while stirring constantly to avoid burning. Once that’s cooked down and the shallots are translucent, I like to add-in cumin seeds, garlic and ginger (don’t add with the onion because they will burn), red-Thai curry paste. There’s something about adding whole cumin seeds as opposed to the ground that adds so much flavour! Continue to saute and add a couple of tablespoons of coconut milk just to help smooth everything out and bring the flavours together. This will create a lovely and fragrant dairy-free cream sauce that will be the base for our curry. 

After about 2-3 minutes, toss in the carrots and potatoes and get them nice and coated in the sauce before adding in the rest of the liquid. Add in the coconut milk, low-sodium veggie broth, all-natural peanut butter, coconut sugar, and then spices! 

Carefully stir everything together and allow the mixture to simmer on low to medium heat until the veggies are fully cooked and the sauce becomes nice and thick. Add in the crispy baked tofu, stir and cook for another 5 minutes.

Serve & Enjoy!

No curry dish is complete without some jasmine rice to serve it on, am I right? To a bowl or dish, add a serving of rice and ladle the curry right on top. Top with crushed peanuts for crunch, fresh cilantro, and a squeeze of fresh juice! Lime juice is optional but I find it ties this dish together perfectly!

Recipe

Homemade Massaman Curry

This Thai inspired Massaman Curry is saucy, comforting and delicious. Made with onion, carrots, potatoes and crispy tofu simmered in an aromatic sauce and served over jasmine rice. It’s quick, easy and only requires 1 pot to make!
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

Oven Baked Crispy Tofu

  • 1 tbsp avocado oil
  • 1 block extra firm tofu

Massaman Curry Sauce

  • 1 tbsp avocado oil
  • 2 shallots thinly sliced
  • 1 tsp whole cumin seeds
  • 2 garlic cloves minced
  • 1 tsp grated ginger
  • 3 tbsps red curry paste I used Thai Kitchen
  • 2 cups carrots diced
  • 2 cups quartered mini white potatoes
  • 1 can full fat coconut milk
  • 2 cups low sodium vegetable broth
  • 1/4 cup natural creamy peanut butter
  • 1 tbsp coconut sugar
  • 1/2 tsp ground coriander
  • 1/4 tsp cardamom
  • 1/8 tsp nutmeg
  • 1 whole star anise
  • 1/2 tsp sea salt

Toppings

  • unsalted roasted peanuts chopped
  • green onion thinly sliced
  • fresh cilantro chopped
  • fresh lime juice
category:
Course Main Course
serves: 4
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Instructions:

Oven Baked Crispy Tofu

  • Pre-heat oven to 400ºF
  • Cut the tofu into cubes and spread out on a lined baking tray
  • Drizzle with avocado oil, toss and bake for 20 - 25 minutes, turning halfway through

Massaman Curry Sauce

  • To a pan on medium-high heat, add a drizzle of oil and sautéed shallot for 1 minute.
  • Then, add cumin seeds, curry paste, ginger and garlic sauté for an additional minute.
  • Once fragrant, add 2 tbsp of coconut milk to create a smooth paste and sauté for another minute.
  • Add in carrots and potatoes, and cook for another few minutes.
  • Then, add in the full fat coconut milk, low sodium chicken broth, natural creamy peanut butter, and all other spices.
  • Bring to a boil and simmer on low heat, partially covered for 25 minutes until potatoes are fork tender.
  • Once the curry sauce is fragrant and fully cooked, add the crispy tofu and let cook for another 5 minutes.
  • Serve on top of white jasmine rice, and garnish with crushed peanuts, cilantro, and a squeeze of fresh lime juice! Enjoy!

This healthier take on Homemade Massaman Curry takes me right back to Thailand with every bite. It’s hearty and spicy with just the right amount of sweetness. Perfect for a comforting weeknight meal. 

For more easy weeknight takeout inspired meals, check out my Chicken Satay with Peanut Sauce, and this delicious 15 Minute Spicy Peanut Noodles! Be sure to tag me @healthnutnutrition and share a photo on social media if you make any of these recipes!

This Thai inspired Homemade Massaman Curry is saucy, comforting and delicious. Made with onion, carrots, potatoes and crispy tofu simmered in an aromatic sauce and served over jasmine rice. It’s quick, easy and only requires 1 pot to make!

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    3 comments
  1. 5 stars
    Made this yesterday for dinner and packed left-overs for lunch today! This is such a flavorful dish.I doubled the amount of garlic coz we love tons of it in our food, I did’nt have star anise and cardamom on hand and it was still delish! My collegues at work couldn’t resist the aroma, I’ve shared your recipe with them 🙂