Masaman Curry

[Jeff Lebowski]

Time to rejuvinate the food category.

I mentioned before that I am a big curry fan, particularly Thai and Indian varieties. I have been on a quest to figure out Thai curries since they seem simpler to make. It has been a fun journey. I still consider myself very much a novice, but I have learned a few things.

Thai curry is really quite simple and doesn't take long to cook. For most curries, you select a type of curry (red, yellow, green, or masaman), mix it with coconut milk, throw in a few veggies and some meat (and a couple other things) and let it simmer until the veggies are tender. One of the challenges is getting the right type and amount of curry paste. When you go to a restuarant, you can order hot, medium, or mild. This means that they withold the pepper part of the curry until they put together your dish. When you buy curry paste, the pepper is already in and the only thing you can do to adjust the spiciness is cut back on the amount of paste. This consequently cuts back the boldness of the overall flavor. The only alternative is to make your own paste and get the temp. exactly how you want it. I have not done that yet, but there are plenty of websites with recipes. I like to use the Mae Ploy brand of curry. It is pretty cheap and has a good flavor. The Thai Kitchen brand is quite common in the supermarkets, but it is more expensive and it is quite hot so you have to be very careful with the quantities (i.e., use very little) and you end up with less flavor. Keep in mind that I am cooking for a family and while my kids have a decent tolerance for spice, they do have a limit. I made some red curry a while back and even I (a tabasco sauce fan) couldn't eat it.

Anyway, our favorite recipe so far is masaman curry. This is a recipe I made up and tweaked after looking at lots of masaman recipes. The whole family loves it and it is very simple.

Masaman Curry

Ingredients:

• 2 cans coconut milk
• Masaman curry paste. I used 2T of Mae Ploy brand – this is half of what the brand says to use. Use more if you can stand a little more spice.
• ½ large sweet potato
• Handful of baby carrots
• 1 red potato
• 2 T sugar
• Cashews (optional)
• 2T Thai fish sauce. You can get this at most supermarkets in the Asian section.
• 1 lb. Beef stew meat.

Slow cook the stew meat in a small crock pot. Empty coconut milk into saucepan on medium heat. Add curry, fish sauce and sugar. Peel and chop sweet potato and potato. Chop carrots. Add meat and veggies to saucepan. After it boils, reduce heat and simmer until veggies are tender. Add a handful of cashews prior to serving. Serve with rice. Serves 5-6 people.