Thai Beef Massaman Curry
Thai Beef Massaman Curry Recipe and history The complex, deep flavors found in all Thai curries (kaeng), are due not to long, slow cooking times, but to careful preparation of curry pastes. Dry spices and fresh seasonings are lovingly pounded together in a pestle and mortar for at least 15-20 minutes to create an intensely flavored and aromatic paste, crushed smooth, bound with shrimp paste, then cooked in coconut cream to give Thai curries their distinctively sweet and pungent character. Whereas Indian curries are flavored mainly with toasty, dried spices, the curry pastes of Thailand typically combine just a few roasted spices such as cumin, coriander and pepper, with a base of garlic and Asian shallots and a selection of Thailand’s signature fresh ingredients; lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves, galangal, fresh turmeric and tamarind, chilies and just-picked herbs. The result is a wet paste that gives these curries different layers of flavor and aroma, each one rising to the surface as t...