Massaman Curry | Kenji's Cooking Show

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Here's Pailin's excellent Massaman curry paste recipe from Hot Thai Kitchen: hot-thai-kitchen.com/massaman...
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[@CitizenSniiiips]

Finally a non Thai cook showing people to fry off the coconut milk first BEFORE adding the curry paste. Almost no youtube cools do that. And bonus points for your discussion on Browning. Drives me crazy seeing how much thats used for a curries that are already overloaded with flavour. This is why you're the GOAT Kenji

[@supitsthugnasty]

Can you expand on what this accomplishes with getting the coconut cream first? Very intriguing and will definitely try it out

[@joritverkerk3947]

@@supitsthugnasty you separate the fat, in which you then fry your curry paste. So you don't need oil, and the coconut flavor spreads better throughout the dish.

[@Sean.F]

Been making curries for years, first time I've ever seen this trick mentioned. Gonna try it out next time! Though I do like lightly frying the curry paste in some sesame oil anyway.

[@edwardd5651]

I'm used to adding them together but waiting for the oil to separate and that's when I know the curry paste is frying. Same deal with Indian curries. Is there a benefit to letting the water evaporate before adding?

[@whatawittyusername]

It makes sense because he's friends with Pailin (Hot Thai Kitchen)

[@Chocoholic1337]

I really appreciate the note about the western style browning vs the more Asian style of getting the umami flavors from sauces and fermented things. Before you mentioned it, I was actually thinking "I'm totally going to brown my meat and get more flavors! I don't mind that it takes longer". That nugget of knowledge is super valuable to me, especially while I am cooking along with your book, The Wok. (Which I'm a massive fan of, and it has shaped the way I cook!) Thanks Kenji! Keep up the awesome content. Much love.

[@TheJDR42]

definitely don't feel bad about browning your meat. Watch Pailin's beef Massaman recipe video, she starts out by browning her beef!

[@Chocoholic1337]

@@TheJDR42 Sure! I definitely still can, but I think Kenji's point here is that the extra flavor from the browning is barely (if at all) noticeable in the final dish, because so many other ingredients that have that umami flavor profile are added to the meal. Having said that: I will experiment and see for myself! Make two batches, one with browned meat and one without and see if I can discern a difference. :D Exciting stuff! Thanks for your reply.

[@prapanthebachelorette6803]

I love the fact that he mentions the difference between techniques 😊

[@permie]

Kenji with rice 10/10 would watch again

[@senormoll]

Ah dude cooking off the coconut cream to form a browned butter of sorts is such a game changing idea. This is why I sub!

[@Lampshadx]

That’s the first step in pretty much any Thai curry and other similar coconut based dishes

[@kamiros9739]

@@Lampshadxyeah still. I made curries for years and years until some day I thought "why am I even using regular oil at the start" & just using some of the coconut cream made my curries better

[@ixfalia]

Another tip I do is sometimes the "head" (the thicker part of the coconut milk at the top of the can) isn't quite fatty enough, it's perfectly alright to add a bit of oil to help it out, I usually keep a little coconut oil around for this purpose. But yeah frying the head (หัวกะทิ, hua kathi) of the coconut milk, until it splits into oil and solids then frying the curry poste to distribute the oil soluble compounds into the oil, and later adding in the "tail" of the coconut milk (หางกะทิ, hang kathi) is a classic and critical process to Thai curries. In my experience, it really makes a difference in flavor. It is a key step to getting the bright green gem-like drops of oil in a good green curry. I think it might be because the oil soluble flavors touch and coat your tongue first and it changes the way you perceive the rest of it.

[@senormoll]

@@Lampshadx Nah maybe in Thailand or on great sites like Serious Eats, but just google recipes in English and you'll see it's basically unheard of

[@davidl7909]

Yeah that’s basically the first step of almost every curry.

[@riuphane]

Just bought some at a restaurant last night and thought "this is probably worth learning how to make well", and here you are with just the recipe! Must be destiny. Thank you for all the insights and techniques!

[@Dani-yd5mb]

cant make a good massaman without a decent taxi

[@hilosky]

I subbed out the taxi for a fire engine and it was still pretty good

[@maxsmith8196]

There's something really funny about putting a very corny souvenir item right in the middle of the video.

[@user-zj6kx6wi7l]

What was with the taxi?

[@Residew]

​@user-zj6kx6wi7l his daughter probably placed it there initially but Kenji probably left it for interaction in the comments. Smart

[@adamdeadgood]

tried it with a london bus and it was awful, wouldn't recommend

[@chongli297]

Kenji I really appreciate how you teach about life as much as you teach about cooking. You adapted this recipe on the fly, multiple times, when life threw you a curveball! I guess they should say: when life gives you lemons, make a delicious curry!

[@antistaticandi]

Thank you for showing the state of the inside of your ceramic dutch oven. Mine looks like that, and I was always embarrased, since so often on KZbin influencers are selling a *lifestyle*, too - clean perfection. I'm glad to know that a well- used, well-loved pan is supposed to look like that.

[@DietBajaBlast]

Or you could, you know, clean it? Scrub with BKF for a couple mins and rinse well, follow up with a normal wash with dish soap and good as new.

[@goodtransaction]

@@DietBajaBlast I don't think its dirty. I could be wrong but it looks like the enamel on his dutch oven has worn away after lots of use, leaving only the cast iron. I do agree that bkf is amazing though!

[@michaelboso9355]

I couldn't agree more with the original comment. It does a disservice to us home cooks when ATK or BA whips out a brand new $500 9-qt Le Creuset every episode. And don't get me started with the instant read thermometer hack they peddle in every single episode for the last 10 years.

[@michaelboso9355]

And in no way should anyone ever use BKF or any other abrasive cleaner on enameled cast iron unless you want to ruin it.

[@WebeloZappBrannigan]

​@@michaelboso9355 For what its worth, the following is quoted from Le Crueset's official blog. Although I did have to access it via the Wayback Machine. "As for cleaners, our Le Creuset Cast Iron Cookware Cleaner will help keep your Dutch oven looking great, and is ideal for removing metal marks caused by metal tools. Bar Keeper’s Friend, or a paste of baking soda and water, also comes in handy for cleaning tough stains, oil residue and marks on your Dutch oven as well." Personally I think that as long as the discoloration doesn't effect performance or have health implications, time cleaning your pans is better spent using them.

[@quinnadams134]

Does anyone else after watching Kenji for years just think he would be awesome to go get a beer with? By far my favorite personality on KZbin.

[@gbird5000]

I think he stopped drinking but yes he’d be an awesome person to have couple drinks and some good convo with. He’s brilliant

[@bradleybaker9588]

Love your vids, you’re a great teacher, kind of like a friend or family member explaining and teaching what they’re doing as they’re going. Thank you for the recipe! ❤️

[@OliveHavre]

Whether it is something that is deliberate or not, I have found a certain stroke of genius in your videos. At some point, techniques or parts or your videos are repeated over different recipes. It can be a way to cut an onion or a set of ingredients that work in similar fashion. The genius part of this is that when I realize that it is something you've repeated 2 or 3 times, it means I've committed it to my own memory and will use it when relevant in my own cooking. Love your stuff, and this recipe looks very delicious!

[@chineseviking]

"10/10 with rice" man knows his memes 😂

[@quique2]

I chuckled out loud when I heard it. I love those little references

[@ErebosGR]

It's an older meme, sir, but it checks out.

[@lester44444]

don't @ him

[@vigilantcosmicpenguin8721]

That's why Kenji always gets a perfect 5/7.

[@kickartist1]

I love Massaman and thank you for your method - always foolproof. The value of making a stew like this ahead of time cannot be overstated.

[@nickabu4722]

I love the way you forget about adding stuff, for me that is some real home cooking right there and it’s perfect :)

[@506363]

Love Pailin's channel. Great shout-out.

[@fisheloph]

Secondary Breakdown is a great name for an all chef Funk Band.

[@christinamatzen4214]

I made a massaman curry a few months ago following Marion’s kitchen recipe. I really did not enjoy it the day it was made but my husband and kids did. The next day though, man it was amazing! You’re right about mellowing out the rough edges. I had used the Mae Ploy massaman curry paste, I’ll try it with the one you mentioned again. Thanks for sharing!

[@kailadwinell5966]

LOVE massaman curry. This is the best cooking channel on KZbin by far

[@awesomebill61]

I really liked this video, I would love to see more Thai curry videos! The Thai curry section of The Wok is one of my go-tos for quickly making up a recipe and I'd love to see more videos on the topic too!

[@mansfaye1084]

My favorite type of curry. Looking forward to this one

[@buschcory]

Appreciate you as always Kenji, thanks

[@justinclark5032]

I made this yesterday, my family loved it. Eating the rest of it today. I happened to have some of the Maesri masaman curry (got it on Amazon), so I think that helped a lot. I also think the way Kenji cooks out the coconut cream in the beginning adds another dimension of flavor that I wasn’t getting before. I did use tamarind also.

[@bigjohnbriggs]

แกงมัสมั่น แกงฮังเล, two really comforting curries for those that can't handle chili spice but want strong flavors in Thai food.

[@MASONmakesMOVIES]

5:50 Wow.. Didn't know that. Little side comments like this are always appreciated and have made me a better cook!

[@armadillerff]

This has been a question I’ve been yearning to ask Kenji. I ALWAYS have wondered why recipes are written like that!!

[@HailTheRegent]

I had massaman curry at Giggling Squid and it was far and away the best curry I've ever had. Can't wait to give it a go myself!

[@sunflowerdeath]

All hurry, Kenji's making curry 😂😂

[@petevance422]

Looks great, I'm going to have to make this. Thanks Kenji!

[@AnEskimoBakes]

Yum! I purchased your cookbook The Wok last week as my monthly book treat. 🎉🎉

[@dillon4321]

This is excellent, thank you. I bought a 4-pack of canned Maesri Thai curry paste (red, green, panang, massaman) I'm definitely going to use this video as a guide when trying out the Massaman. I like the discussion about skipping the sear or not, and also using the coconut milk/fat to cook the curry paste...definitely gonna try that

[@jacobtomsovic1232]

My man Kenji!! I get a big ol smile everytime I see an upload 😁

[@kiwilerner]

I know you chose not to include the sweet potato, but I'm not sure if forgetting the taxi was intentional or an accident. Might it have made the dish too oily? I mean I trust your judgment but if you're gonna ignore basic ingredients like taxis (and that one looked particularly fresh!) that I think you owe your audience an explanation. Aside from that, great recipe, would watch again.

[@WildLeif]

Literally what im cooking tonight, what a nice surprise!

[@threengcircus]

While not the same, I do the long cook in the Instamt Pot, reducing the liquid a little bit before putting it inder pressure. Saves a bunch of time and helps with timing because life.

[@masster71]

Never heard of this curry before and then ThatDudeCanCook and Kenji post a video about it in the same week, looks like I'll have to make it

[@alishashah7801]

Loved the video. Thanks kenji!

[@IshimuraD]

Massaman is one of my favourite dishes, I'm so excited for this video

[@rockorsomething]

Thank you for tasting your dishes and making yummy sounds. I never know if any KZbin recipe is worth making if I don't see a taste and hear a yummy sound.

[@andymiller1803]

Massaman is my favorite curry. I get it all the time. I've had it from street vendors in Bangkok, and what you get in the US usually doesn't disappoint. I find that true with most Thai food in the US. (Other than the spiciness level).

[@Owen-wc1wr]

Cheers Kenji! Interesting to see you boiling down the coconut cream into a browned butter-type thing. I found idea of doing this with cream, which you mentioned on this week's podcast, interesting. Would love to see a video about cooking steak in boiled-down cream!

[@x808drifter]

It doesn't taste good. Had this experiment years ago. Doesn't taste gross or anything like that, but definitely a weird bitter aftertaste.

[@osenifabua1912]

My favourite curry. Reducing the coconut milk takes it over the top👌🏾

[@chashagin1]

My absolute favorite curry!

[@ErebosGR]

Recently, I began adding tarhana in my curries to thicken them up, plus it adds sweetness and tanginess from the fermented milk curds.

[@pleaseandthankyou708]

8:34 I love this explanation of the stages of stew meat breakdown! Spot on, this is what the KLA is a GOAT

[@sirsprinter]

Mans be here cooking until 1am for us. Love your work Kenji

[@reubenschneider3921]

This tasted so much better than just following the instructions on the tin

[@Ayelene8]

Massaman is my favorite curry by far. I'm looking forward to making it like this next time. ❤

[@JKenjiLopezAltofficial]

Thank you for your lovely compliment. I hope my recipe was able to help you in your cooking

[@Seven0001]

The "maybe I won't add that sweet potato" part is so relatable. For some reason I can't eyeball raw potato quantities well. Watching your videos regularly, I'm sure you usually do, but I am potato ratio eyeball measurement challenged myself.

[@escapist83]

We all have those kind of days, Kenji

[@sandymcneal7672]

Was surprised by friend tonight with this dish and it was amazing. I highly recommend.

[@JKenjiLopezAltofficial]

Thank you for your lovely compliment. I hope my recipe was able to help you in your cooking

[@Fujifuu]

@J. Kenji López-Alt if I was doing it with chicken legs instead of beef would you just add the onion and potato in at the same time as adding the chicken legs after frying the paste? Looks amazing

[@lettersnstuff]

I’ve always had massaman with pineapple in it, which goes shockingly well with the onions and potatoes

[@stepghost6554]

This is literally one of my favourite dishes, thank you so much for this video. Great content as always. I was almost disappointed it wasn't among the curries in 'The Wok' lmao. (It was mentioned but there was no recipe)

[@sanniray]

Love how you sign off your videos. It feels good to be seen ^^

[@FigmentHF]

Oh I made one of these around 10 years ago, living in Bristol U.K., I remember getting the block of Tamarind

[@ze_ep]

Maesri is the best brand I've found, and veg friendly. Always have a stack of their cans in the cupboard.

[@MilaTejana]

Missing my trip to Thailand, I went searching for this recipe today and just in time Kenji posted it. Kismet😁

[@mikeearls126]

I love how stained your LeCreuset is!! Makes me feel better..mine is the same !

[@shllybkwrm]

Oh is it a LC? Looks a lot like my Lodge!

[@WastrelWay]

When Kenji dumped in the meat, I thought, wow, he needs a bigger pot.

[@mikeearls126]

@@shllybkwrm I gotta look again!

[@sigma722]

@@mikeearls126 logo visible on the lid, you are right

[@mikeearls126]

@@sigma722 I wanted mine to look pristine forever but it is starting to look pretty dark on the bottom. When I run my hand over it, it is smooth and clean. Nothing I have tried works...I have used even wet sand paper but looking back that was pretty dumb, I don't want to rub off the enamel. I will just have to live with it.

[@thanatopsis70]

The induction cooktop he's using is the Breville Control Freak. It is expensive, but awesome. It is great for holding a set temperature within a degree or two. There's a slightly cheaper ChefSteps home version coming out.

[@Adnandostuff]

That was a good looking chuck roast, made a delicious curry too!

[@radish747]

Thanks for all your great content and advice, Kenji! Do you have any tricks on getting large pots of food like this to cool down quickly? I often find myself late at night wishing my stock/chili/whatever would cool down quicker so I can get it into the fridge and go to bed!

[@brycemattson4913]

Perfect! This is my wife’s favorite dish, and my last attempt off some random website didn’t go great haha

[@guystalnaker5184]

I much miss a local Madison Thai restaurant Bahn Thai whose Massaman Nur (as they called it) was made with big cubes of beef like this. Thank you

[@Steven_Edwards]

I love Kenji. "Oh, I missed up on this random thing I was throwing together, ***** it, roll with it, we are committed now".

[@timothyhoff97]

how was it with the lemon? lime sub for tamarind made sense, but the lemon seems like a step further. did you notice that or did the lemon-specific flavors fade into all the others? i love massaman curry but haven't made it in years. Will make again soon!

[@clem304]

Thanks for remembering the link!

[@Funcrusher92]

“Just holds its shape together, but with a just a little bit of a pull, comes apart”. Same

[@wuhao726]

Hey Kenji, one very classic trick we do in China when doing stewing meat dishes is to boil the meat in chunk until it cooked through, just to remove all the blood and scums in the mean, then add it in for any kind of stews. it is very useful in terms of removing the bloodish taste in the meat. Perhaps you can try it out next time and see how you think of the technique :) btw it called 焯水 in Chinese, just in case you wanna search it up.

[@austingarst]

Curry paste is so much easier to buy than to make yourself. It's so cheap. Also if you use Red Boat to season, use like half of what you normally would. Add more to taste.

[@jasonjacob]

What’s your preferred method for cleaning the wood cutting board you use for meat? I’ve seen: scrape with bench scraper to get surface crud off, spray down with diluted bleach solution, wash with hot/soapy water, leave to dry. Curious to know if that’s generally standard practice or if there are alternatives to bleach that could work.

[@brendansmith]

"Tertiary Breakdown" sounds like an underground alt. hip hop smash album

[@InnocentVodalia]

Finally got around to watching this, and I have an odd question: would Tamarindo candy work in place of the sugar and tamarind paste? We have it readily available with the local grocery having a really good Hispanic foods section.

[@BeckyBat19]

Hey @J. kenji López-Alt, love your videos man! I was wondering.. what would be a good substitute to shrimp paste for those that have a shellfish/shrimp allergy? I would love to give this a try, but only issue would be shrimp paste as I have a shellfish allergy.. thanks for what you do! 🙂

[@Duiker36]

I'd suggest trying miso paste. The goal of shrimp paste is usually an umami boost, so you'd want something along those lines.

[@cellow7926]

What piece are you working on for chamber music?

[@StubbsJazz]

how often do you have to clean the big cutting board? I notice you usually use secondary boards for cooked/raw meats.

[@markbuchbach9639]

Best Massaman I ever had braises lamb shanks separately and cooks the sauce separately and combines.

[@LessTalkMoreDelicious]

I still have a jar of Mae Pranom massaman and hunglay (Burmese style) curry pastes I haven’t opened in 3-5 years since I bought them, lol. Wonder if they’re still okay to use. (Always been in fridge tho)

[@no_mnom]

I love massaman curry so much 😋😋😋😍

[@cpzd83]

Kenji please help, I've been wanting to make this curry but i cant find a taxi anywhere. Does a firetruck work as a substitute?

[@sachaedwards2935]

Awesome video. What would be the best way to thicken this? Coconut cream? It's usually served slightly thicker here in Australia.

[@michaelboso9355]

Chill it for 24 hours as carefully and clearly described in the video! Woohoo!

[@MaThIcIbO]

Its gonna be 100% if u throw in some “Star anise,White Cardamom pods and Cinnamon stick” by the way, love your work Thank you for sharing our Thai dishes

[@mtchtrnr]

I find the Maesri canned paste is more convenient for single batches but is kind of gritty. I’ve heard you can strain the paste but I’ve never tried it.

[@lillypatience]

Looks delicious! How did you keep the temp at 145 degrees? In the oven or does your burner have a program?

[@TiminatorFL]

$1,500 Breville induction burner, my friend. 😊

[@VinegarAndSaltedFries]

Hey Kenji can you do a video talking about your 10 favorite kitchen knives you own?

[@jordanm205]

Any alternative for the shrimp paste? For us terrible shellfish allergy people? Just leave it out? Fish sauce?

[@Painthuffer45]

Would dry brining the meat a day before have any appreciable impact, or would it make the final dish too salty?

[@michaelboso9355]

Bit of a choppy edit there around the 2:45 mark, but an amazing video. Definitely going to try it soon. Very interesting. Thanks again!

[@Croyles]

How does separating that can of coconut milk from it's more liquid parts work in the hot countries this dish is from? As I understand it coconut milk doesn't do that at hotter temperatures. Do they keep it in the fridge or cooler places?

[@blahdblah0007]

For those that are unfamiliar, that Thai curry paste is about the best you can get with reasonable effort in the US. Exceptions of course if you live near a specialist market. 3:32

[@kimh1462]

What is a safe temp to let this get to before putting in the fridge? Does it matter?

[@BrienBoru]

Would love to make this for my family since my mom can't deal with spicy curry due to acid reflux, but my younger sib is allergic to shrimp. Any suggestions for substitutions to shrimp paste?

[@user-ed1yd9lc8y]

How would you heat it up the next day? On the stove? Microwave?

[@cryptowatch-ed7cm]

What’s the knife kenji is using here ? I see it in most of his vids and I’m looking for my first santuko type knife..

[@HeraBek]

I know you said don't @ me but my favorite sub for tamarind paste is pomegranate molasses. Thought that's an arguably more obscure ingredient.

[@TheGreyLantern2]

Have been trying out this technique of frying out the coconut milk first - I had previously added coconut milk and then the paste directly to the milk, which in itself made a huge difference to the finished curry once everything was properly fried and the oil separated. One question though - is there a reason (flavour or texturally) why you couldn’t start by frying the paste in 100% coconut oil, before adding the canned coconut milk later? Would this save a step in terms of frying out the milk?

[@triggerdog18]

Did you add more water alongside the potatoes and onions to help cover them?

[@Sinsanities]

that's a good massaman as far as I can tell! (my qualifications: 1. I'm Thai. 2. I learned how to make it from my grandma 😂)

[@SK-fy8dl]

Thanks for letting us know we can sub tamarind with lemon juice!

[@antoniogomezrosselli1439]

Is Panela a good substitute for rock sugar (in general)?

[@chestergregg8668]

I can attest that the Maesri massaman curry paste is the best one.

[@ChrisS.-ig1wm]

thanks Kenji. Manage to extract the recipe with a Chrome extension called Get the Recipe 😎

[@ARecipeLover]

Where to find it? Google Get the Recipe Chrome Extension?

[@gavincheng7108]

I need it, how can I get it