Cook It Tonight: Easy Massaman Curry

Thai Style Massaman Beef Curry
Serves: 6
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 120 minutes
Ingredients
1 kg chuck or boneless shin/gravy beef
2 cloves garlic, crushed
4 cm piece ginger, grated
? cup massaman curry paste
2½ cups cups beef stock
400 ml can coconut milk
2 large potatoes, peeled, cubed
2 tsp fish sauce
fried basil leaves and roasted peanuts to serve
Method
1. Preheat the oven to 180°C. Cut beef into 2.5-3cm cubes. Season with salt and pepper, then add about 2 tablespoons of oil to beef and mix well. Heat a large frypan over a medium-high heat. Brown the beef in 2 or 3 batches. Remove each batch and place in a casserole dish.
2. Reduce heat in pan to medium and add a little extra oil. Add the garlic, ginger and curry paste, cook for 1-2 minutes, stir often. Pour in the stock, stirring well. Pour the mixture over the beef in the casserole dish and stir to combine. Cover the casserole dish and place in the oven. Stir every 40 minutes or so, adding a little water if needed to keep the ingredients just covered. Cook until the beef is almost tender (about 90 minutes).
3. Add the coconut milk, potatoes and fish sauce. Cook for a further 30 minutes, or until the beef is very tender. Garnish with fried basil leaves and roasted peanuts to serve.
Tips
Cooktop method: Place the browned beef, garlic, ginger and curry paste in a heavy-based pot. Cook over a low heat until the curry paste is fragrant. Add the stock. Partially cover, keep the heat low. Stir occasionally, add water if needed during the cooking time to keep ingredients just covered. Simmer until the beef is almost tender. Add the coconut milk, potatoes and fish sauce. Cook for a further 30 minutes, or until beef is very tender.