Massaman Meatball Curry with Tamarind and Peanut Butter

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Massaman Meatball Curry with Tamarind and Peanut Butter: just imagine tender, melt in the mouth, juicy beef meatballs swathed in a rich, silky massaman curry sauce loaded with coconut, peanut butter and tamarind. Utter deliciousness! It is a quick and easy take on the classic Massaman Beef Curry which, whilst also easy to make, takes around 2½ hours to cook. This version is made, cooked and easily on the table in less than an hour.

A massaman curry is a fusion of flavours from Thailand and India. It showcases all the classic Thai flavours and aromatics, such as lemongrass, galangal, fish paste, fish sauce and palm sugar, mixed with a range of traditional Indian spices, such as coriander, cumin, cinnamon, star anise and cloves. Literally all my favourite flavours all cooked together with smooth peanut butter and coconut milk in one fabulous, rich, complex yet mellow curry which is slightly sweet, yet with a hint of tang. Married with my other perennial favourite, soft and juicy meatballs, I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this dish!

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Massaman Curry Paste

Like most Thai curries, this curry is made using a paste. Unsurprisingly, if you make a good homemade curry paste, your Massaman will be much more flavourful than using shop bought. The paste is easy to make but does require a range of ingredients, not all of which are common place in the the supermarket. However, I urge you to make it if at all possible! For my recipe, see here.

Top tip – make a big batch and freeze it in portions ready to use. You will definitely want to make this again!

If you are buying the paste, try and get it from an Asian supermarket – their pastes are generally far superior to those found in your standard British supermarkets. I recommend with Mae Ploy or Maesri.

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Peanuts, Cashews or No Nuts??

Most, but not all, Massaman Curries include peanuts or cashew nuts in the curry. Personally, I only like nuts in a curry when they are crunchy. I am not mad about the texture of nuts cooked in a liquid for a long time, so I simply omit them but add peanut butter or cashew butter to the curry sauce instead. This is the best of both worlds! It adds, not just a wonderful flavour, but is also silky smooth. I then sprinkle the finished dish with chopped roast peanuts or cashew nuts. This adds all the flavour and they still have a wonderful crunch.

If you are allergic to nuts, this is still a fabulous curry made without the peanut or cashew butter. You could always serve the chopped nuts separately; those who can eat them can sprinkle them onto their individual bowls before they eat.

How to make Massaman Meatball Curry with Tamarind and Peanut Butter

Collect all your ingredients together:

• new/waxy potatoes
• vegetable, coconut oil or for extra spice, I use Chilli Oil
• onion, peeled and roughly chopped
• cloves of garlic, peeled and roughly chopped
• minced beef, ideally 5% fat
• fine salt
• Massaman Curry Paste, homemade or shop bought, divided
• can coconut milk
• beef stock cube
• smooth peanut butter (omit if allergic to nuts)
• palm sugar
• fish sauce
• tamarind paste

To serve:

• chopped coriander
• chopped salted peanuts (omit if allergic to nuts)
• sliced red chilli
• coconut or steamed rice
• wedges of lime

How to make this heavenly, flavourful curry:

1. Chop the potatoes into cubes, there is no need to peel them. Place in a saucepan with the salt and cover with cold water. Bring to a simmer and cook until the potatoes are soft. Drain well.
2. Finely chop the onion and garlic. I peel and roughly chop them and then pulse them in a food processor. You can also do this by hand.
3. Heat the oil in a cast iron pan or ovenproof frying pan over a moderate heat and add the onion and garlic. Cook for around 5 minutes until soft, stirring from time to time.
4. Remove from the pan. Set half aside and add the other half to a mixing bowl with the minced beef, 2 tablespoons massaman paste and the salt.
5. Mix the beef thoroughly to incorporate the paste, salt, onion and garlic mix. The easiest way to do this is with your hands.
6. Use an ice cream scoop to scoop out the meatballs. The one I use is roughly 30ml in size and I made 20 x 35g meatballs. Roll the meatballs with your hands to create a smooth, round shape.
7. Put into the pan you cooked the onion and garlic in, (there is no need to wash it) and place in the centre of a preheated oven for 10 minutes.
8. Remove the meatballs from the pan and set aside. Remember that the handle of the pan will be very hot as it has been in the oven. Be very careful and remember to use an oven glove to hold the pan.
9. Add the remaining onion and garlic and remaining 3 tablespoons of massaman curry paste to the pan. Cook over a moderate heat until aromatic, around 2 minutes, stirring continuously.
10. Add the coconut milk and peanut butter to the pan and stir to thoroughly mix.
11. Make up the beef stock and add with the palm sugar, fish sauce, and tamarind paste.
12. Mix well and add the meatballs and potatoes back to the pan. Cook over a moderate heat, lid off, stirring from time to time, for 30 minutes. Cook your rice as the meatballs cook.

NB This is an ideal meal to make ahead – it stores well in the fridge over night or can be made an hour or two in advance, whichever works for you!

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To serve:

1. Top the curry with chopped coriander, slices of chilli and lots of chopped salted peanuts. Serve piping hot over hot rice.
2. Delicious served with wedges of lime.

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Made this recipe?

If you make this recipe, do please tag me on instagram @daffodil_kitchen. You could also leave a comment in the box directly below the recipe.