I'm sitting here wine in one hand and my second helping of a Massaman curry in the other. I just had to get this recipe up here for you to try. It is... well, its brilliant (even if I do say so myself) Its one for the recipe cards :)
I first fell in love with Thai food about 12 years ago when I was a vegetarian (it lasted 5 years, pretty good effort I think). My friend, who still is a vegetarian, and I would go to this great Thai restaurant down the road Thai on High, at least once a week if not more. They served the best vego food.
On a recent visit back to Brisbane I of course had to go to this little restaurant for my favourite dishes. Sadly since moving to Melbourne I am yet to find a Thai restaurant that makes a decent pad see eww, so have had to find a new fav dish and that dish is of course a Massaman curry.
I thought I would give this little curry a whirl, as I had a leg of lamb sitting in the freezer screaming to be used, and some pineapple juice left over from cocktails. I however have to admit right here, that I cheated, Yes thats right I cheated, I brought the massaman paste and did not venture to make my own. The joys of living in a fast paced world.
Massaman curry
1 tablespoon of oil
1 brown onion
1 french shallot
1 leg of lamb
2 teaspoons chinese five spice
massaman curry paste (I used a tin of maesir 114g)
2 cups of pineapple juice
1 tin 400ml of coconut cream
2 cups of chicken stock (its all I had)
4 medium potatoes
3 cardamon pods
1 cup of peanuts
Place a cast iron pot, one that is big enough for a leg of lamb and one that can go into the oven on the stove top and heat the oil. Brown the onions and then cook the lamb on all sides until slightly browned. Place the spice, paste, pineapple juice, cream and stock into the pot and stir to combine. Peal and chop the potatoes and place them in as well. Put into the oven and cook for 3 hours. After 1.5 hours remove from the oven and turn the leg over and throw in the peanuts.
Once cooked remove from the oven and skim off the excess oil, before serving on a bed of rice around a table of friends and family. Then sit back and watch them devour it.
Labels: Curry, Lamb Massaman, Leg of Lamb, Massaman Curry, Thai curry, Thai food, Thai Lamb Massaman Curry
