Easy Slow Cooker Beef Massaman Curry

In just a few steps, you can have a flavorful Beef Massaman Curry simmering away in your slow cooker. The tender beef, aromatic spices, and velvety coconut milk will fill your kitchen with an irresistible aroma.

Easy Slow Cooker Beef Massaman Curry
Easy Slow Cooker Beef Massaman Curry

Thai Red Curry VS Massaman Curry

Thai Red Curry, with its roots in Central Thailand, bursts with heat and brightness from red chilies and lemongrass, creating a spicy and aromatic dish. On the other hand, Massaman Curry is influenced by Persian and Indian cuisine, delivers a milder, richer taste with warm spices like cinnamon, cardamom, and nutmeg, blended with creamy coconut milk. While Red Curry is fiery and bold, Massaman is sweet, savory, and deeply fragrant.

Beef Massaman Curry Ingredients
Beef Massaman Curry Ingredients

Best Curries around the World

According to The Food Pocket Guide, Massaman curry is at the very top of the list of the best curries in the world, followed by Rogan Josh from India, Vindaloo from Portugal, and Thai Green Curry. This makes it a must-try curry! If you prefer chicken over beef, be sure to check out my Authentic Thai Massaman Chicken Curry recipe.

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Massaman Curry with Cucumber Salad  (Tzaiki sauce)
Massaman Curry with Cucumber Salad (Tzaiki sauce)

Massaman in Crock Pot

Start by cutting the beef (chuck roast or short ribs) into cubes. Brown the meat on high heat in batches. Transfer the beef, onion, potatoes, and curry paste to the crock pot. Cook on low for 6-8 hours without stirring for the first few hours. Scoop out any scum that appears, then stir the curry. Continue cooking until the beef is fork tender.

Cooking Massaman Curry in Crock Pot
Cooking Massaman Curry in Crock Pot

What to Serve with Massaman?

Massaman curry is delicious with rice, bread, roti, and Indain Naan. I personally like to make the meal even more complete by having salad on the side. This includes cucumber with the yogurt sauce (Tzaziki), cucumber kimchi, and Thai crunchy salad with ginger peanut sauce.

Thai Crunchy Salad with Ginger Peanut Dressing
Thai Crunchy Salad with Ginger Peanut Dressing
Easy Slow Cooker Beef Massaman Curry

Easy Slow Cooker Beef Massaman Curry

Mary Thatcher
In just a few steps, you can have a flavorful Beef Massaman Curry simmering away in your slow cooker. The tender beef, aromatic spices, and velvety coconut milk will fill your kitchen with an irresistible aroma.
No ratings yet
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 8 hours
Total Time 8 hours 10 minutes
Course Main Course
Cuisine thai
Servings 6 serving

Equipment

Ingredients
  

  • 3 lb chuck roast (or short ribs) (Any where between 2-4 lbs work for this amount of seasoning and liquid)
  • 1 tbsp vegetable oil
  • salt (optional -to taste)
  • black pepper (optional -to taste)
  • 1 yellow onion
  • 6 tbsp Massaman curry paste
  • 5 tbsp coconut palm sugar (or brown or regular sugar)
  • 4 tbsp tamarind concentrate
  • 6 tbsp fish sauce
  • ¼ cup roasted peanuts
  • 1,200 mL coconut milk (3 cans -If you have 1 big box or 1,000 mL, add another 200 mL water.)
  • 1 lb Yukon Gold potatoes (If using russet potatoes, you must peel and chop into big bite size.)
  • 3 bay leaves (optional)
  • 4-5 cardamom pods (optional)
  • 1 tbsp fried shallots (optional for garnishing)

Instructions
 

  • Cut the chuck roast into evenly sized squares. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
  • In a pan, heat vegetable oil and sear the beef on high heat for 1-2 minutes per side. Cook the beef in batches if necessary. Don’t worry if the meat is still raw inside; we’re just aiming for browning. Set the beef aside.
  • Cut the onion into quarters and sauté it in the same pan. This step is optional, as you can also add the chopped onion directly to the crock pot later. However, cooking it in the pan after the meat can make cleaning the pan easier.
  • In the crock pot, add the seared beef, onion, Massaman curry paste, sugar, roasted peanuts, tamarind concentrate, and fish sauce.
  • Add the coconut milk and potatoes. If the potatoes are large, chop them in half first. If you’re using Russet potatoes, be sure to peel and chop them before adding.
  • For extra garnish and aroma, you may add cardamom pods and bay leaves. Once added, do not stir the pot.
  • Cook the curry in a slow cooker on high heat for 6-8 hours, or until the beef is tender enough to easily pierce with a fork.
  • Approximately 10 minutes before serving, remove as much foam or scum from the surface as possible. Then, stir all ingredients together and continue simmering until ready to serve.
  • Serve with rice, naan, or dinner rolls. Enjoy!

Video

@stickyricethaikitchen

What does it even mean ? 😆#demure Ingredients ⬇️ 3 lb chuck roast (or short ribs) (Any where between 2-4 lbs work for this amount of seasoning and liquid) 1 tbsp vegetable oil salt (optional -to taste) black pepper (optional -to taste) 1 yellow onion 6 tbsp Massaman curry paste 5 tbsp coconut palm sugar (or brown or regular sugar) 4 tbsp tamarind concentrate 6 tbsp fish sauce ¼ cup roasted peanuts 1,200 mL coconut milk (3 cans -If you have 1 big box or 1,000 mL, add another 200 mL water.) 1 lb Yukon Gold potatoes (If using russet potatoes, you must peel and chop into big bite size.) 3 bay leaves (optional) 4-5 cardamom pods (optional) 1 tbsp fried shallots (optional for garnishing) More details, full recipes, and tips, click the link in my bio. #massamancurry#curry#thaicooking#thaifood#beef#braisedbeef#crockpotrecipes#crockpot#slowcooker#slowcookerrecipe#easyrecipe#mealprepideas#dinnerideas#edibleflowers#potatoes#stew#asianfood#diy#fypage

♬ BIRDS OF A FEATHER – Billie Eilish

Notes

Note 1 : I sincerely thank you for visiting my blog and I appreciate you checking out my passion – recipes! If you enjoy these recipes, please share them, rate 5 stars and leave reviews of ones you try, as it will help the blog continue creating new recipe content. Your recommendation is the highest review I could hope for. Your support means the world to me.
Note 2: You can essentially scoop the foam and scum out after a few hours of slow cooking if you’d like. The beef should cook through already but not tender enough. After scooping out the scum, stir and continue the slow cooking process until the meat is fork tender (about 6-8 hours.)
Note 3: Feel free to cook it overnight and keep it warm in the crock pot. The pot won’t dry out as there’s a lot of coconut milk to begin.

Nutrition

Serving: 2cups
Keyword Beef Massaman Curry, massaman beef curry, Slow Cooker Beef Massaman Curry
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4 Comments

  1. For a quicker meal, I think this could be made in an instant pot too — high pressure for about an hour?

    1. Hi, I’ve not tried using instant pot for this recipe before. I’m wondering if you would need to cook the meat in everything except for the onion and potatoes for 30 minutes to an hour like you said. Then add potatoes and onion to and pressure cook for another 10 minutes? I’m just concerning that pressure cooking will break potatoes and onion completely. But I’ve tried braising the meat in dutch oven at 350 degrees for 2.5 hours and it worked well. Please, share with us if you have tried the instant pot method. I maybe able to try in couple of months as I’m still trying to catch up with my other recipes videos 🙂

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