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.
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.
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 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.
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.
Easy Slow Cooker Beef Massaman Curry
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
Can’t wait to try this tomorrow night! Feeling inspired for the first time in weeks!
Oh this is so amazing to hear. Thank you so much 😀
For a quicker meal, I think this could be made in an instant pot too — high pressure for about an hour?
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 🙂