Thai Masaman Chicken, Gaeng Masaman Gai
Try this Thai Masaman Chicken, Gaeng Masaman Gai recipe, or contribute your own.
Try this Thai Masaman Chicken, Gaeng Masaman Gai recipe, or contribute your own.
- sugar
- bay leaves
- lime juice
- coconut milk
- palm sugar
- chicken (you can also use pork or beef) cut into the usual
- roasted peanuts (unsalted)
- peeled whole small onions
- small potatoes peeled and partly boiled.
- cardamom seeds
- roasted cinnamon stick
- tamarind concentrate mixed with 2.5 tablespoons wa
- masaman curry paste
- crushed garlic (optional)
- white rice vinegar
- cucumber very coarsely chopped or sliced
- shallots chopped
- thai chile peppers thinly sliced
- Carbohydrate 5.46411052079088 g
- Cholesterol 0 mg
- Fat 0.778691197916314 g
- Fiber 0.0236916665403805 g
- Protein 0.396806562497882 g
- Saturated Fat 0.672198645833293 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Person(s) (21g)
- Sodium 293.050927083323 mg
- Sugar 5.4404188542505 g
- Trans Fat 0.0522242447915102 g
- Calories 29 calories
Step-by-step
- Peel potatoes, boil them partly in a cooking pot for 10-15 minutes, and cut in 1 to 2-inch pieces.
- Allow the coconut milk to separate and you will have about two cups of thick cream and one cup of thin milk.
- In a small saucepan bring the milk to a simmer and add the chicken or pork.
- If you are using beef you will need another two cups of milk.
- Simmer the meat until it begins to become tender (beef takes longer, hence the additional milk).
- Put the coconut cream in a wok and bring to a boil, add the massaman paste and stir fry until the flavor is brought out and maximized.
- Add the remaining cream and curry paste to the meat.
- Add the peanuts.
- Taste and adjust the flavor until it is (just) sweet (by adding sugar), sour and salty (by adding tamarind juice, lime juice and fish sauce).
- Add the remaining ingredients and cook until cooked.
Controlling fat separation in coconut milk is the single variable that separates an authentic, aromatic Masaman curry from a flat, greasy one. When heating canned coconut milk, avoid products containing stabilizers like guar gum if possible, as these additives prevent the essential phase separation into thick cream and thin milk. Achieving this split allows the dense cream to fry the curry paste directly in its own rendered oil rather than boiling it in water.
- Boil potatoes for 10 to 15 minutes initially to ensure they cook through without disintegrating when simmered in the final sauce.
- Simmer tough cuts like beef in thin coconut milk for an extended period until tender before adding the fried paste and remaining cream.
- Stir-fry the massaman paste in the separated coconut cream inside a wok until the volatile oils release and the color deepens.
- Balance the flavor profile systematically by adding sugar, tamarind juice, lime juice, and fish sauce until sweetness, sourness, and saltiness reach equilibrium.
Sequencing the simmer prevents the meat from toughening while ensuring the root vegetables absorb adequate aromatics. Proper heat management during the paste-frying stage guarantees the spices bloom fully.
