Vegetable massaman curry with sticky rice
- Prepare
- less than 30 mins
- Cook
- 10 to 30 mins
- Serve
- Serves 4
A vegetable massaman curry made with a homemade spice paste, served with steamed Thai glutinous rice.
Ingredients
For the massaman paste
- 8 dried red chillies, deseeded and soaked in warm water
- 1 tsp coriander seeds
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- ½ tsp white peppercorns
- 4 cloves
- 3 cardamom pods
- 1 small piece of cinnamon
- 3 banana shallots, roughly chopped
- 5 garlic cloves, chopped
- 2 lemongrass stalks, tender centres finely sliced
- 25g/1oz galangal or ginger, peeled and chopped
- 1 tsp finely grated lime zest
- 1 tsp white miso
- 2 tbsp roasted peanuts
- 2 tbsp Kashmiri chilli powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 2–4 tbsp vegetable oil
For the curry and rice
- vegetable oil, for deep frying, plus 2 tbsp
- 1 aubergine, cut into chunks
- 1 x 400ml tin coconut milk
- 500ml/18fl oz vegetable stock
- 500g/1lb 2oz waxy potatoes, cut into chunks
- 1 red onion, cut into wedges
- 1 red pepper, cut into chunks
- ½ Chinese cabbage, cut into chunks
- 1 handful rehydrated Chinese mushrooms
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 2 star anise
- 3 cardamom pods, lightly crushed
- 1 tbsp tamarind paste
- 2 tbsp mushroom ketchup
- 1–2 tbsp palm sugar
- 100g/3½oz roasted peanuts
- 1 lime, juice only
- 300g/10½oz Thai glutinous rice
- 1 bunch fresh coriander
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method
To make the paste, toast the spices in a dry pan over a medium heat until fragrant.
Place all the paste ingredients in a blender, add the vegetable oil and blend until smooth.
To make the curry, preheat a deep fat fryer to 180C (CAUTION: hot oil can be dangerous. Do not leave unattended.)
Place the aubergine into the fryer and fry for 2–3 minutes, then drain on a plate lined with kitchen roll and set aside.
Heat 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil in a sauté pan and fry the curry paste for about 5 minutes. When the oils separate, add the cream from the top of the coconut milk and cook until glossy. Add the cinnamon stick, star anise and cardamom pods, then add the remaining coconut milk and the vegetable stock.
Add the potatoes and cook for 10 minutes before adding the red onion, red pepper, Chinese cabbage and mushrooms. Simmer for a further 15 minutes and add in the deep fried aubergine.
Stir in the mushroom ketchup. Taste and season with the tamarind, lime juice, palm sugar and salt and pepper. Garnish with the roasted peanuts and fresh coriander.
To make the sticky rice, wash the rice in plenty of water four times. Steam in a bamboo steamer for 30 minutes, turning the rice halfway through cooking.
Serve the massaman vegetable curry with the sticky rice.
