As anyone that knows me will tell you, I do love a good curry and I love cooking with spices. I made it a mission of mine a few years ago to try to master the recipes for curry pastes of some of my favourite curries and Massaman is one of them.
I love the delicate flavours of Massaman, its rather more aromatic than spicy, so it produces quite a mild curry, but it has a very distinctive taste #nomnom.
Yesterday for a Saturday night treat, I decided to pair this paste up with lentils to make a very comforting curry dish. This was a perfect meal for me, combining good vegetables and a curry flavour I love. It's also another recipe that I have compiled to help me along with my #veggie and #vegan month (see the full recipe details below).
If you love a Massaman curry and you also like lentils and good green vegetables (like sugar snap peas, mangetout or green beans and peas) then do give this a go. It’s quick to prepare and cook, so it’s also an easy midweek meal too. I just fancied a curry kick last night and this was the answer!
You can of course buy very good Massaman pastes in the supermarket, but if you have the time try to make your own #weekendcooking. See my recipe for the paste also below.
MASSAMAN LENTILS: SERVES 4 PREP 10 MINS COOK 20 MINS
Ingredients:
1 tbsp of coconut oil
3cm piece of fresh root ginger, finely chopped or grated
2 small red onions, finely chopped
2 lemongrass stick, bashed (to release the flavours)
2 heaped tbsp of Massaman paste (homemade as per the recipe below or shop bought)
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped or grated
1 tsp ground black pepper
320g dried red lentils, rinsed and drained
2 x 400g tins of coconut milk
200ml boiling water
3 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp fish sauce
320g of green vegetables such as sugar snap peas, mangetout or green beans, roughly chopped into bite size pieces
320g frozen peas
To Serve (optional):
Coriander leaves
Method:
Heat the coconut oil in a casserole dish or deep saucepan over a medium heat. Add the onions, lemongrass, ginger and garlic fry for approximately 5 minutes, until everything has softened.
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Add the Massaman paste, ground black pepper and the red lentils and fry for a further minute.
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Stir in the coconut milk, boiling water and the soy and fish sauces. Let everything simmer for approximately 10 minutes (until the lentils are tender).
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Add the green vegetables (sugar snap peas, mangetout or green beans) and the frozen peas and let them cook for a further 3 minutes.
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Remove from the heat and scatter with the coriander leaves (if using).
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Enjoy!
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MASSAMAN PASTE:
Ingredients:
5 shallots, peeled and roughly chopped
2 cloves of garlic, peeled and roughly chopped
2 tbsp sliced galangal
1 stalk of lemongrass, sliced
1 tbsp coriander seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
2 cloves
1 tsp black peppercorns
3 dried red chillies (deseeded and soaked until tender)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cardamom pods
1 tsp shrimp paste
Method:
In a frying pan or wok, dry fry the shallots and garlic over a medium heat for about 5 minutes. Set aside.
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Add the galangal and lemongrass stick to the pan and dry fry for about 3 minutes until fragrant and golden. Set aside.
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Add the coriander seeds, cumin, cloves and black peppercorns to the pan and dry fry for 2 minutes, making sure you stir continuously. Remove and grind to a powder in a pestle and mortar.
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Add the chillies and salt to a food processor and blitz, then add the roasted galangal and lemongrass and blitz again. Then add the shallots and garlic and blitz again. Finally add the ground roasted spices, the ground cardamom pods and the shrimp paste. Blitz until you have a smooth paste.
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Your paste is now ready to use for a delicious curry!