Thai Massaman Beef Curry

Instructions

Heat the oven to 180°C / 350°G / Gas 4. Cut the steak into large cubes, roughly 5cm each. They will shrink on cooking. Dry with a paper towel, then dust with the cornflour.
Heat the oil in a heavy-based, oven-proof casserole dish. Brown the beef in batches, making sure not to crowd the pan, otherwise the meat will stew rather than brown. Remove each batch to a plate and proceed with the next.
When the meat is browned, open the coconut milk and spoon 3 tablespoons of the thick, set cream on top into the pan. Stir well, using a wooden spoon to scrape up all the browned on flavour on the bottom of the pan. Add the curry paste and cook for one minute, stirring.
Return the beef and any resting juices to the pan, stir to coat in the coconut, then add all remaining ingredients, stirring to combine. Remove from the heat, cover with a tightly fitting lid and cook in the preheated oven for 2 hours, removing the lid for the last 30 minutes of cooking time.
Meanwhile, cook the rice and enjoy the amazing aroma wafting through the house.When the curry has cooked, the meat should be beautifully tender. Divide between 4 plates and serve immediately.

Notes

If you are using a store-bought paste, they can be full of salt. Check the ingredients and if there is a lot of salt either use sodium-reduced beef stock or make it half strength from powder or cubes. If you have made your paste from the recipe here there is no additional salt so you can add it as you like.

If you would prefer a thicker curry, don’t try to reduce the sauce as this will just toughen the meat. When you take the curry out of the oven, mix 1-2 tsp of cornflour / cornstarch with 2 Tbsp of cold water, stirring until smooth. Place the curry over medium heat, add the cornflour mixture and stir until thickened.