Massaman Beef Curry and Coconut Jasmine rice

I hadn't made this for a while and had some spare shin of beef left in the fridge. So with some decent Mao Ploy Massaman curry paste, red chillies etc, thought I could use up some of the cupboard stock ingredients near their use by date.

The best trick I've learned with Jasmine rice is to give it a good long soak before using it, it really makes a big difference. The other is when using meat give it a good covering of the Mao Ploy a good hour before cooking.

ingredients for Four

• 3 Tbsp of Mao Ploy Massaman or red curry paste
• 2 good sized potatoes cut into bite size pieces
• 1 Large White Onion cut into small chunks
• fresh Fruit, pineapple, figs, apricots, apples or a mixture of all three about half the size of the meat chunks
• 500g of good quality beef, or better still slow cook some shin of beef or beef cheeks and add later. Cut into bite size chunks.
• 2 x 400ml Tin of coconut Milk
• 2 tsp Tamarind paste, or tamarind water from the soaked pulp
• 2 tbsp of Fish Sauce
• Palm sugar to taste
• 1 Sweet pepper for garnish
• Handful of Unsalted Peanuts
• 400ml Good quality stock
• 1 Stick of lemon grass
• Jasmine Rice for 4

Direction

1. soak the rice overnight in cold water then rinse off before adding the crushed lemongrass and 1 tin of coconut milk for another 2 hours.
2. Cut all the ingredients into bite size pieces
3. In a hot pan, add a small amount of oil and the Mao ploy paste and cook of for a few seconds, this releases the oils in the paste
4. add a code of tablespoons of coconut milk and continue to cook off the paste
5. Add the meat, reducing the heat so as not to burn the ingredients and cook for a few minutes, until the meat is cooked on the outside. If using fish add it towards the end of the cooking so as not to overcooked.
6. add the rest of the milk and the stock and bring to a boil
7. add all the other ingredients and cook until the potatoes are soft, reducing the heat to a nice simmer.
8. Add the garnish just before serving
9. Take the curry off the meat and allow to rest for ten minutes
10. cook the rice in a pan, adding a little water if the rice is uncooked but no liquor remains, use some good quality stock to add extra flavour.
11. serve with some crackers and a nice chilled beer.