The curry that asks you to be patient — and rewards you lavishly for it

Massaman is one of the great slow-cooked curries — Persian-influenced, gently spiced with warm aromatics like cinnamon, cardamom, and star anise rather than chilli heat. It is a perfect vehicle for diced grass-fed beef, which gives the curry its collagen-rich, body-building depth as the connective tissue breaks down over a long, gentle simmer.

2 hrs 50 mins 4 servings Prep 20 minsCook 2 hrs 30 minsMain CourseThai

Ingredients

  • 480g Your Farmer diced beef
  • 3–4 tbsp Massaman curry paste (jarred is fine — see tip)
  • 400ml coconut cream
  • 200ml beef stock
  • 2 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
  • 1 large onion, cut into wedges
  • 3 tbsp fish sauce
  • 2 tbsp palm sugar or brown sugar
  • 2 tbsp tamarind paste
  • 3 tbsp roasted peanuts
  • 2 cardamom pods
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • 3 dried bay leaves
  • Neutral oil
  • Steamed jasmine rice and fresh coriander to serve

Instructions

Brown the diced beef in batches in a heavy pot over high heat. Remove and set aside.

480g diced beef

Reduce heat to medium. Add the oil and fry the curry paste for 2–3 minutes until fragrant.

neutral oil3–4 tbsp Massaman paste

Add the cardamom, cinnamon, and bay leaves. Stir for 30 seconds.

2 cardamom pods1 cinnamon stick3 bay leaves

Add the coconut cream and beef stock. Stir to combine. Return the beef.

400ml coconut cream200ml beef stock

Add the fish sauce, sugar, and tamarind paste. Stir through.

3 tbsp fish sauce2 tbsp palm sugar2 tbsp tamarind paste

Bring to a gentle simmer. Cover and cook on the lowest heat for 1.5 hours.

Add the potatoes and onion wedges. Continue simmering, covered, for another 45–60 minutes until the beef is very tender and the potatoes are cooked through.

2 potatoes1 onion

Taste and adjust the balance of fish sauce (salty), sugar (sweet), and tamarind (sour).

Serve over jasmine rice topped with roasted peanuts and fresh coriander.

jasmine rice3 tbsp roasted peanutsfresh coriander

Appears in

In every beef share — Diced Beef (480g)

Your Farmer CSA grass-fed beef share — vacuum-sealed steaks, roasts, mince and sausages, paddock-to-plate NSW & ACT delivery
CSA Grass Fed Beef Share
From $176.67
Grass-fed diced beef from Your Farmer — vacuum-sealed paddock-to-plate, NSW & ACT delivery
Grass-Fed Diced Beef (approx 480g)
$16.79

Why Diced Beef and Massaman Were Made for Each Other

The long, slow braise that Massaman requires is exactly what diced beef needs to come into its own. Over 2–3 hours at a bare simmer, the collagen in the connective tissue dissolves into gelatin, giving the curry sauce an extraordinary silkiness. The beef becomes fall-apart tender, and every piece drinks up the fragrant, coconut-rich sauce.

💡 If your Massaman paste is from a jar, fry it in the oil for 2–3 minutes before adding any liquid. This ‘blooms’ the spices and removes the raw, slightly metallic edge that jarred pastes can have.

Your diced beef, elevated. Join the Your Farmer community. 🍛

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