See also Beef Massaman. Lamb Shank Massaman.
แกงมัสมั่น
That nice curly script above is how we spell the name of this curry in Thai. I put it there because it won't be long before someone tells me I've spelt it wrong in English! Truth is that you can't always transcribe Thai to English accurately, two different alphabets and this can be spelt a variety of ways but I'll go with this one. To my way of thinking there is a lot of Malay influence in this paste with the various spices, it's also one of the very few dishes in Thailand that we cook with potatoes. One thing I can tell you is that I've made this paste from the traditional recipe and that it is one of the most time consuming and complex pastes to make so please treat it with respect :-) By that I mean please don't use one of those dreadful "reduced fat" coconut milks, it just won't work, the additives they put in that stuff to keep it together also break down in cooking and you'll end up with a not very nice tasting soup!
Quick guide here, Coconut Milk Summary or if you would like to see the difference between different brands of coconut milk the full article is here; Cooking Thai Curry with Coconut Milk.
I'm using one can coconut milk for around 500 g of meat and about 150 g potatoes for every 500 g of meat. You will also need an onion if you want to garnish it as in the top picture. The pastes are complete but it is always a good idea to have a little lime juice to hand to adjust sweetness to your personal taste, if needed, at the end of cooking. You also adjust saltiness by adding a little more fish sauce or salt if required.
If you want to garnish with some fried onions as above then best to cook them ahead. Slice thinly, cook and drain on kitchen paper and reserve.
Halve some small potatoes and saute them in vegetable oil for about 10 minutes until just browned. Just wash them clean, don't peel them or they may break up in the sauce.
Remove potatoes from the pan and put to one side and add the chicken pieces. Brown for a few minutes and then remove, you'll cook it fully in the sauce later.
Add the paste to the pan with half a can of coconut milk. Heat gently while stirring.
When it's started to bubble return the chicken and potatoes to the pan and bring to a slow simmer
Add some (or all) of the remaining coconut liquid depending on how thick you like your sauce.
Turn heat down and cover for 10 minutes.
After 10 min remove the lid and cook on medium heat for about 15 min to reduce the sauce or you can also add more liquid at this stage if need be. Stir from time to time making sure the potatoes don't break up and the sauce doesn't burn.
Garnish with the fried onion if using and serve with rice. Enjoy!
Enjoy!
Incredible!! Made chicken Massaman tonight it was absolutely gorgeous thank u Nisa! X
Excellent. I copied the recipe almost exactly except I used bone in chicken thighs. I also added some chopped red chilli and chopped peanuts. Loved it as did everyone else. My sister-in-law is here from Spain and I’ve given my packs to her to take home so I’ll be ordering more.
Great recipe, to be used with Nitsa’s own massaman paste. What a difference a great curry paste makes…..
Wonderful flavours, hands down the best massaman curry I’ve cooked. You can’t go wrong with this, just like the other recipes on this site.
Heartily recommended!
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Andrea
August 03, 2025
First of all, big thanks from a complete beginner for the lovely pastes and recipes. The green, red and yellow curries have all been a big hit in my house and now I am about to try the Massaman paste for the first time. As my family are big on vegetables I would like to add water chestnuts, baby corn and mangetout to this recipe. Is this recommended/allowed and if so at what stage should I add them?
Also, if I don’t want to include the fried onion topping, would you recommend adding an onion to the recipe, possibly sauteeing it before the potatoes and chicken and then adding it back in to the recipe at step 5?
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mythaicurry replied:
Thank you for your e-mail, glad you are enjoying the pastes so much! There are no hard or fast rules regarding what you wish to put in a Thai Curry. Providing you start out with an authentic Thai curry paste then you can add whatever ingredients you wish. In this case the cooking times will depend on the vegetables that are involved, but most likely no more than 10 or 15 minutes before the end. Certainly, you can saute an onion and add it into the curry just before the end. Hope that helps!