Slow Cooker Beef Massaman Curry

🤍 Recipe Highlights

I have summarised everything that you will come to know and love (LOVE ❤) about this slow cooker recipe in the points below:

• Family friendly: slow cooking makes busy weeknights a breeze! This curry has a mild flavor so it is perfect for all ages. The whole family can enjoy the dish together with its wide variety of tastes and textures.
• Takeout at home: heading out for dinner or ordering in is a fun and enjoyable experience but it can get really expensive very quickly! Save yourself some money by making your favorite Thai food at home. This massaman beef curry tastes like what you would get at a Thai restaurant yet is made from the comfort of home!
• Set and forget: it will take less than 15 minutes of prep work to get this dish into the slow cooker. From there the dish is hands free, having used only minimal effort and dinner pretty much cooks itself!
• The aroma: like with many slow cooker recipes the amazing smell of dinner will begin wafting through the house at around the 1 hour mark. Don't be suprised if you find yourself peering into the slow cooker (no lifting the lid!) as the hours pass as the aroma draws you in.

🥗 Ingredients

The photo below is to show you everything you need to make the slow cooker massaman beef curry. Please refer to the printable recipe card for specific ingredient measurements as well as detailed instructions.

As you can see the recipe calls for:

• Salt and pepper: we use a small amount of salt and black pepper to season the beef.
• Brown sugar: one of a few ingredients used to enhance the store bought curry paste.
• Fish sauce: as above. This has a very distinct taste and flavor.
• Star anise: adds a little oomph to the flavor of the curry sauce.
• Cinnamon: as above. We use these for their depth of flavor to cook the dish and then discard them prior to serving.
• Lime juice: this adds a fresh boost of citrus to the flavor profile of the curry.
• Curry paste: we use store bought massaman curry paste to keep things easy. You will find this in the Asian cooking aisle at the supermarket. Or head to the Asian store to explore other brands and options.
• Chicken stock: chicken stock or chicken broth is used in conjuction with the coconut milk for the thick gravy like sauce.
• Coconut milk: this is the key ingredient need to create the massaman curry sauce. We want to use a full fat version to ensure that the milk doesn't split as it cooks.
• Potatoes: I recommend baby potatoes. They are a great size and don't become too mushy when cooked for a long time.
• Onion: one large onion that we peel and dice.
• Plain flour: we use the flour to coat the beef. We do this to thicken the curry sauce.
• Beef: I like to use beef chuck for the recipe. It is excellent to slow cook and falls apart when cooked. It will be sold as fillet style cuts of meat and then we chop it into one to 2 bite size chunks.

😉 Substitutions and Variations

Here are my sub ins and outs that you might be thinking about as you read the post and I will tell you if I think they will work or why they won't:

• Curry sauce: I like to use chicken stock for the curry sauce. Another option is to use the equivalent of beef broth.
• More vegetables: if you want to add extra vegetables carrots, sweet potato or pumpkin is a great choice! These can be added from the start. Or add some fresh green beans in the last 30 minutes of the cook time.
• Nuts: you will see from the video and photos throughout the post that I use cashews. Another great choice is peanuts. These can be whole, chopped or granulated.
• Fresh herbs: coriander (cilantro) is the most commonly used herb for this dish. If however, you are not a fan, this can be omitted. Less commonly used but another option is to serve the dish with fresh basil leaves. Or sliced green onions will do the trick too if fresh herbs are too hard to come by.
• Salt: the fish sauce has a naturally salty flavor profile. For this reason you can omit the salt as a means to not add additional salt to the recipe or if you are worried that the curry will be 'too salty'.

👩‍🍳 How to Make Slow Cooker Beef Massaman Curry

To make the Slow Cooker Beef Massaman Curry we need about 10 minutes of prep time. We start by slicing the larger baby potatoes in half (leave the smaller ones whole), then we dice the onion.

Next we chop the beef into small one to 2 bite size pieces like you see in the photos below.

Once everything is prepped we begin to layer the ingredients into the slow cooker.

• Prepare the potatoes (Photo 1)
• Dice the onion (Photo 2)
• Chop the beef (Photo 3)
• Add the beef, flour, salt, pepper and curry paste (Photo 4)

🍳 Instructions

Grease the slow cooker insert with cooking oil. Then add the diced beef, plain flour, salt, pepper and massaman curry paste.

Use a wooden spoon to stir so that the beef is fully coated and the mixture is consistent. Then use the same spoon to transfer the beef out and onto a plate (temporarily).

Next spray the slow cooker again with the cooking oil. Then spread the potatoes out across the base of the slow cooker. When ready sprinkle the onions over the top.

Then transfer the coated beef back into the slow cooker on top of the potatoes and onions like you see in the photos below.

• Add the potatoes (Photo 5)
• Add the diced onion (Photo 6)
• Place the beef back on top (Photo 7)
• Add the liquids and sugar (Photo 8)

Next pour the chicken stock in, sprinkle over the brown sugar, pour in the fish sauce and drizzle the lime juice in.

Once done place the cinnamon stick and star anise in the centre like you see in the photo below.

• Add the cinnamon stick and star anise (Photo 9)

Now put the lid on and choose either high for 4 hours or low for 8 hours.

Then when the cook time is up, remove the lid, take the cinnamon stick and star anise out (discard) and give everything a good, yet gentle stir.

• Cook, remove lid and stir (Photo 10)

🍽 Serving Suggestions

Rice is the natural choice when it comes to serving your massaman beef. You can do that with your favorite white rice and either basmati or Jasmine rice is a great choice.

I like to serve the curry with freshly cooked Coconut Rice. It has a creamy coconut milk texture, is made in the microwave and delivers an authentic Thai restaurant type rice.

For garnish you can't go wrong with some sliced red chili, coriander and a sprinkle of roasted cashews.

👍 How to Guide

💡 Tasty Tips

Here are my top tips and tricks that I want to share with you so that you master the recipe from the get go:

• Curry paste: using a ready-made massaman paste keeps the prep time under 15 minutes. If you want to explore making Thai curries with your own paste please be my guest.
• Oil: you will see that I do grease the slow cooker insert. Even though we are cooking a dish with a sauce so you wouldn't think much would stick to the edges, this ensures that the meat won't burn against the inner bowl and that the clean up of the bowl as easy as it can be.
• Technique: you will see that I add the beef, flour, salt, pepper and curry paste to the slow cooker and then stir it to combine. This is done to lock the flavor into the beef without the need to brown it as an additional step. If you are wanting to omit the flour, you can, but I would still use the same technique to coat the beef pieces in the curry paste.
• Keen for more of the same? Then the Slow Cooker Massaman Lamb Shanks will be right up your alley!
• More slow cooker recipes: if cooking with your slow cooker is your favorite thing then you might also like the Pork Belly, Slow Cooker Roast Pork With Crackling, Slow Cooker Stuffed Pork Tenderloin or the Slow Cooker Chicken Barley Soup.

🤓 Frequently Asked Questions

😍 More Easy Dinner Recipes

If you love spending time thinking about 'What's for Dinner?' and getting variety on the table each night of the week then you need plenty of options up your sleeve! These recipes use a variety of proteins as well as having different cook times and methods so you can choose your favorite:

• More beef recipes: Beef Pesto Pasta, Savoury Mince Pies, Cheeseburger Sausage Rolls Fettuccine Bolognese, Beef Yaki Udon and Beef Yakisoba.
• Even more slow cooker recipes: Slow Cooker Savoury Mince, Slow Cooker Dahl, Slow Cooker Cheese And Bacon Bread.
• More easy family dinner ideas: Baked Chicken Drumsticks And Rice, Tuna And Rice Casserole, Chicken And Rice Tray Bake.
• Other proteins to try: Fettuccine Alfredo With Tuna, Ham Fettuccine Alfredo, Pork Mince Fried Rice, Fettuccine Alfredo With Scallops.

It is time to get our massaman curry recipe on my friend! You can also find all of my dinner recipes or slow cooker recipes in the one spot.

Adrianne

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