A move to Germany, and some Massaman beef curry

So, it has happened. I have left London! I will be in the beautiful city of Munich for the next 6 months, and I cannot wait for all the adventures that will surely befall. There are already a number of positives, including a bigger, better equipped kitchen and an Asian supermarket just down the road…

I will be continuing my blog as before, with all my cooking and eating adventures – but they may well be slightly more Bavarian-flavoured 🙂 I will start off, though, with a recipe I cooked last week whilst still in London. I haven’t had the time to blog it due to all the packing and moving, but as I am now settled into the new flat, I have no more excuses. So without further ado, here is a Gordon Ramsay-inspired beef Massaman curry. It is a slow-cooked dish that provides some much needed warmth on a cold winter night. It is great served with rice, but as it also has potatoes in it, you could even serve it as a sort of soup! It can be made in a slow cooker and left to stew for 8-10 hours, but you can also use a deep-bottomed pan like I did, since I had already given away the slow cooker to my boyfriend amidst my packing!

Serves 4-6 people

Curry paste:

• 1/2 tsp fennel seeds
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 5-6 cloves
• 1 tsp coriander powder
• 1 small onion or 2 shallots, finely chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 inch ginger, peeled and finely chopped
• 2 pieces dried galangal
• 3 tsp lemon juice
• 5 lime leaves
• 1 tsp brown sugar
• 1 tbsp fish sauce
• 1 tbsp chili oil
• 1 tbsp sriracha
• 1/2 cup water

Curry:

• 425g beef pieces (ideally stewing steak)
• Salt & pepper, to season
• 2 potatoes, peeled and cut into small chunks
• 2 small onions, sliced
• 400ml coconut milk
• 1l beef stock
• 1 tbsp fish sauce
• 1 tsp brown sugar
• 1 tsp tamarind paste
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 small piece cinnamon bark
• Peanuts (to garnish)

Heat a small frying pan (no oil) and toast the fennel seeds, cumin seeds, cloves and coriander powder on high heat until fragrant (3-4 minutes). Pour into blender.

In a wok or deep frying pan, heat 2 tbsp vegetable oil and fry the onion, garlic, ginger and galangal for 3-4 minutes. Add into the blender. Then add all the other curry paste ingredients and blend until smooth.

In the same deep frying pan, heat another 2 tbsp vegetable oil and brown the beef with salt and pepper (4-5 minutes). Remove the beef and set aside. Then fry the onions for a few minutes until slightly brown before adding the blended curry paste. Fry for 2-3 minutes on high heat and then add the coconut milk and beef stock. Let it reduce for around 10 minutes and then add the beef back in, along with the potatoes, fish sauce, brown sugar, tamarind paste, bay leaves and cinnamon bark. Lower the heat, cover the pot and let it simmer for around 2.5-3 hours. Serve with rice or as a soup and garnish with salted peanuts!