Cooking Thai Food - Masaman Curry

This dish, favoured by the muslim people of the south of Thailand, is unique amongst the usual variation of Thai curries as it is more like an Indian curry and it uses mostly dried spices rather than fresh.It is usually made with chicken but works well with beef as well. It is generally not a particularly hot (spicy) curry because it does not usually contain fresh chillies and the spices are cooled by the coconut milk, potatoes and peanuts. In the West it would make a good hearty meal in the winter and could be served with a loaf of bread and a glass of Bordeaux wine.Ingredients (to serve 4 people):ยฝ lb of beef (stew beef is fine)3 tbsp peanuts4 cups of water1 potato, cubed1 tbsp cooking oil (soybean or peanut is best, corn also works)3-4 tbsp Massaman curry paste2 cups coconut milk6 Thai cardamom seeds (cracked and dry roasted)1 inch cinnamon stick (dry roasted)2 tbsp Thai fish sauce1 tbsp palm sugar2 tbsp tamarind pasteยผ of a large onion, cut into piecesFirst, open the can of coconut milk (without shaking) and remove the top layer of thick cream. Set this aside for later.Then add the water, beef and peanuts to a large pan and bring it to the boil, skimming off the layer of scum from the surface. Boil for about 5 minutes, then turn the heat right down and simmer, uncovered, for about an hour. Turn off the heat and set aside.While this is simmering, you can cook the potatoes separately. Boil them in water for about 20 minutes then drain and set aside.Next, heat the oil in a large wok or big pan over a medium heat and add the curry paste. Cook for a couple of minutes until it smells fragrant then add the cream from the top of the can, stirring all the time. Then add the beef and peanuts from the first pan, including all the broth, plus the rest of the coconut milk. Also add the fish sauce, sugar, tamarind, cinnamon, potatoes and onion. Bring this to a boil and then turn the heat down and simmer for 10 minutes. Now is the time to taste and adjust to suit your requirements, using the fish sauce, sugar and tamarind. You can also add salt or more coconut milk if you want. This curry should be slightly sweet, with a slightly sour taste from the tamarind, and not very spicy.Serve with rice and pickled cucumber as a condiment.1. heat to low and cook 10 minutes.2. Adjust seasoning with fish sauce, palm sugar and tamarind water to taste. Massaman curry should be slightly sweet with a very subtle sour note from the tamarind. Serve with pickled ginger or cucumber relish as condiments.Serves 4. This curry is even better the next day, reheated, so make double portion and freeze any left-overs.