Gordon Ramsay Massaman Curry Recipe

Gordon Ramsay’s massaman curry recipe uses slow-cooked beef chuck in a coconut sauce with massaman curry paste, potatoes, roasted peanuts, tamarind, and fish sauce, simmered for an hour until the beef is fork-tender. I could not find an official massaman recipe from Ramsay, but this uses his paste-frying technique from his Thai red curry and the traditional massaman method from Thai cooking.

Ramsay fries his curry paste in oil before any liquid touches it in every Thai recipe I have read from his books, and that same step is what makes massaman taste rich instead of flat and why I included it in my curry recipes despite having no official Ramsay source. I nearly skipped this recipe because it felt like cheating to build one without an official source, but after cross-checking three traditional massaman recipes and applying Gordon’s Thai curry method, the result was better than any version I have ordered from a restaurant.

Try More Curry Recipes:

• Thai Red Curry
• Thai Green Curry
• Beef Curry

What Is Massaman Curry?

Massaman is a Thai curry with Indian and Malay roots, which is why it tastes warmer and sweeter than green or red curries. The paste uses dried spices like cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, and cumin alongside the usual Thai aromatics.

It is the mildest of the Thai curries, and the peanuts and potatoes make it closer to a stew than a sauce. That heaviness is the whole point.

Massaman Curry Ingredients

• 600g (1.3 lbs) beef chuck, cut into 5cm (2-inch) chunks
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 3-4 tbsp massaman curry paste
• 400ml (1.75 cups) tinned coconut milk
• 200ml (0.85 cups) beef stock
• 2 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
• 1 onion, peeled and quartered
• 50g (1.75 oz) roasted peanuts
• 1 tbsp tamarind paste
• 1 tbsp fish sauce
• 1 tbsp palm sugar (or brown sugar)
• 2 star anise
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 3 cardamom pods, lightly crushed
• 2 bay leaves
• Fresh coriander (cilantro), to garnish

How To Make Gordon Ramsay Massaman Curry

1. Fry the Paste: Heat the oil in a heavy-based pan over high heat. Add the massaman paste and fry for 2-3 minutes, stirring constantly, until it darkens and the oil starts to separate at the edges.
2. Brown the Beef: Add the beef chunks to the paste and stir to coat. Cook for 3-4 minutes until the meat is sealed on all sides.
3. Add Coconut Milk and Stock: Pour in the coconut milk and beef stock. Add the star anise, cinnamon stick, cardamom pods, and bay leaves. Bring to the boil.
4. Slow Simmer: Reduce to a gentle simmer, cover, and cook for 45 minutes. Stir occasionally.
5. Add Potatoes and Onion: Add the potato chunks and onion quarters. Continue simmering for another 20 minutes until the potatoes are tender and the beef is falling apart.
6. Season and Finish: Stir in the tamarind paste, fish sauce, palm sugar, and roasted peanuts. Taste and adjust the balance of sweet, salty, and sour.
7. Serve: Garnish with fresh coriander (cilantro) and serve with steamed jasmine rice.

What Is the Difference Between Massaman and Red Curry?

Red curry is thinner, hotter, and cooks fast. Massaman is thick, mild, and slow-cooked with dried spices like cinnamon and cardamom that red curry does not use.

I have a Thai red curry recipe that takes 45 minutes, but massaman vs red curry is not even a fair comparison. Red curry is sharp and fresh, massaman is warm and heavy.

Can I Use Chicken Instead of Beef?

Yes. Use 500g (1.1 lbs) boneless chicken thighs cut into chunks, skip the 45-minute pre-simmer, and add the chicken with the potatoes for 20 minutes total.

Chicken massaman is quicker but loses the depth that beef gives. The long simmer breaks down the beef fat and thickens the sauce in a way chicken cannot.

What to Serve With Massaman

Jasmine rice and nothing else. The curry already has potatoes, so adding naan or bread on top makes it too heavy.

A prawn curry or vegetable curry on the side gives you a lighter contrast if you are serving a group.

Storing Massaman Curry

This is a curry that tastes better the next day. The spices soak deeper into the beef overnight, and the potatoes absorb more of the coconut sauce.

Fridge for 3 days, freezer for a month. Reheat on the hob with a splash of stock if the sauce has gone too thick.

A cream of cauliflower soup works as a starter before a heavy curry like this.

FAQs

• Is this an official Gordon Ramsay recipe? No. I could not find a published massaman recipe from Ramsay. This uses his Thai paste-frying technique from the Great Escape book and traditional massaman ingredients cross-checked against three trusted Thai recipes.
• Can I make my own massaman paste? You can, but shop-bought Maesri or Mae Ploy massaman paste is genuinely good. I have tried both homemade and shop-bought, and the time difference is not worth the small improvement.
• Do I need tamarind paste? Yes. Tamarind gives massaman its sour note that balances the sweetness from the palm sugar and coconut. Without it, the curry tastes one-dimensional.

More Recipes To Try:

• Pumpkin Curry
• Malaysian Curry
• Curry Paste

Nutrition Facts (Per Serving)

• Calories: 560 kcal
• Total Fat: 34g
• Protein: 38g
• Total Carbohydrate: 28g

Gordon Ramsay Massaman Curry Recipe

Recipe by Sophie Lane

Servings

4

servings

Prep time

15

minutes

Cooking time

1

hour 

10

minutes

Total time

1

hour 

25

minutes

Gordon Ramsay’s massaman curry recipe uses slow-cooked beef chuck in a coconut sauce with massaman paste, potatoes, roasted peanuts, tamarind, and fish sauce, simmered for an hour until the beef is fork-tender. I could not find an official massaman recipe from Ramsay, but this uses his paste-frying technique from his Thai red curry and the traditional massaman method from Thai cooking.

Ramsay fries his curry paste in oil before any liquid touches it in every Thai recipe I have read from his books, and that same step is what makes massaman taste rich instead of flat. I nearly skipped this recipe because it felt like cheating to build one without an official source, but after cross-checking three traditional massaman recipes and applying Gordon’s Thai curry method, the result was better than any version I have ordered from a restaurant.

Ingredients

• 600g (1.3 lbs) beef chuck, cut into 5cm (2-inch) chunks

• 2 tbsp vegetable oil

• 3-4 tbsp massaman curry paste

• 400ml (1.75 cups) tinned coconut milk

• 200ml (0.85 cups) beef stock

• 2 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks

• 1 onion, peeled and quartered

• 50g (1.75 oz) roasted peanuts

• 1 tbsp tamarind paste

• 1 tbsp fish sauce

• 1 tbsp palm sugar (or brown sugar)

• 2 star anise

• 1 cinnamon stick

• 3 cardamom pods, lightly crushed

• 2 bay leaves

• Fresh coriander (cilantro), to garnish

Directions

• Fry the Paste: Heat the oil in a heavy-based pan over high heat. Add the massaman paste and fry for 2-3 minutes, stirring constantly, until it darkens and the oil starts to separate at the edges.
• Brown the Beef: Add the beef chunks to the paste and stir to coat. Cook for 3-4 minutes until the meat is sealed on all sides.
• Add Coconut Milk and Stock: Pour in the coconut milk and beef stock. Add the star anise, cinnamon stick, cardamom pods, and bay leaves. Bring to the boil.
• Slow Simmer: Reduce to a gentle simmer, cover, and cook for 45 minutes. Stir occasionally.
• Add Potatoes and Onion: Add the potato chunks and onion quarters. Continue simmering for another 20 minutes until the potatoes are tender and the beef is falling apart.
• Season and Finish: Stir in the tamarind paste, fish sauce, palm sugar, and roasted peanuts. Taste and adjust the balance of sweet, salty, and sour.
• Serve: Garnish with fresh coriander (cilantro) and serve with steamed jasmine rice.