Our "Massaman" Curry

My husband and I both love Thai food. We used to have a small Thai restaurant in our town but they couldn't afford to keep open so they had to shut down. The nearest Thai restaurant is now about 80 miles away, so we don't get to eat it very often. I tend to get sucked in to dishes like Pad Thai or some sort of peanut sauce on chicken. My husband always gets curry. So, he recently requested that we make our own curry. I was hesitant...I knew it was going to involve a LOT of ingredients. And specialty ingredients are not easy to come by in this area! I found a recipe that I thought would be fairly manageable! I couldn't find a few of the ingredients but I was able to figure out substitutes! It was SO yummy...I can't wait to eat leftovers tonight for dinner! I learned that there is a very specific container of massaman curry which you can order off of Amazon...so the next time we make it, we will try it with more of the ACTUAL ingredients!

Our "Massaman" Curry
1 lb. chicken breast
3 Tbsp. massaman curry paste (we used the Thai Kitchen Red Curry Paste)
8 cardamom (couldn't find the pods...so I substituted with 1 1/4 tsp ground cardamom)
2 sticks cinnamon
3 star anise (couldn't find this either...substituted about 1/4 Tbsp fennel seed and 1/4 Tbsp Chinese Five Spice)
6 small or 3 large shallots
2 cans coconut milk
1 cup water (we would use probably 3/4 cup next time)
1 1/2 Tbsp. fish sauce
2 medium potatoes, peeled and quartered
1/2 Tbsp. tamarind paste (couldn't find...use 1/4 Tbsp lime juice & 1/4 Tbsp brown sugar)
3-4 Tbsp peanuts, roasted
2 Tbsp. EVOO
handful of Thai basil leaves (I used regular basil)

1. Cut chicken into bite-size pieces and put in medium size container. Add 1 Tbsp of EVOO and curry paste to the chicken. Mix well and let marinade at least 30 minutes.

Chicken in the oil/curry paste marinade

2. Heat remaining oil in large pan (make sure it has a lid). When hot, fry cinnamon, cardamom and star anise for 60 seconds. Then add shallots and fry until golden brown.

This smelled SO good...they should make a candle with this scent.

3. Add chicken, turn heat down to around medium, and cook for 3-5 minutes. Add coconut milk, fish sauce, water, potatoes, peanuts and half of the basil. Bring to a boil (*We decided to add carrots also).

Added chicken...

Mmm....was really hard to not grab a big spoonful of this!

4. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes, until potato is cooked all the way through. If needed, remove the lid and cook until desired thickness.

5. Check the seasoning, Remove from stove and add tamarind paste and remaining basil. Serve with jasmine rice and enjoy!

Yum!