Chex Mix
Lidey Heuck
248 ratings with an average rating of 4 out of 5 stars
248
1 hour, plus cooling
Updated Jan. 10, 2024
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Prepare the curry paste: Heat a small pan over medium heat. Add the cardamom pods, coriander, cumin, cinnamon and cloves. Swirl the pan around, or toss the spices with a wooden spoon, and gently toast until fragrant, about 1 minute, taking care not to burn the spices. Transfer to a small bowl to cool, then place in a spice grinder or a mortar and pestle. Grind to a fine powder, then return to the bowl. Stir in the ground nutmeg and red curry paste.
Heat a large (about 5½-quart) Dutch oven or pot over medium-high. Scoop 4 tablespoons of the thick cream off the top of a can of coconut milk and add it to the pot; it will sizzle as soon as it hits the hot surface. Stir for a few seconds, then add the curry paste and continuously stir until the mixture becomes a thick paste and the oil starts to separate, about 3 minutes. If it starts sticking, pour in a splash of coconut milk. Stir in the shallots, and cook until slightly softened, about 2 minutes.
Pour in the rest of the coconut milk from both cans and bring to a boil. Stir frequently to make sure nothing sticks to the bottom of the pot, maintaining a lively boil, until slightly reduced and a bit thickened, about 10 minutes.
Reduce heat to medium and stir in the potatoes. Bring to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until the potatoes are slightly softened at the edges, about 10 minutes. Add the chicken, peanuts, fish sauce, sugar and tamarind. Cook at a lively simmer, stirring frequently, until the potatoes and chicken are cooked through, the curry coats the back of a spoon, and all the flavors come to life, about 15 minutes. Taste and season to get the right balance of salt (fish sauce), sweet (sugar) and sour (tamarind).
Remove from the heat and let stand for a couple minutes, until the bright orange oil rises to the top. Serve with cilantro and peanuts, alongside steamed jasmine rice.
Maseri brand massaman curry paste is great. An easy way to get classic massaman flavor.
Our favorite Thai restaurant, Surin of Thailand, in Atlanta, does not use potatoes or peanuts. Instead they add sliced avocado and cashews. One of my favorite comfort foods.
This recipe is so underrated - one of the best I've ever made from NYT! My husband and I loved the complexity of flavors. It's a keeper and one that I will cook many times. Maybe the reason it is underrated is that it is hard to read as written. I reformatted it to one page and, next time I cook it, it will take far less time.
Great flavors, but be careful of which curry paste you use. I have used Thai Kitchen red curry paste for years, but it has become less and less hot (apparently being reconstituted for American tastes). I used it recently in another dish and used a whole jar and it was barely spicy. Got a new brand of curry paste - Mekhala - recently and it was like the old Thai Kitchen level of heat. I used 3 tbl. and it was too hot. Had to add more coconut milk to offset.
I can get pre made Massaman curry paste. I'd think the quantity for red paste here could be used, but at the upper end of the range if not adding the extra spices. Perhaps 6 or 7 spoons rather than 4 to 6. Massaman curry is not especially spicy, but replete with sweeter spices.
Agree, the Maseri brand is the benchmark for store-bought curry pastes. Add some pineapple juice at the end for a lovely tropical kick. Slow cooked brisket is another great meat to use in a massaman.
Really surprised this doesn't have higher ratings. I skipped the toasting of spices and just went straight to putting the coconut milk, curry paste, spices and potatoes in and bringing that to a boil. Then I proceeded with the recipe as normal. The flavors here are absolutely outstanding. I will make this again for sure.
We’ve been searching for a good massaman curry recipe and finally found it here! Delicious! We subbed tofu for chicken and it worked out great.
Since I lost my old recipe for massaman beef I tried this one. It was good and we enjoyed it but I had to do too many substitutions to make comments on how it was in general. I did like the spices and I’m sure the leftovers will be even better. The premade curry is always a problem (other’s comments) but that’s why I liked my old recipe where you made it all with no canned red curry. Still yummy though.
I substituted chicken for 800 grams of firm tofu, besides that followed the steps. Made it for friends who came to eat with us, and everyone loved it. Great recipe. (PS. I used ground cinnamon, cardemom, cloves and cumin. Only my coriander seeds were whole. Still turned out great.)
4 tablespoons was plenty hot, too hot for Barbara
I made extra spice mix, for next time! xo
Masseur brand paste
Made this last night, with a chicken thigh and tofu versions. I made it all in one pot until the time I needed to add the chicken, at which point I placed some of the curry/potato mix into another saucepan. I added the tofu, which I'd previously baked for some texture, 5 minutes prior to the chicken finishing. I used Kroger Private Selection red curry paste, and 3 tbsp was pretty spicy. I'll use 2 tbsp next time. Everyone loved it. May add some peas for color and taste next time!
added two tablespoons of peanut butter to the fish sauce and sugar slurry. Punches up the nutty flavor.
Parboil potatoes in water covered by plate for four minutes. Two red peppers in with potatoes
Parboil potatoes in microwave in blow with water covered with plate.
Do you just add the cut chicken pieces raw to the curry/coconut milk mixture?
Yep. The simmering broth cooks it up nicely
The red curry paste I got was way too hot for this recipe so I would probably reduce it to one or 2 tablespoons, and then add more if necessary.
Loved it. We added broccoli florets after the potatoes and before the chicken. It was really yummy. Thanks NYT!
We loved this made with chicken. Has anyone substituted veggies and/or tofu to make this vegan? Details, please. Thanks!
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