Thai Massaman Curry

Ingredients

• 700 g chicken thigh fillets, cut into large chunks
• 400 g waxy potatoes, peeled and cut into 3cm chunks
• 1 large onion, cut into wedges
• 3 cardamom pods, lightly crushed
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 2 x 400ml tins full-fat coconut milk
• 2 tbsp fish sauce
• 1 tbsp soft brown sugar
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• 2 tbsp massaman curry paste
• 1 tbsp tamarind paste
• 50 g roasted peanuts, roughly chopped
• Fine salt and black pepper
• 150 ml double cream
• 300 g cooked rice
• 160 g pickled cucumber
• 15 g coriander leaves

Method

1. Pat the chicken dry and season it. Heat the oil in a heavy casserole over a medium-high heat and brown the pieces in two batches for 3 to 4 minutes a side. Give them room; colour on the chicken is what stops the coconut sauce tasting flat.
2. Lower the heat to medium and fry the massaman paste for 1 minute in the chicken fat. Add a spoonful of the thick coconut cream and keep stirring until the paste looks glossy and smells rounded rather than raw.
3. Pour in the remaining coconut milk. Add the cardamom, cinnamon, fish sauce, tamarind and brown sugar, then return the chicken with its resting juices.
4. Add the potatoes and onion. Bring to a gentle simmer, cover and cook for 30 minutes, stirring once or twice, until the potatoes are tender and the chicken reaches 75°C for 30 seconds.
5. Uncover and simmer for another 8 to 10 minutes, until the sauce coats the back of a spoon. Taste it with a spoonful of rice. Add fish sauce for salt, tamarind for sharpness or a pinch of sugar if the spices feel harsh.
6. Fish out the cinnamon and cardamom, scatter over the roasted peanuts and coriander, and serve with jasmine rice and pickled cucumber.