Thai Massaman Pork Curry served with Corn, pea eggplants and coriander fried rice

Massaman Pork Curry is a rich, aromatic Thai curry. This curry features tender chunks of pork cooked in a creamy, coconut-based sauce that is infused with a homemade curry paste. The paste, made from a blend of dried red chilies, aromatic spices like coriander, cumin, and cinnamon, along with fresh ingredients such as lemongrass, galangal, garlic, and shallots.

My version of this wonderful and aromatic Massaman Pork Curry.

I've made a couple of substitutions .Instead of fish sauce, I've used oyster sauce for a slightly sweeter and richer flavour. I have substituted the traditional roasted peanuts for cashew nuts, adding a unique twist and a delightful crunch to the dish.

Ingredients for the Massaman curry paste

10 dry kashmiri Chillies

1 tablespoon of coriander seeds

1 teaspoon of cumin seeds

1 teaspoon of pepper corn

6 cloves

1 and 1/2 inch cinnamon stick

1 star anise

5 cardamom

100 grams of sliced onions

15 cashew nuts

1 inch galangal ( mash the galangal)

1 stalk lemon grass , keeping the green leaves aside. ( Chop the lemon grass bulb into pieces)

6 cloves of garlic

Method

Grind all the above mentioned ingredients to a paste with just enough water.

Ingredients

1 kilo 200 grams Boneless pork pieces

Clean , wash and keep aside

Preparation

Add the lemon grass green leaves , salt to taste, and a tablespoon of ginger garlic paste to the pork. Pressure cook on high , the pork with just enough water. After the first whistle, lower the flame and pressure cook for 10 minutes. Remove the cooked pork pieces and keep the stock aside for further use.

Ingredients

3 tablespoons of oyster sauce

200 ml of thick coconut milk ( I used dabur coconut milk)

2 medium size onions sliced

5 Thai Bird eye Chillies (optional)

Method

Step 1

Heat up some oil in a vessel, once hot, add the sliced onions and sauté until they turn lightly brown. Add the cooked Pork and stir fry for a minute. Mix in 3 tablespoons of oyster sauce and stir fry the pork well.

Step 2

Add in the ground masala and mix well. Allow to cook for 2 minutes on medium flame, stir fry occasionally.

Step 3

Add some of the pork stock and allow to cook for 2 minutes. Finally add the coconut milk , 5 Thai Bird eye Chillies and finely chopped coriander leaves. Cook for another 5 minutes.

Sweet Corn, pea eggplant and coriander fried rice

For the fried rice

Ingredients

250 grams of basmati rice

Wash well and soak for 10 minutes.

Cook the rice till almost done, drain and keep aside.

Ingredients

1 sweet corn , remove the corn and keep aside.

6 cloves of garlic finely chopped

1 inch ginger finely chopped

5 Thai Bird eye Chillies, keep whole

4 bulbs of onions finely chopped ( small onions)

4 lime leaves

30 Thai pea eggplants

1 stock cube

1/2 cup finely chopped coriander leaves

1/4 cup finely chopped stems of the coriander leaves

Method

1.

 Heat some oil in a pan. Sauté the finely chopped ginger, garlic, and chillies until fragrant.

2.

 Add the finely chopped onions and sauté lightly. Add the lime leaves , the finely chopped coriander stems and stir fry for a few seconds. Add the pea eggplants and stir-fry until slightly tender. Add the sweet corn and stir-fry.

3.

 Mix in the crushed stock cube, 1/4 cup of the coriander leaves, and . Stir-fry until well combined. Add the cooked rice and mix everything well, ensuring the rice is evenly coated with the seasonings. Finally, add the remaining chopped coriander leaves. Adjust salt to taste, if required.