Massaman Madness!

I have to call this post that! The scene at home gets a bit mayhem like when Thai food is made... umpteen tasting sessions, 3 and 4 helpings and all that 'madness'. Massaman is something we order when we eat at Thai restaurants and I usually love it with pork and potatoes or lamb but this is a light, quick and easy version with all the flavours intact! Though I love to cook and I cook every day, the weather doesn't permit long, leisurely sessions churning out gourmet spreads, recipes like these have a full on gourmet appeal but half the work. Also because we can now find gems like 'Massaman paste' in stores and no matter how much I rave about 'from scratch' sometimes bottled masala's have the balance just right and then you can never go wrong. The paste has a pretty long shelf life so I don't have to worry about what to do with it after this meal. Also this is probably the only dish where I combine potatoes and chicken, potatoes are pretty much a deal with lamb or beef but with chicken... that's new for me. I also love peanuts in this curry ...though Ally tends to pick them out like peas ...wait for it ...then eat them later when the curry is over :)

Ingredients:

1/2 kg Boneless Chicken cut into equal sized cubes
1 large potato cut into small cubes
3 tbsp Massaman Curry Paste, use 1 tbsp to marinate the chicken and the rest for the curry
1 star anise
1 stick of cinnamon
1 large onion, chopped fine
3-4 garlic cloves, smashed
1 tbsp tamarind paste
2 tsp brown sugar
1 tbsp peanut oil (optional)
1 tbsp fish sauce
3-4 Thai basil leaves 
2 cups of coconut milk, I use the MAGGI powder or a can of Coconut cream, petered down with a little warm water. For the powder, I use one small pack with a cup and a half of hot water.
Handful of roasted, salted peanuts, you can pop them in the oven for a bit to make them extra crunchy.
Salt to taste

2 tbsp Olive Pomace Oil (I like cooking in olive oil but EVOO is usually reserved for salads and dips)

Marinate the chicken and potato cubes in the peanut oil and 1 tbsp of the Massaman paste. Heat the oil, fry onions and garlic till light brown, add the cinnamon stick and the star anise and fry till you get the aroma of the spices, nice and potent. Add the massaman paste and the marinated chicken and potato pieces. stir fry and low flame for about 5-6 minutes, then add the coconut milk, the tamarind paste, brown sugar, fish sauce, Thai basil leaves and salt. Check for salt and simmer for 3-4 minutes on a low flame. Sprinkle with roasted peanuts. Serve with white rice.

Enjoy!