MASSAMAN INSPIRED BEEF CURRY

Massaman-Inspired Beef Curry

A rich, warming, slow-cooked curry for the whole family. This is such an easy two-casserole-dish dinner — one big pot for the grown-ups and a smaller, gentler version for your Tiny Feasters.

Slow-cooked beef shin becomes beautifully tender, while coconut milk, peanut butter, cinnamon and tamarind make the sauce rich, creamy and full of flavour.

Serves: The whole family

Cooking time: 2–3 hours

Oven: 160°C fan / 180°C conventional

Ingredients

For the grown-ups

• Ingredients

  • 1½ onions, cut into quarters and then halved again

  • 750g beef shin, cut into chunks

  • 1½ tins full-fat coconut milk

  • 2 tbsp peanut butter

  • 1 tbsp garlic purée

  • ¾ jar Massaman curry paste

  • 1 cinnamon stick

  • 300g new potatoes, halved or chopped into bite-sized pieces

  • 2 tsp tamarind paste

  • 2 tsp fish sauce

  To serve:

  • Cooked rice

  • Fresh coriander, roughly chopped

  • Fresh chilli, finely sliced

  • Poppadoms

  Tiny Feaster Pot

  Ingredients

  • ½ onion, finely diced

  • 250g beef shin, cut into small pieces

  • ½ tin full-fat coconut milk

  • 1 tsp peanut butter, optional and only if peanuts have already been safely introduced

  • 1 tsp garlic purée

  • Up to ¼ jar Massaman curry paste, using less depending on your baby’s tastes and the strength/salt content of your chosen paste

  • 1 cinnamon stick

  • 100g potatoes, chopped into small pieces

  • 1 tsp tamarind paste

  Method

  1. Preheat the oven to 160°C fan / 180°C conventional.

  2. Take two ovenproof casserole dishes — one large and one small.

  3. Add all of the grown-up ingredients to the large casserole dish and give everything a really good stir so the beef and potatoes are coated in that creamy Massaman sauce.

  4. Add all of the Tiny Feaster ingredients to the smaller casserole dish and stir together.

  5. Cover both dishes with lids and place them in the oven.

  6. Cook for around 2–3 hours, checking towards the end. The beef should be beautifully tender and pull apart easily, and the potatoes should be completely soft.

  7. Remove and discard the cinnamon sticks from both dishes before serving.

  8. Serve the Tiny Feaster portion with soft rice, making sure the beef and potatoes are an appropriate size and texture for your little one.

  9. For the grown-ups, spoon the curry over rice and finish with plenty of chopped coriander and sliced fresh chilli. Serve with poppadoms on the side.

  The result is the most beautifully tender beef in a rich, creamy Massaman-inspired sauce — with hardly any hands-on cooking.

  One meal. Two pots. The whole family fed.

Baby note: Always check the ingredients and salt/chilli levels of your chosen curry paste, as brands vary considerably. Peanut butter should only be included once peanuts have been safely introduced, and use smooth peanut butter for little ones.

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