Mussaman Curry Lamb with Orange and Jasmine Rice

A traditional Southern Thai curry, with a bit of sweet citrus.

Time

prep 3:00       total 4:00

Yield

6 servings

Ingredients

Ingredients

Home made Thai Mussaman curry paste
1 lb. dried red chiles
1 tbsp. black peppercorns
1/2 cup coriander seeds
2 tbsp. cumin seeds
12 husked cardamom pods
12 whole cloves
1 cinnamon stick
4 stalks lemongrass
3 tbsp. minced galangal
1 cup minced garlic
2 cups minced shallots
1 tbsp. shrimp paste
Beef stock or
broth, as needed
Have a lg. mortar and pestle ready.
Ingredients
1-1/2 lb. lamb shoulder chops, bones removed, and sliced thin against the grain
1 md. sized eggplant (or 3 Thai eggplants… they’re small…), cut into 3/4 inch cubes
2 baby bok choy, quartered
2 arge carrots, peeled and chopped
3 tbsp. Mussaman Curry Paste
20 whole basil leaves (Thai basil is preferred, but not required)
1/4 lb. cashews
1-1/2 cup clear beef broth
1 cup Satsuma orange juice (about six oranges worth of juice)
3 tbsp. fish sauce

Instructions

Have an oven preheated to 350F

To make the curry paste:

First, stem and seed the chiles. Then soak them for 20-30 minutes, or until they are soft enough to peel. Then remove the skins.

Put a small saute pan on medium high heat, no oil. When the pan is hot, add the cinnamon stick and shake it around in the pan until you begin to detect its aroma. Then add the peppercorns and wait again for the aroma. Then add the coriander, repeat, and also with the cloves, cumin, and cardamom.

When all the spices are toasted, place them in the mortar and pestle, and allow them to cool.

While the spices are cooling, take the lemongrass and bash it with the flat side of your knife until it’s bruised and frayed. Then slice only the white parts and mince.

Pound spices into a powder, then add lemongrass, galangal, garlic, shallots, and shrimp paste. Pound down to a thick paste, then add chiles.

Keep pounding, adding beef stock or broth until the paste has the desired consistency.

For the curry:

toast the cashews in a 350 degree oven, until golden brown and fragrant.

While the nuts are toasting, add two tablespoons of peanut oil to a wok over medium-high heat. When the oil begins to smoke, add carrots.

As carrots begin to cook, add lamb and brown.

When both lamb and carrots are browned, remove from the wok and set aside.

Put wok back on the heat, and add 1 tablespoon of peanut oil, and 1 tablespoon of sesame oil.

Add curry paste. Mash the paste into the oil, and allow it to fry for 2 minutes, then add the fish sauce.

Mix paste and fish sauce thoroughly, then add the bok choy, lamb, and carrots, toss to cover with the mixture.

Add broth and orange juice and bring to a simmer.

Simmer for 15-20 minutes, checking the tenderness of the lamb. When lamb is cooked to just under the desired tenderness, add the eggplant and nuts. Simmer until eggplant is tender, but not mushy.

Serve with steamed Jasmine Rice…

Author's Comments

I made this when I hosted Paper Chef #12. The thing to watch for is how spicy you like yours. Add more or less paste depending on your preference.

Similar Recipes

0 Recipe Reviews