Fragrant and Flavorful Thai Instant Pot Massaman Curry with Beef has creamy coconut, tender beef, potatoes and crunchy peanuts that combine to make this a highly satisfying dish that can be put together quickly for a delicious weeknight meal.
Have I already mentioned how much I love Thai food? I especially love Thai coconut curries! One of my favorite Thai curries is Massaman (pronounced muss-uh-maan) curry, which is a mild curry and doesn’t taste as spicy as a red, green or panang curry. Massaman curry is typically made with beef or chicken in Thai restaurants. The taste of Thai massaman curry reminds me so much of Indian coconut-based curries because the massaman curry paste has cumin, coriander and some of the essential ingredients of the Indian spice garam masala: cardamom, cinnamon, cloves.
Thai massaman curry is said to have come to Thailand from Persia, which is also how many North Indian curries came to India. Thai massaman curry is also known as Muslim Curry because it originated in the Muslim communities of Thailand. But it’s Thai through and through, due to the addition of quintessential Thai ingredients in the massaman curry paste (galangal ginger, kaffir lime, lemongrass).
This Instant Pot Thai Massaman Curry is quick and easy. It requires tamarind paste, which is easy to make from slabs of tamarind pulp that you can find at East Asian or South Asian stores. This is my Instant Pot Tamarind Paste recipe (try and make it ahead of time). If you use a purchased tamarind paste, the quantity required varies. If using Indian tamarind paste like Tamicon, you should start out with a smaller quantity (about 1 teaspoon mixed with some hot water) and taste at the end before you add more. If using the Thai tamarind concentrate, you might need to use more than the recipe suggests. The first time you make the dish, be on the safe side and add one tablespoon to start with, and adjust at the end. If you don’t want to use tamarind at all, you can substitute lime juice.
For the Thai massaman curry paste, there are two brands that I like: Maesri and Mae Ploy. I use Maesri because I use the whole can for the massaman curry dish. No leftover curry paste to store in the fridge. Thai massaman curry is not a spicy dish, so people who don’t like spicy foods will probably be okay with using a whole can of Thai massaman curry paste. If you’re concerned about spice, reduce the quantity of massaman curry paste. If you use Mae Ploy brand of massaman curry paste, you might need to go easy on the fish sauce because it’s more salty than the Maesri brand and fish sauce is salty too.
When I posted my Instant Pot Thai Red Curry with Chicken recipe, I got a few messages/comments about fish sauce. Raw fish sauce, yes, can smell fishy. But when you put it in a dish, the fish taste and smell goes away, and I believe it’s essential to Thai curries. There is no substitute. If you want Thai dishes like you get in your favorite Thai restaurant, you should use fish sauce. In a pinch – and I’m not saying it’ll be the same – you can use soy sauce.
For the fish sauce, I like the quality of Red Boat fish sauce. You can find it at Asian grocery stores. But it is more expensive than other fish sauce brands. Tiparos is another brand of fish sauce I’ve used – it is more affordably priced. For the coconut milk, try and use regular fat and not the light variety because there’s a definite taste difference!
I use beef stew meat or London broil and the cooking time I’ve provided is just right. If you use a different cut of beef, you may need to adjust the cooking time. You can also substitute the beef with chicken to make it a Thai Chicken Massaman Curry recipe. You’ll need to adjust the cooking time, of course.
You might also like to try Instant Pot Thai Red Curry with Chicken and Instant Pot Thai Green Curry with Chicken. They are as delicious as this curry, but with different flavors. And of course, you’ve got to have Thai Instant Pot Massaman Curry with Instant Pot Jasmine Rice – oh my, so satisfying and good!
If you’re new to the Instant Pot and aren’t familiar with how to use it, please read the Instant Pot Manual / Beginner’s Quick Start Guide blog post first and then come back here to learn how to make Thai Instant Pot Massaman Curry.
Thai Instant Pot Massaman Curry with Beef Ingredients
Thai Instant Pot Massaman Curry with Beef Step-by-Step Instructions
- Press ‘Saute’.
- Stir together Thai massaman curry paste and 1/2 can of coconut milk and saute until mixture is bubbly, a minute or two. *
* Use a splatter screen if necessary, to guard against splatters from the coconut milk.
- Press ‘Cancel’ to turn off Instant Pot.
- Stir in beef, remaining coconut milk, water, tamarind paste, fish sauce, and brown sugar.
- Close Instant Pot Lid, and make sure steam release handle is in the ‘Sealing’ position.
- Press ‘Manual’ (or ‘Pressure Cook’) and ‘+’ or ‘-‘ until display reads ‘15’ (15 minutes).
- Instant Pot display will change to ‘On’.
- Once the Instant Pot is pressurized, the float valve will go up.
- The display will count down from 15 to 0; it will then switch to ‘Keep Warm’ mode and display ‘L0:00’.
- Do a quick release: to open the Instant Pot, first move the steam release handle to ‘Venting’. I like to place a folded towel over the steam release handle and move it to the venting position.
- When your Instant Pot is depressurized, the float valve will be in the down position.
- Press ‘Cancel’ and open the Instant Pot.
- Note: you can let the pressure drop naturally by waiting for the float valve to go down on its own. This can take 15 to 30 minutes.
- Stir in potatoes, onions, and roasted peanuts.
- Close Instant Pot Lid, and make sure steam release handle is in the ‘Sealing’ position.
- Press ‘Manual’ (or ‘Pressure Cook’) and ‘+’ or ‘-‘ until display reads ‘5’ (5 minutes).
- Instant Pot display will change to ‘On’.
- Once the Instant Pot is pressurized, the float valve will go up.
- The display will count down from 5 to 0; it will then switch to ‘Keep Warm’ mode and display ‘L0:00’.
- Do a quick release again: to open the Instant Pot, first move the steam release handle to ‘Venting’.
- When your Instant Pot is depressurized, the float valve will be in the down position.
- Press ‘Cancel’ and open the Instant Pot.
- Taste and adjust seasonings as required.
- Stir Instant Pot Massaman Curry and serve with Instant Pot Jasmine Rice.
Thai Instant Pot Massaman Curry with Beef
Prep
Cook
Total
Yield 6 servings
Fragrant and Flavorful Instant Pot Thai Massaman Curry with Beef has creamy coconut, tender beef, potatoes and crunchy peanuts that combine to make this a highly satisfying dish that can be put together quickly for a delicious weeknight meal.
Ingredients
- 4 oz. Thai massaman curry paste (preferably Maesri or Mae Ploy brand)
- 1 14-oz can regular-fat coconut milk
- 2 lb. beef stew meat, cut in 1-inch cubes
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 Tbsp homemade tamarind paste ( or Thai Tamarind Concentrate) **
- 1 Tbsp fish sauce, more to taste
- 1 Tbsp brown sugar (or to taste)
- 2 cups potatoes, 1-inch cubes *
- 1/2 cup onion, 1-inch cubes
- 1/2 cup roasted peanuts
Instructions
- Stir together massaman curry paste and 1/2 can of coconut milk and cook in 'Saute' mode until mixture is bubb(or 'Pressure Cook')ly, about two minutes.
- Press ‘Cancel’ to turn off Instant Pot. Stir in beef, remaining coconut milk, water, tamarind paste, fish sauce, and brown sugar.
- Close Instant Pot and cook on 'Manual' (or 'Pressure Cook') mode for 15 minutes.
- Do a quick release of pressure (You can also choose to do a natural release).
- Open Instant Pot and stir in potatoes, onions, and peanuts.
- Close Instant Pot and cook on 'Manual' (or 'Pressure Cook') mode for 5 minutes.
- Do a quick release of pressure.
- Carefully stir Instant Pot Thai Beef Massaman Curry.
- Taste, and adjust seasonings as needed.
- Transfer Instant Pot Beef Massaman Curry to a serving dish. Serve with Instant Pot Jasmine Rice.
Notes
- Use a splatter screen if necessary, in the first step, to guard against coconut milk bubbling up.
- You may substitute chicken for the beef. Be sure to adjust the cooking time.
- * I prefer to use Yukon Gold potatoes.
- ** If using purchased tamarind paste, the quantity required may vary. If using Tamicon brand, start with 1 tsp; if using Thai Tamarind Concentrate, start with 1 Tbsp. Adjust for more at the end.
Courses Main Dish
Cuisine Thai
Nutrition Facts
Amount Per Serving | ||
|---|---|---|
Calories 441 | ||
% Daily Value | ||
Total Fat 23 g | 35% | |
Saturated Fat 14 g | 70% | |
Cholesterol 97 mg | 32% | |
Sodium 474 mg | 20% | |
Total Carbohydrates 21 g | 7% | |
Dietary Fiber 3 g | 12% | |
Sugars 8 g | ||
Protein 37 g | 74% | |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
I am not a certified nutritionist. I provide my best estimate of nutritional information merely as a courtesy to my readers. If you depend on nutritional information for dietary or health reasons, I suggest using your favorite online nutrition calculator to confirm the nutritional value of this recipe based on the actual ingredients that you use.
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