This fragrant and flavorful Thai Instant Pot Massaman Curry recipe 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.
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Table of Contents
Introduction
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 , panang or yellow 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. Massaman curry is also known as Muslim Curry because it originated in the Muslim communities of Thailand.
But Massaman Curry is Thai through and through, due to the addition of quintessential Thai ingredients in the massaman curry paste (galangal ginger, lime leaves, lemongrass).
Find out the difference between panang curry vs massaman curry.
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 go away, and I believe it’s essential to Thai curries.
There is no substitute. If you want Thai dishes like the ones 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.
My other Instant Pot Thai curry recipes are as delicious as this recipe, but they all have different flavors. And of course, you’ve got to serve this pressure cooker beef massaman curry with Instant Pot Jasmine Rice – oh my, it’s so satisfying and good!
Here are some other super easy Thai recipes you’re going to love!
– Instant Pot Thai Red Curry
– Instant Pot Thai Green Curry
– Instant Pot Thai Yellow Curry
– Instant Pot Thai Panang Curry
– Instant Pot Thai Peanut Noodles
– Instant Pot Thai Grilled Chicken (Gai Yang)
– Instant Pot Thai Coconut Soup (Tom Kha Gai)
– Instant Pot Jasmine Rice
[Read: Instant Pot Pot-in-Pot Cooking Method to learn how to cook rice and curry together!]
Tips and Substitutions
Tamarind Paste
This recipe 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). Tamarind paste adds tartness to dishes.
If you use a purchased tamarind paste, the quantity required varies. If using Indian tamarind paste such as 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 this Thai tamarind concentrate, you might need to use more than the beef massaman curry 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.
Thai Curry Paste
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 recipe. No leftover curry paste to store in the fridge.
If you use the Mae Ploy brand of massaman curry paste, you might need to go easy on the fish sauce because Mae Ploy is saltier than the Maesri brand and fish sauce is salty too.
Fish Sauce
I really like the quality of Red Boat fish sauce which you can find at Asian grocery stores or on amazon. But it is more expensive than other fish sauce brands. Tiparos is another brand of fish sauce I’ve used – it’s more affordably priced.
There’s no substitute for fish sauce. It adds that depth of flavor, the umami, to dishes. I’ve had vegetarian readers recommend the Fysh brand of sauce. But I haven’t tried it. You may need to add a little extra.
Soy sauce is also a substitute for fish sauce, but there is a flavor difference.
Also note that Thai curries are generally eaten with rice. If you’re not planning on eating the curry with rice, you might need to adjust the salt by reducing the quantity of fish sauce.
Coconut Milk
I use full-fat coconut milk. I find some coconut milk brands don’t do well during pressure cooking, including some brands that are widely available at grocery stores. My two favorite brands are Aroy-D and Chaokoh. Some readers recommend Trader Joe’s brand coconut milk.
If you prefer a thicker gravy, you can omit the water. The brands of coconut milk I use are thick, so the water doesn’t make the curry too thin, for my tastes.
Palm Sugar
Palm sugar is more authentic to a Thai curry than brown sugar is. However, I frequently use brown sugar without sacrificing taste.
Meats and Tofu
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 easily substitute other meats or tofu for the beef, but you’ll have to adjust the cooking time – here are some approximate times. Note: the timing for meat is for bite-size pieces!
- Pork shoulder: 8 minutes Natural Pressure Release (NPR)
- Chicken: 4 minutes NPR
- Extra-firm tofu, cubed: 2 minutes, Quick Release (QR)
Potatoes
I like to use Yukon Gold potatoes. The potatoes come out well done if using the 5-minute pressure cook time. If you would like them to be more firm, you can reduce the pressure cook time to 3 minutes.
Spiciness
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 the curry paste. Start with just 3 or 4 tablespoons of the massaman curry paste, and next time you can adjust the heat as needed.
Doubling the Recipe
You can double all the ingredients in the recipe and pressure cook for the same amount of time. Just make sure your ingredients don’t go past the ⅔-full mark.
Splatter Screen
When you’re sauteing ingredients in the Instant Pot, the bubbling mixture can splatter. I like to use a splatter screen to cover the inner pot during this saute process.
If you’re new to the Instant Pot and aren’t familiar with how to use it, you might find it helpful to first read one of the following guides and then come back here to learn how to make this recipe.
- Instant Pot DUO Beginner’s Manual
- Instant Pot ULTRA Beginner’s Manual
- Instant Pot DUO EVO PLUS Beginner’s Manual
- Instant Pot DUO NOVA Beginner’s Manual
- Instant Pot DUO GOURMET Beginner’s Manual
- Instant Pot DUO CRISP Beginner’s Manual
- Instant Pot PRO Beginner’s Manual
- Instant Pot PRO CRISP Beginner’s Manual
Instant Pot Thai Massaman Curry Ingredients
- Beef
- Potatoes
- Onions
- Peanuts
- Curry paste
- Coconut milk
- Fish sauce
- Tamarind paste
- Brown sugar
How to Pressure Cook Thai Massaman Curry in the Instant Pot (Step by Step Instructions)
- Turn on Saute Mode
- Saute spices and coconut milk
- Add beef and remaining coconut milk
- Pressure cook
- Quick-release pressure
- Add vegetables
- Pressure cook
- Quick-release pressure
- Stir to combine
How to Turn on Saute Mode
- Instant Pot DUO: Select the Saute function.
- Instant Pot ULTRA: Select the Saute function and press Start.
Saute spices and coconut milk
- Stir together Thai massaman curry paste and ½ can of coconut milk.
- Saute until mixture is bubbly, a minute or two. A splatter screen is very useful to prevent splatters and a mess on your countertops.
Add beef and remaining coconut milk
- Press Cancel to turn off Instant Pot.
- Stir in beef, remaining coconut milk, water, tamarind paste, fish sauce, and brown sugar.
Instant Pot Duo Pressure Cook 15 minutes
- Close the lid and make sure steam release handle is in ‘Sealing’ position
- Press Manual (or Pressure Cook) and + or – until the display reads ‘15′ (15 minutes).
Instant Pot Ultra Pressure Cook 15 minutes
- Close the lid.
- Select Pressure Cook mode and adjust the time to 15 minutes (00:15).
- Press Start.
Pressure Cooking Process (Duo and Ultra)
- Instant Pot display will change to On.
- Once the Instant Pot is pressurized, the float valve will go up.
- The display will count down to 0; it will then switch to Keep Warm mode and display ‘L0:00’ or ’00 00′ and begin to count up the number of minutes since pressure cooking completed.
How to Quick Release Pressure (QR) on the DUO
- Move the steam release handle to Venting. Steam will come out of the steam release handle.
- When your Instant Pot is depressurized, the float valve will be in the down position.
- Press Cancel and open the Instant Pot.
How to Quick Release Pressure (QR) on the ULTRA
- Press down on the Steam Release Button until it locks into place, and steam begins to come out of the Steam Release Valve.
- When your Instant Pot is depressurized, the float valve will be in the down position.
- Press Cancel and open the Instant Pot.
[Find out more about the pressure release methods and how and when to use them. ]
Add vegetables
- Stir in potatoes, onions, and roasted peanuts.
Instant Pot Duo Pressure Cook 5 minutes
- Close the lid and make sure steam release handle is in Sealing position
- Press Manual (or Pressure Cook) and + or – until the display reads ‘5′ (5 minutes).
Instant Pot Ultra Pressure Cook 5 minutes
- Close the lid.
- Select Pressure Cook mode and adjust the time to 5 minutes (00:05).
- Press Start.
Pressure Cooking Process (Duo and Ultra)
- Instant Pot display will change to On.
- Once the Instant Pot is pressurized, the float valve will go up.
- The display will count down to 0; it will then switch to Keep Warm mode and display ‘L0:00’ or ’00 00′ and begin to count up the number of minutes since pressure cooking completed.
How to Quick Release Pressure (QR) on the DUO
- Move the steam release handle to Venting. Steam will come out of the steam release handle.
- When your Instant Pot is depressurized, the float valve will be in the down position.
- Press Cancel and open the Instant Pot.
How to Quick Release Pressure (QR) on the ULTRA
- Press down on the Steam Release Button until it locks into place, and steam begins to come out of the Steam Release Valve.
- When your Instant Pot is depressurized, the float valve will be in the down position.
- Press Cancel and open the Instant Pot.
[Find out more about the pressure release methods and how and when to use them. ]
Stir to combine
- Stir up the curry and serve over Instant Pot Jasmine Rice.
Thai Instant Pot Massaman Curry with Beef
Ingredients
- 4 oz. Thai massaman curry paste (114 grams) preferably Maesri or Mae Ploy brand
- 13.5 oz. coconut milk (1 can), preferably Aroy D or Chaokoh brand – 400 ml
- 2 lb beef stew meat (1 kg) 1-inch cubes
- ¼ cup water
- 1 tablespoon tamarind paste or Thai tamarind concentrate **
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce or to taste
- 1 Tbsp brown sugar or palm sugar, to taste
- 2 cups potatoes 1-inch cubes *
- ½ cup onion 1-inch cubes
- ½ cup roasted peanuts
Instructions
- Stir together massaman curry paste and ½ can of coconut milk and cook in Saute mode until mixture is bubbly, 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 pressure cook on High Pressure for 15 minutes.
- Do a quick release of pressure (You can also choose to do a natural release). [Read More: The Different Pressure Release Methods].
- Open Instant Pot and stir in potatoes, onions, and peanuts.
- Close Instant Pot and pressure cook on high pressure for 5 minutes.
- Do a quick release of pressure.
- Open the Instant Pot and carefully stir Instant Pot 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
- Prep time does not include steps that are already accounted for in the ingredient list, e.g. minced garlic, cut vegetables, etc.
- Use a splatter screen if necessary, in the first step, to guard against coconut milk bubbling up.
- Thai curries are generally eaten with rice. If you’re not planning on eating the curry with rice, you might need to adjust the salt by reducing the quantity of fish sauce.
- 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.
- See the blog post for more detailed recipe tips
Nutrition
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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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John M (inthe UK)
Twice in this recipe you use quick release. Any instructions about cooking meat in a pressure cooker will state do not use quick release. The sudden change in pressure causes the fibres in the meat to contract and makes it tough. You use it twice in this recipe. I should be natural release. It looks a tasty recipe though. Thanks.
Neena Panicker
Hi John, thank you for your input. I’ve been cooking this recipe for over 7 years, with no issues, as have many readers. Yes, in general, you should do a full natural release for meats. However, there are times when it’s okay to do a quick release e.g. when you need to add quick-cooking vegetables and when you want to cook the dish in a reasonable amount of time. Having the meat in liquid when you do a quick release helps alleviate the issue of losing moisture. Give the recipe a try and let me know what you think!
John M (in the UK)
Thanks Neena