Gaeng Massaman Gai
Thai Massaman Chicken curry

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Ingredients
about 1 pound chicken (you can also use pork or beef), cut into bite sized pieces
3 cups of coconut milk.
2 tablespoons roasted peanuts (unsalted)
5 peeled, but whole, small onions.
5 small potatoes, mun-tet  peeled and partly boiled.
3 bay leaves,
5 roasted cardomom fruits
a small piece of roasted cinnamon stick
3 tablespoons palm sugar
1 tablespoon tamarind concentrate mixed with 3 tablespoons water
3 tablespoon lime juice
1-3 tablespoons Massaman curry paste.
about 1-3 teaspoons crushed garlic. (optional)

Method
1. Allow the coconut milk to separate and you will have about 1 cup of thick "cream" and two cups of thin "milk".
2. In a small saucepan bring the milk to a simmer
3. add the chicken or pork.

If you are using beef you will need another two cups of milk.
Simmer the meat until it begins to become tender
(beef takes longer, hence the additional milk).

 
1. Put the coconut cream in a wok and bring to a boil
2. add the Massaman paste and "stir fry" until the flavour is brought out and maximized.
3. The coconut oil will separate out and can be skimmed off with a spoon or ladle (this removes much of the vegetable cholesterol or whatever it is called, and makes the dish much less trouble for those watching their weight or heart).
4. Add the remaining cream and curry paste to the meat.
5. Add the peanuts.
6. Taste and adjust the flavour until it is (just) sweet (by adding sugar), sour and salty (by adding tamarind juice, lime juice and fish sauce).
7. Add the remaining ingredients and cook until cooked.

Note : the potatoes used in Thailand for this dish are a yellow fleshed sweet potato mun-tet of the type sometimes called a yam. Western style potatoes can be used, but absorb less of the sauce and flavour. The potatoes act as a "moderator" to reduce the heat of the curry, and should not be left out.

You can either serve it on a bed of Thai jasmine rice, or double the amount of potato and serve it alone.

Accompany it with a dressed green salad and a bowl of "Ajad" pickled cucumbers
The traditional Thai table also offers chilies in fish sauce  nam pla-prikchilies in vinegar prik dong, and powdered chilli
(not to be confused with the powdered chilli mix sold as chilli powder), sugar, and often MSG. You can if you wish add about a teaspoon of MSG to the above recipe to bring out the flavours, but we don't think it is necessary.

Prik dong
Put two thirds of a cup of sliced Thai chile peppers in a 1 pint jar, and fill with white rice vinegar.