I had my first Massaman curry in my favourite Thai restaurant; it was the only bad dish I ever had there! They forgot the tofu and added it straight from the pack when I pointed it out, the whole dish was bland and insipid. I gave it another go in a vegan restaurant and it was delicious. This is my take on a homemade Vegan Massaman Curry. I used cashews for healthy plant-based protein. There are lots of ingredients, but apart from the rice, it’s an easy one-pot vegan dinner. My version is rich, creamy, spicy, aromatic and absolutely delicious!”
Follow along with the simple steps below to create this ultimate comforting Vegan Massaman Curry at home tonight.
Massaman Curry
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
- Diet: Vegan
Description
A rich, creamy, and aromatic Vegan Massaman Curry that makes the perfect comforting one-pot dinner. Packed with flavour, tender potatoes, and wholesome cashews for healthy plant-based protein, this easy recipe is a delicious upgrade from traditional Thai takeout.
Ingredients
Section 1: Spices and Aromatics
1 onion, diced
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1.5 inch piece of ginger, chopped
0.5 teaspoon dried cumin seed
0.5 teaspoon dried coriander
1 tablespoon turmeric
1 teaspoon dried chilli flakes
black pepper to taste
a little vegetable oil
Section 2: The Curry Base
4 medium potatoes, scrubbed and quartered
2 large tomatoes, chopped
400ml can of coconut milk
2 teaspoons tamarind paste stirred into 2 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons peanut butter
1 tablespoon agave nectar
0.5 teaspoon of salt
Section 3: To Finish and Garnish
200g cashew nuts
juice of a lime
3 spring onions, sliced diagonally
Instructions
- Put the cashew nuts in a cup and pour in boiling water to just cover them.
- Splash some vegetable oil in a large saucepan so it just covers the bottom, add the onion and salt, stir and sweat on the lowest heat for about ten minutes until softened.
- Add the garlic and stir.
- Add the ginger and stir.
- Add the turmeric, coriander, cumin, dried chilli flakes, give another good stir, and grind in some black pepper.
- Add the tamarind water.
- Add the potato pieces so they start to absorb the flavours, followed by the chopped tomatoes. Add a little more water to loosen the mixture if necessary.
- Add the coconut milk and stir.
- Allow the curry to come slowly to the boil and simmer for about 30 minutes until the potatoes have softened. (Now is a great time to start cooking your rice).
- After 15 minutes of simmering, stir in the soaked cashews along with their soaking water.
- Just before serving, stir in the peanut butter, half of the lime juice, and the agave nectar.
- Serve hot, garnished with the sliced spring onions, a final squeeze of lime, and an optional pinch of dried chilli flakes.
Notes
Time-Saving Shortcut: If you want to skip blooming the spice base from scratch, you can replace the spice list with 2–3 tablespoons of a store-bought paste. I highly recommend Maesri Masaman Curry Paste because it is authentically flavored and naturally 100% vegan. Be very careful when shopping for other commercial Thai brands, as many standard curry pastes contain hidden shrimp paste or fish sauce even if the front packaging looks vegetarian. Always read the allergen warnings on the back carefully
- Prep Time: 15
- Cook Time: 30
- Category: Vegan Dinner
- Method: Boil
- Cuisine: Asian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/4 of recipe
- Calories: 710
- Sugar: 11g
- Fat: 47g
- Saturated Fat: 16g
- Carbohydrates: 57g
- Fiber: 7g
- Protein: 17g
Tips for the Perfect Vegan Massaman Curry
* **Uniform Cooking:** Cut your potato chunks into equal sizes so they all soften at the exact same rate during the 30-minute simmer.
* **Taming the Spice:** If you prefer a milder dinner, reduce the dried chilli flakes by half or skip the final garnish pinch entirely.
* **Storing Leftovers:** This curry tastes even better the next day! Store it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. If the sauce thickens up too much while chilling, simply stir in a small splash of warm water or vegetable broth when reheating to restore that rich, velvety takeout texture.
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