Masman

First, dry fry 5 cloves, 2 cinnamon sticks and half a tsp. Cardamom powder or 10 Cardamom seeds, over medium low heat for 2-3 min. I only have powder so that's what I use. Dry fry means just how it sounds. Put the spices in your wok or pan with nothing else in it, no oil, no water, nothing. They'll start to smell very fragrant when they're done.

 This is what Cardamom looks like. I bought this at my local grocery chain, so it should be pretty easy to get. It's a good spice, sort of tastes like orange and some other spices and I love it!

 See, dry fry. Too easy.

 This is Masman curry paste. I bought this at an Asian grocery store along with most of my other Asian ingredients. I can't find this at a regular grocery store but it's so worth the trip if you love Asian food.

 After the 2-3 min of dry frying, pull those spices out and set aside. Now heat 2 Tbs veggie oil over medium low and add 2 Tbs of the Masman paste. Stir for about 3 min.

 Add your chicken to that over medium heat. I used chicken breast here because it's what I had on hand, but the absolute best thing to use is a rotisserie chicken, de-boned and de-skinned. If you do that, don't cook it, just put it in and then immediately move to the next step. If you're using chicken breast like I am, let it cook for 5 minutes with the curry paste.

Next, add one can of coconut milk, 1 cup of chicken stock...

 2-3 potatoes, 1 cup of carrots- or sweet potato, or whatever root veggies you like really, 1 inch piece of shredded ginger or 1/2 tsp of ginger powder...

3 Tbs. of fish sauce (found at Asian market) and 3 Tbs. of palm sugar or white sugar...

 And 1 Tbs of this stuff. Tamarind puree. It looks and smells like those fruit leather things and it gives the Masman its sweet and tangy flavor. Also it's cheap and keeps forever in the fridge. At this point you can add the cinnamon sticks and cloves back in, but I find it over powers the curry a bit so I just leave them out or add them in at the end. Just don't eat them, they're only there to add flavor. You can even wrap them in cheese cloth so you don't lose track of them and then pull it out right before serving.

 Add all of the above mentioned at once and then you'll get this. You're almost done! Let it simmer over medium heat with lid on for about 20 min, or until the root veggies are tender.

 Then add 1/2 cup of peanuts a few minutes before serving. You can also garnish servings with peanuts.

 And that's about it! You serve this awesome stuff over rice or rice noodles. You can also make coconut rice which is your regular rice recipe with one part water substituted with one part coconut milk. As in 1 cup water, 1 cup coconut milk to 1 cup rice. Don't get greedy like me and do ALL coconut milk, it's not pretty. I just love coconut milk so much!

 Masman is a pretty mild curry, but it does have a little bit of spiciness to it. My kids don't seem to mind though, there's enough fruity and sweet flavors in this that they chow down. Look how happy they are to finally get dinner!

 Hm. I always wonder why I find food in my daughters hair. Now I know.

Enjoy! num num num num. It also keeps for about 5 days and is even better the next day after being refrigerated.  

Here's the recipe.

2 pieces cinnamon stick

10 cardamom seeds

5 cloves

2 Tbs veggie oil

2 Tbs masman curry paste

2 chicken breast cut into 1 inch pieces or rotisserie chicken

1 2/3 cup coconut milk

1 cup chicken stock

2-3 potatoes cut into 1 inch pieces

1 cup carrots cut into 1 inch pieces

1 inch piece of shredded ginger or 1/2 tsp ginger powder

3 Tbs fish sauce

3 Tbs palm sugar or white sugar

2/3 cup roasted salted peanuts ready made

1 Tbs Tamarind puree