Thai prawn massaman curry is one of the very first Thai curries I tried and since then I am addicted to Thai cuisine! You got to try this Thai massaman curry with prawns if you are a prawn addict just like me!
If you have had a fair share of regular Thai curries like Thai red, green and yellow curries, then it’s high time to give them a break and try this Thai prawn massaman curry which is another gem of Thai cuisine!
I had first tried this Thai prawn massaman curry many years back and have made it many times after that as we simply got hooked to it!
Recently, I realized that it’s high time to refresh the old post with new pictures and a little more updated recipe!
I have already shared Thai prawn red curry recipe and Thai fish red curry using boneless fish cubes which are quite popular and well-loved recipes of my blog!
If you have already tried them, then I urge you to give this Thai prawn massaman curry a try now!
Trust me, you will love it and will also love me for this! The taste of this Thai massaman curry is very addictive thanks to the perfect combination of sweetness, saltiness, tartness and heat!
That’s the best part of Thai cuisine!
I can frankly admit that Thai cuisine is my second favorite cuisine without any apprehension and is a close competitor to my native Indian cuisine!
Since I have been brought up on Indian food, it has the homely attachment; but Thai food has won my heart & soul long back!
I have ample number of Thai recipes in my blog and I have more in my to-do list. Some are already prepared and in the queue waiting to be published!
Among all the Oriental cuisine, Thai food tops the chart for both of us!
Thai massaman curry is most popular with beef and you can easily replace shrimps with small cubes of boneless beef or even pork; just adjust the cooking time accordingly.
Since I am an established prawn lover, I went ahead with prawns and loved every bit of my Thai prawn massaman curry!
A quick tip about prawns or shrimps. If you are making any shrimp recipe and it requires shrimps to be sautéed, then start your cooking by sautéing the shrimps as the very first step. Let me tell you why!
When you stir fry shrimps in oil, (preferably with bit of grated garlic) the oil in which shrimps are cooked, becomes immensely flavorful.
After taking out the shrimps from the oil, use the same oil to continue cooking rest of the recipe and you will be amazed to notice the intense shrimp flavor in your final dish!
I have learnt this over the years and being a shrimp lover, I take everything it takes to intensify the unique shrimp flavor.
Also, while sautéing shrimps, cook them till they turn just opaque; else you will overcook them.
Like any other Thai curry, you can add any veggies of your choice to your Thai prawn massaman curry.
Pumpkin pairs really well with prawns as the sweetness from both pumpkin and prawns complement each other wonderfully! Plus, I like this orange veggie a lot, so a win-win for me!
If you don’t like pumpkin, feel free to replace it with any veggie of your choice. You can add zucchini, bell peppers, green peas or even potatoes.
It’s just your own canvas which you can paint in any way you like! Try this Thai prawn massaman curry incorporating all your own creativity and let me know how it turned out! Enjoy!
- Medium or Jumbo prawns – 500 gms, peeled & deveined, tails intact
- Garlic – 8 to 10 cloves, grated
- Thai Massaman curry paste – 4 tbsp
- Coconut milk – 200 gms
- Fish sauce – 3 tbsp
- Rice wine vinegar – 1 tbsp
- Thai fresh basil leaves – 1 cup, tightly packed
- Orange pumpkin – 200 gms, cut into 1-inch cubes
- Brown sugar – 2 tbsp
- Canola/vegetable oil – 6 tbsp
- Toasted peanuts – a handful to garnish (optional)
- Lemon – 1 or more as per taste
- Salt – if required
- Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a wok and once the oil is hot, add the prawns & half of the grated garlic and sauté them on medium for 3 minutes. Then flip them over and sauté the other side for couple of minutes more until the prawns turn opaque. Take them out on a plate and set aside.
- Add another 2 tablespoons of oil to the same wok and let it warm up. Then add the cubed pumpkins and give a good stir. Sprinkle pinch of salt, mix, cover & let the pumpkins cook on low heat until they are little soft and nicely browned. Take them out in a bowl and set aside.
- Heat the remaining oil in same wok and tip in the remaining grated garlic. Sauté the garlic for 1 minute until fragrant.
- Then add the Thai massaman curry paste. Sautee the curry paste on medium heat until oil releases. Now add couple of tablespoons of coconut milk and continue sautéing until the coconut milk is absorbed completely.
- Now add all the remaining coconut milk and stir slowly yet thoroughly so that the curry paste is evenly dissolved in the liquid.
- Bring the coconut milk to a light simmer keeping the heat on low. Now add fish sauce, brown sugar & vinegar and mix everything well by stirring slowly.
- Now do a taste test to check if additional salt is required. The readymade curry paste already has quite a bit of salt in it plus the fish sauce is also salty; so add sparingly only if needed.
- You may also adjust the sweetness, saltiness and tartness as per your liking at this stage by adding more of sugar, fish sauce and vinegar respectively. Once you are satisfied with the final taste of the curry, proceed to next step.
- Now add the sautéed prawns and pumpkin cubes to the wok and give a good mix. If you feel the gravy is too thick, add about half a cup of water and bring the curry to a boil.
- Now add the fresh Thai basil leaves and stir them through the curry. You won’t need to chop the leaves; they will wilt down almost immediately.
- Switch off the flame and add juice of half a lemon. Garnish with toasted & chopped peanuts, if using.
- Thai prawn massaman curry is ready! Serve it with jasmine rice with more lemon wedges and enjoy!
Really awesome!
What a fabulous recipe! So easy and tasty! I’ll definitely be making this one again!