Massaman Tofu Curry
Far from a typical takeout meal, this vegan massaman tofu curry with potatoes, tofu, and homemade fragrant massaman curry paste is exactly what you’ve been looking for.
Massaman tofu curry is a firm favourite in my household. Its epic combination of aromatic, complex spicing — courtesy of the plate’s Indian origins — and classic Thai flavours like lemongrass, creamy coconut milk, and lime leaves make an irresistible plate.
The protein-packed tofu and soft, buttery potatoes soak up all the flavours of our sauce, leaving every bite practically bursting with tastiness.
And there’s plenty of sauce, so you can mop it up with flatbread or scoop it up with steamed rice. It’s impossibly smooth, velvety creamy, and packs a punch of savoury umami, citrusy herbiness, and warm, sweet spice.
Unlike many other Thai dishes, such as tofu pad krapow, the ubiquitous green Thai curry, or Thai chilli tofu fried rice, massaman tofu curry is also surprisingly mild. Although it’s loaded with flavour, there’s no overpowering heat from chillies, meaning everyone in the family will undoubtedly enjoy tucking in.
So, without further ado, let’s teach you how to make this takeout favourite at home, at a fraction of the cost.
🥰 What Makes This Recipe Special?
🇹🇭 Where Is Massaman Curry From?
Massaman curry is from Thailand, a Southeast Asian country renowned for its stunning cuisine.
According to food historians, massaman curry has been eaten in Thailand since the 17th century, making it a bona fide classic.
However, eagle-eyed food fanatics may have noticed that massaman curry shares little commonality with other traditional Thai dishes. Many aromatic spices vital to achieving its distinctive flavour — like cloves, cardamom, and cinnamon — aren’t native to Thailand, and aren’t frequently used in the country’s food preparations.
This evidence leads many eminent experts to believe that massaman curry probably arrived from India via spice traders. Although how the recipe was developed is still an unknown factor, one thing is certain: the curry is named massaman meaning “Musulman,” a Persian word for Muslims.
This connection to religion is why you’ll commonly find chicken, beef, or lamb massaman curry — but never pork. Today though, we’re forgoing all the meat and opting for a healthy and wholesome vegan massaman curry.
🍛 What is Massaman Curry Made Of?
Massaman tofu curry has four main components: the proteins (tofu and potato), the homemade curry paste, the sauce seasonings, and the garnishes.
You can find the actual quantities in the recipe card — but here’s an idea of which ingredients you’ll need and why we’re using them:
- Potatoes are a traditional component of all massaman curry. They add body and heart to the Thai dish.
- Extra firm tofu is our plant-powered protein of choice. It’s neutrally flavoured, meaning it’ll soak up all the glorious flavours easily. Plus, it crisps up beautifully, providing great texture! You can buy this in-store or make homemade tofu easily from soy milk.
- Coconut milk is rich and creamy, making the curry beautifully mild and silky, with a slight hint of nuttiness.
- Onions add natural sweetness to the dish.
- Brown sugar or more traditionally, palm sugar, adds a deep, toffee-like sweetness that balances our more pungent and aromatic spices in the homemade massaman curry paste.
- Tamarind sauce is an easy cheat way to get that deliciously tangy flavour of tamarind without the hassle of soaking dried tamarind. It’s got subtle caramel notes, bringing a real depth of flavour. I use Maggi tamarind sauce.
- Water is needed to adjust the consistency of our massaman tofu curry to a thick, velvety sauce that coats our veggies.
- Garnishes such as coriander leaves, more chopped peanuts, and fresh Thai chillies bring everything together and make for an impressive presentation.
🥔 Which Potatoes for Massaman Curry?
Most recipe sites will advise you to use waxy potatoes — new potatoes, Anya potatoes, fingerling potatoes, Jersey Royals, and Charlotte potatoes all fall into this category — as they’re less likely to disintegrate during cooking.
There’s only one downside to this logic: waxy potatoes are far less absorbent, meaning they won’t soak up all those scrumptious flavours nearly so easily.
The solution? Using an all-rounder potato that’s neither completely waxy nor floury. I like Desiree, Maris Piper, or Vivaldi. Since some of these potatoes lean more fluffy, you’ll have to be on-point with your cooking times, ensuring the potatoes remain just knife-tender.
What Ingredients You’ll Need for Homemade Massaman Curry Paste
Making homemade massaman curry paste is surprisingly easy, and more than worth the effort.
While you’ll need to source a specialist ingredient and a good number of spices, making the paste at home pays off as the flavour is to die for.
Besides, storebought massaman curry paste isn’t vegan (or vegetarian), as it contains fish sauce and shrimp paste. Ours, made with vegan fish sauce, is packed with the same umami but with none of the cruelty.
- Roasted peanuts provide a rich, nutty flavour and luscious, thick texture to our curry paste.
- Aromatics like red chilli, garlic, ginger, shallot, and lemongrass each build layers of flavour, from pungent heat to peppery butteriness and floral tang.
- Whole spices like cumin seeds, green cardamom, cloves, cinnamon, coriander seeds, and black peppercorns are responsible for the irresistible aroma of tofu massaman curry, from earthiness, warmth, zest, woody, sweet, and smoky citrus.
- Ground spices including nutmeg and red chilli powder add nutty spice. You can also use whole grated nutmeg, but ground nutmeg disperses better within the sauce. Use punchy Indian red chilli powder for an authentic flavour that contrasts with the sharp burn of fresh Thai chillies.
- Vegan fish sauce is essential to build on the umami savouriness. You can find this in a specialist health store or online.
- Brown sugar or palm sugar balances out the spicy, sour, and salty flavours.
🥦 Variations and Customisations
This massaman tofu curry is already 100% vegan and gluten free, plus dairy free and alcohol free too.
While the recipe isn’t soy free or nut free by default, a few simple substitutions can fix that! To make this recipe soy free, replace tofu with a pea-based protein, seitan (not gluten free), or whole foods like chickpeas.
Furthermore, to make massaman tofu curry nut free, switch out peanuts for sunflower seed butter.
Speaking of, there are a few easy hacks to make this recipe even more effortless.
For example, if you have some in your pantry, you can use pre-made peanut butter in the massaman curry paste, rather than raw peanuts. You can also cut down on prep time by using canned potatoes — an affordable alternative to fresh.
Plus, here’s a few fun additions:
- Add spice by increasing the number of chillies in the curry paste. Traditionally, massaman curry is relatively mild — but you can ramp things up to suit your palate.
- Add vegetables like broccoli, green beans, carrots, baby corn, mushrooms, cauliflower, butter squash, sweet potato, peppers (capsicum), and mange tout. This will increase the nutritional value of massaman tofu curry and make a complete meal.
🧑🍳 Step-by-Step Instructions
Despite the rather long ingredients list and almost impossibly inviting taste, massaman tofu curry is actually a walk in the park to make.
It takes around 30 minutes from start to finish to cook the dish … and there are no complex undertakings involved.
It’s hard to believe such an impressive dish is so easy to make, but just take a look — five simple steps.
- Make the massaman curry paste by adding all the ingredients to a powerful blender and pulsing until smooth.
- Fry the tofu in a large pan until evenly golden.
- Make the curry sauce. Heat oil in a large, deep-sided pot and fry the onions until softened and slightly browned. Add the curry paste and cook until fragrant and thick, with oil separating from the sides. Add coconut milk, then season with brown sugar and tamarind sauce.
- Add the vegetables, protein (potatoes and tofu), and water. Simmer on low heat until the potatoes are knife-tender and the sauce has thickened.
- Remove from the heat and garnish with fresh coriander, chopped chillies, and chopped peanuts.
You can find more detailed instructions with timings in the recipe card.
Cookware You Need
🧑🏫 Tips for Perfect Massaman Tofu Curry
Want to ensure success on your first rodeo of this recipe?
Honestly, while not much can go wrong if you follow my recipe to the T, there’s still a difference between “great” and “exceptionally drool-worthy.” And here at Oh My Veg, we always strive for the latter.
I’ve cooked this recipe many times over while testing it for the blog, and here’s a list of things that made the biggest difference — not just to the taste, but making your time in the kitchen as effortless and stress-free as possible.
- Use the best quality ingredients, particularly coconut milk. Search for creamy, smooth, full-fat coconut milk with a delicious nutty and fruity flavour for the best results. Hint: Look at the ingredients list and avoid any with additional additives like gum.
- Add even more depth of flavour by dry-roasting the whole spices before grinding them into the homemade massaman paste.
- Blend the paste properly. If you don’t have a powerful blender, it’s best to use a spice grinder to pulverise the whole spices first, then use an ordinary blender to blend everything else to a smooth paste. Combine the two into one paste and pass through a sieve before adding to the pan to ensure a beautiful silky texture.
- For a meatier taste, use a tofu press on the extra-firm tofu to draw out extra water. While not necessary, it does change the texture of the tofu, making it remarkably similar to chicken.
- Be patient and let the curry cook on low heat to bring out the best intensity of flavour.
❓Frequently Asked Questions
🥠 Serving Suggestions
Serve massaman tofu curry hot with steamed jasmine rice for the best combination of fragrant aroma and heartiness. Alternatively, for a more restaurant-style affair, fluffy coconut rice brings added richness.
If you’re more of a bread person, lean into the Indian flavours and pair the curry with bubbly coriander and garlic naan or flaky paratha. Both are ideal for dipping into the thick curry sauce!
Because massaman tofu curry is so rich and flavoursome, I love pairing it with simple, vibrant side dishes that’ll cut through the unctuous sauce and provide incredible contrast.
I’m talking about smashed cucumber salad, Asian carrot slaw, or pickled vegetables.
Alternatively, a bowl of stir-fried greens never goes wrong — stir-fried morning glory or pak choy are failsafe options that’ll add a pop of colour to your dining table and tons of interest.
🍱 How to Store and Reheat Massaman Tofu Curry
Have leftovers? No problem! You can store massaman tofu curry in an air-tight container for up to three days refrigerated.
Plus, I’ve got good news … curry often tastes better the day after you make it! So, even if you’re cooking for two, it’s always great to have leftovers.
🧊 Can Massaman Curry be Frozen?
Yes, massaman curry freezes well.
The only caveat is that tofu changes its texture drastically when frozen and defrosted — it becomes more springy, airy, and spongy. If you don’t want this to happen, you’ll have to leave out the tofu, then fry up a fresh batch once you defrost the curry.
Gently reheat the curry on the stove with an extra splash of coconut milk or water to loosen the sauce. You can also use the microwave, although I find a pan works best.
If you tried this tofu massaman curry recipe — or any other recipe on my website — please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know your thoughts in the ✍️comments at the bottom of the page. Thanks for being a part of my community!
Massaman Tofu Curry
Ingredients
For the Massaman Curry
- 1 tablespoon oil neutral
- 400 g extra firm tofu
- 20 g onions sliced
- 400 ml coconut milk 1 Can
- 1 teaspoon palm sugar or brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon tamarind sauce
- 100 g potatoes peeled and cut into chunks
- 100 ml water
For the Massaman Curry Paste
- 75 g roasted peanuts
- 1 red chilli
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 Piece ginger
- 45 g shallot
- ½ stalk lemongrass
- 1 green cardamom pod
- 3 cloves
- 1 piece cinnamon small
- ½ teaspoon coriander seeds
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 4 teaspoons vegan fish sauce
- 1 pinch nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon palm sugar or brown sugar
- 8 black peppercorns
- ½ teaspoon red chilli powder
For the Garnish
- fresh coriander chopped
- 1 bird's eye chilli chopped/sliced
- few peanuts roughly chopped
- 1 lime cut into segments
Instructions
- Add 75 g roasted peanuts, 1 red chilli, 3 cloves garlic, 1 Piece ginger, 45 g shallot, ½ stalk lemongrass, 1 green cardamom pod, 3 cloves, 1 piece cinnamon, ½ teaspoon coriander seeds, 1 teaspoon cumin seeds, 4 teaspoons vegan fish sauce, 1 pinch nutmeg, ½ teaspoon palm sugar, 8 black peppercorns, and ½ teaspoon red chilli powder to a powerful blender*. Pulse until completely smooth.
- Heat half of your 1 tablespoon oil in a large, non-stick frying pan over medium heat. Place 400 g extra firm tofu in the pan and fry on all sides until evenly golden-brown. Turn off the heat and set aside.
- Heat the remaining ½ tablespoon of oil over medium heat in a large, deep-sided pot. Once the oil is hot, add 20 g onions. Fry the onions until slightly browned, then add the curry paste — passing it through a sieve to ensure its smoothness— and cook, stirring regularly, until fragrant and thick, with oil separating from the sides. Next, add 400 ml coconut milk, then season with 1 teaspoon palm sugar and 1 tablespoon tamarind sauce.
- Add the fried tofu and 100 g potatoes (cubed) to the pan, along with 100 ml water. Lower the heat and simmer until the potatoes are knife-tender and the sauce has thickened (around 20 minutes).
- Remove the curry from the heat and top with fresh coriander (chopped), 1 bird's eye chilli (sliced), and a few peanuts, roughly chopped. Serve with 1 lime.
