Vegetarian Massaman Curry - Gaeng Massaman Man Thet
This Massaman Curry with sweet potatoes, also known as "Gaeng Massaman Man Thet" (แกงมัสมั่นมันเทศ), is a wonderful alternative to the classic Massaman Curry with meat. The sweet potatoes bring a natural sweetness and harmonize perfectly with aromatic spices like cinnamon and star anise.
If you replace the fish sauce with an alternative like "No Fish" (seaweed-based), this dish even becomes a completely vegetarian Massaman Curry. We completely omit sugar in this recipe, as the sweet potatoes already provide enough sweetness.
Ingredients for 3–4 servings Vegetarian Massaman Curry
Preparing this curry is easy and straightforward, even for beginners in Thai cuisine.
Just follow my cooking instructions.
| Sweet potatoes | 3 large (approx. 700 g) |
| Shallots | 5 pieces |
| Massaman Curry Paste | 1 tbsp |
| Coconut milk | 400 ml |
| No Fish Sauce | 2 tbsp |
| Cinnamon stick | 1 piece |
| Star anise | 2 pieces |
| Peanuts | 1 handful |
| Vegetable oil | 2 tbsp |
Preparation
- Peel the sweet potatoes and cut them into bite-sized pieces.
- Peel and quarter the shallots.
- Heat some oil in a large pan or wok and fry the Massaman curry paste until fragrant.
- Add the sweet potatoes, mix with the paste, and continue to fry together.
- Before the paste burns, deglaze with coconut milk and bring to a quick boil.
- Reduce the heat slightly, add the fish sauce, cinnamon stick, and star anise.
- Simmer for about 15 minutes, adding a little more water if necessary.
- Add the quartered shallots and peanuts and simmer for another 5 minutes, until the sweet potatoes are soft but not mushy.
- Serve the finished Gaeng Massaman Man Thet immediately hot as part of a Thai meal or as a standalone main course with jasmine rice.
