recipe: chicken massaman curry

after Thailand, our craving for massaman curry was pretty insatiable. i had picked up a small jar of massaman curry paste in the airport so 50% of the work for cooking it was already done. i snagged the Chicken Massaman Curry recipe from Serious Eats. at first taste, it was good but super bland. we added in a bit more spice, and it was pretty damn good after that. still not the purist recipe that they served in Thailand (though i will keep trying), but a good fill-in recipe until my quest is finished. 

ingredients list: 

- 1 can (13 oz) full-fat coconut milk

- 3 tbsp massaman curry paste

- 8 chicken drumsticks (i de-skinned mine to save calories)

- 2-3 cups chicken broth

- 1 lb of red or yukon gold potatoes, cut into 2-inch chunks

- 1 medium yellow onion, peeled & cut into about 1-inch chunks

- 4-6 tbsp brown sugar (adjust final quantity to taste)

- 3 tbsp fish sauce

- 2 tbsp prepared tamarind pulp (preparation instructions here) 

- 1 tbsp cinnamon 

- 1 tsp cumin

- salt & pepper to taste

- 4 pieces star anise (optional - i didn't have & skipped this)

to make: spoon about 3/4 cup of the creamy solid part of the coconut milk that rises to the pot of the can and put it in a large pot along with the curry paste. fry the mixture over medium - high heat until the coconut milk starts to turn oily. 

add the chicken drumsticks to the pot along with the remaining coconut milk, sugar, fish sauce, tamarind pulp, and chicken broth (add just enough chicken broth to just cover the chicken).

bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce the heat to medium to a simmer. allow to simmer, covered, for 10-13 minutes. add the potatoes, onions, and seasonings to the pot. continue to simmer, covered, until the chicken, potatoes, and onion are tender, about 15-20 minutes.