Massaman curry with roti and pickled salad

By vegar

Ingredients

• 5 tbs grape seed oil
• 1.8 kg oxtail, cut into pieces at joints
• 500 ml pineapple juice
• 4 bay leaves
• 4 kipfler potatoes, sliced
• 12 eschalots, plus 14 extra, chopped
• 60 ml (1/4 cup) fish sauce
• 60 ml (1/4 cup) tamarind water*
• 50 g peanuts, roasted
• Coriander leaves, to serve
• Pickled salad
• 75 g (1/3 cup) caster sugar
• 70 ml water
• 70 ml white wine vinegar
• Salt and pepper, to season
• 4 Lebanese cucumbers, diced
• 5 eschalots, thinly sliced
• 3 long red chillies, thinly sliced
• Roti
• 375 g (2 1/2 cups) plain flour, plus extra, to dust
• 125 ml (1/2 cup) milk
• 60 ml (1/4 cup) water
• 1 pinch of salt
• 2 1/2 tbs butter, plus extra, to grease
• Ghee, to fry
• Paste
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 tbs coriander seeds
• 1 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1 stick cassia bark*
• 8 Thai cardamom pods*, 4 whole,
• 4 seeds only
• 4 cloves
• 1/2 tsp ground mace
• 7 eschalots
• 7 garlic cloves
• 3 lemongrass stalks, bruised
• 7 coriander roots
• 8 cm-piece galangal, chopped
• 4 dried long red chillies, soaked, drained, stalks removed
• 1/4 tsp chilli powder
• 3 tbs grape seed oil
• 600 ml coconut cream
• Tamarind water can be made by soaking a piece of tamarind in hot water for 10-15 minutes and then straining off the liquid, discarding any seeds or residue.
• Cassia bark is an aromatic bark similar to cinnamon with a very sweet, pungent aroma.
• Thai cardamom pods are small spherical pods, pale in colour found in South-East Asia. The flavour is similar to green cardamom, but slightly milder.

Preparation

Step 1

1. Heat 2 tbs of oil in a pressure cooker over medium heat. Add oxtail and cook for 5-8 minutes or until browned. Add pineapple juice and bay leaves, bring to the boil and cook, covered, for 50 minutes or until cooked and tender.

2. Meanwhile, to make pickled salad, combine sugar, water and vinegar in a small saucepan over medium heat and bring to the boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 5 minutes or until reduced slightly. Remove from heat and season with salt and pepper. Cool. Combine cucumbers, eschalots and chillies in a medium bowl, then toss through dressing.

3. To make roti, combine flour, milk, water, salt and butter in a large bowl until a dough forms. Turn out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead for 5 minutes or until dough is smooth and elastic. Place dough in a greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap.Set aside in a warm, draught-free place for 40 minutes. Divide into 8 portions and roll out with a rolling pin until 5mm-thick. Place on an oven tray and set aside.

4. Meanwhile, to make paste, place cumin seeds, coriander seeds, nutmeg, cassia bark, cardamom seeds, cloves and mace in a small frying pan over medium heat for 1-2 minutes or until fragrant. Grate half the cassia bark and reserve. Place remaining half in a mortar and pestle with other toasted ingredients and grind. Sift spice mix into a bowl and set aside.

5. Place eschalots, garlic, lemongrass, coriander roots and galangal in a small saucepan and dry-fry for 5 minutes or until fragrant. Transfer to a food processor with sifted spice mix, chillies, chilli powder and 2 tbs of oil. Process until smooth.

6. Heat remaining oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add paste and cook for 5 minutes or until oil turns a red colour. Gradually add coconut cream, along with whole cardamom pods and reserved cassia bark. Cook for 10-15 minutes or until combined. Add water if it’s too thick.

7. Uncover pressure cooker and transfer oxtail to curry paste mixture. Skim off fat from pressure cooker and add 250ml of cooking liquid to curry, along with potatoes and eschalots. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes. Add fish sauce and tamarind water and simmer for a further 10-15 minutes or until potatoes are cooked through. Stir in peanuts.

8. Meanwhile, heat remaining oil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Add extra eschalots and cook for 1-2 minutes or until crispy, then drain on paper towels.

9. Heat a little ghee in a frying pan over medium heat. Cook roti for 2 minutes on each side or until golden and puffed.
10. Spoon curry into serving bowls, top with crispy eschalots and garnish with coriander. Serve with roti and pickled salad.