24-Hour Chicken Matsaman Curry

24-Hour Chicken Matsaman Curry | Kaeng Matsaman Kai

I often tell people that the only curry that tastes better than the best curry is the best curry that has been sitting for a day. My family’s favorite chicken matsaman curry, which we intentionally make twenty-four hours in advance, is proof of this claim. The recipe calls for sixteen chicken thighs— and no, that’s not a typo. I invested in a fifteen-quart enameled cast-iron Dutch oven for this reason, although a stockpot will also work here.

This recipe does not scale down well; piling chicken thighs high in a pot and stewing them long and slow yields a succulent, flavorful curry that you won’t get if you cook a smaller portion. Deep-frying the skin side of the chicken thighs before they go into the big pot turns the skins almost spongy as they soak up the flavorful sauce.

Dishes of Muslim origin are often associated with southern Thailand, where a large number of Thai Muslims reside. However, history shows that the south is not the sole region from which many Thai Muslim dishes or dishes of South Asian origins currently enjoyed in Bangkok have emerged. Early visitors from South Asia—my paternal ancestors among them—and the Middle East, especially Persia (Iran) came to the central plain and settled in the area that later became Bangkok, establishing communities and food traditions that are distinctly Bangkokian. This recipe follows one such tradition.

Ingredients

CHICKEN

• 16 (6- to 8-ounce) skin-on, bone-in chicken thighs

• 1 tablespoon salt

• Vegetable oil, for deep-frying

CURRY PASTE

• 1 tablespoon cumin seeds

• 1 tablespoon coriander seeds

• 4 whole cloves

• 2 Siamese cardamom pods or 3 green cardamom pods

• 1 teaspoon white or black peppercorns

• 15 dried Thai long or guajillo chiles, cut into 1-inch pieces, soaked until softened, and squeezed dry

• 2 teaspoons salt

• 2 tablespoons finely chopped galangal

• 2 tablespoons thinly sliced lemongrass (with purple rings only)

• 2 teaspoons thinly sliced makrut lime rind

• 2 teaspoons packed Thai shrimp paste

• 2 tablespoons finely chopped cilantro roots or stems

• 10 cloves garlic

• 1/2 cup sliced shallots (cut against the grain)

• 3/4 cup extra-virgin coconut oil or vegetable oil

SPICE SACHET

• 1/4 cup whole mace blades

• 1 tablespoon coriander seeds 

• 1 tablespoon cumin seeds

• 1 tablespoon fennel seeds

• 10 Siamese cardamom pods or 12 green cardamom pods

• 1/4 cup coarsely crumbled bay leaves

CURRY

• 4 cups coconut cream

• 4 cups coconut milk

• 1/2 cup packed grated palm sugar

• 5 tablespoons tamarind pulp

• 1/2 cup fish sauce

• 7 (2-inch) cinnamon sticks

• 5 yellow or white onions, unpeeled

• 3 pounds Yukon gold or other waxy potatoes, peeled and cut into 2-inch cubes

• 1 tablespoon salt

• 3/4 cup unsalted roasted peanuts

• 1/2 cup fresh bitter (Seville) orange juice or 3/4 cup fresh navel orange juice

• 1/4 cup finely cut bitter (Seville) orange zest or 1/3 cup finely cut navel orange zest, in whisker-thin strips

Bangkok: Recipes and Stories from the Heart of Thailand by Leela Punyaratabandhu

Directions

Rub the chicken thighs with the salt, being careful to keep the skin intact. Cover and refrigerate for 1 to 2 hours.

To make the curry paste, meanwhile, toast the cumin seeds, coriander seeds, cloves, and cardamom pods in a small frying pan over medium heat, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a mortar, add the peppercorns, and grind to a fine powder. (This step can also be done in a spice grinder or a coffee grinder reserved for spices.) One at a time, add the remaining curry paste ingredients—chiles, salt, galangal, lemongrass, lime rind, shrimp paste, cilantro roots, garlic, and shallots—grinding to a smooth paste after each addition. (Alternatively, you can grind everything all at once in a food processor.) Stir in the coconut oil and transfer the curry paste to a covered container and refrigerate for now.

To make the sachet, cut an 8-inch square of cheesecloth. Using the same small frying pan you used for the curry paste, toast all of the spices over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 3 minutes. Pour the spices onto the center of the cheesecloth square, bring up the corners to form a purse, and tie securely with kitchen string. Set aside.

Take the pot straight from the refrigerator to the stove and set it on medium heat to bring it slowly to a boil undisturbed. Once the curry boils, turn off the heat. Fish out and discard the spice sachet and cinnamon sticks before serving with rice.