Massaman curry is a highly flavoursome Thai dish. So flavoursome in fact that Kings have written poetry about it.
Well one king anyway - these lines were written by King Rama ll in the early 1800s as part of a Boat poem - sung during the progress of the Royal Barge
มัสมั่นแกงแก้วตา หอมยี่หร่ารสร้อนแรง - Massaman, a curry made by my beloved, is fragrant of cumin and strong spices.
ชายใดได้กลืนแกง แรงอยากให้ใฝ่ฝันหา - Any man who has swallowed the curry is bound to long for her.
translation from Wikipedia
The lady in question is believed to have been his consort Sui Suriyendra - considered to be a pioneer of Thai fusion cookery for her introduction of European cooking methods to the Thai kitchen.
Image of Sui Suriyendra Source http://www.oknation.net/blog/print.php?id=480821
King Rama ll seems to have been a fascinating man. Known as “The Great Artist” and the “Poet King” he was an accomplished musician and dramatist and a great patron of the Arts and Literature.
He also fathered 173 children one of whom became King Mongkut - of “The King and I” fame.
image - portrait of king Rama II, National Gallery of Thailand, Author -unknown
Source- http://www.prdnorth.in.th/The_King/racha2.php#
Anyway back to the Massaman Curry.....
It’s use of spices alien to most traditional Thai Cuisine (such as cinnamon, cardamom, cumin and nutmeg) and it’s unusual name ( possibly deriving from Mussulman - an archaic word for Muslim) have led many people to believe it may have originated in Persia.
It is most often made with chicken but there are many vegan and vegetarian versions and this is the nicest one I’ve found
https://www.veganricha.com/2014/05/massaman-curry-vegetables-gluten-free.html
It is by the wonderful Vegan Richa - she uses a Thai red curry paste adapted with her own spice mix - you can buy Massaman Curry pastes but they often contain shrimp or fish.
Please try it, it’s simple and delicious
Sources used
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Massaman_curry
http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Rama_II
https://thaifoodmaster.com/preparation/curry_preparation/6679#.WnbzTcqnyf0
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