Massaman

Ingredients (to make 4 servings)

Vegetable oil @ 2 level tbl spoon
Massaman curry paste @ 2 level tbl spoons (I prefer Cock brand ...actually I preferred it a whole lot more before I found out it's brand name and now I try not to think about it.)
Coconut Milk @ 1 cup ( I prefer the Gata Lite as it only has about 1/3 the calories of standard coconut milk yet is still creamy)
Beef @ 400gms sliced into chunky pieces (I prefer to use blade steak and cut it myself as often the pre-cut stuff has been cut any way it comes including with the grain--a no no.)
Potato sliced to the same proportions as the beef (Baby Red Delight's are good for this cut into four's.)
Unsalted raw peanuts (Note you can use salted but omit the fish sauce or you can also use unsalted cashews as well or even roasted is no problem either.)

Palm sugar @ 1 heaped tea spoon (Note: you can use brown sugar which will impart a similar flavour to coconut pam sugar but is not as mellow or subtly sweet as other varieties of palm sugar. You can read more about this at www.sugarpalmtree.com it's up to you, there is no rule.)
Fish sauce @ 1/2 tbl spoon (Note: different brand fish sauces have differing strengths. For instance Maggi fish Sauce is quite a light fish sauce but some of the Asian brands are quite concentrated. If in doubt half the recommended amount. I use Squid brand only because it's readily available and I know how much to use.
Oyster sauce @ 1/2 tbl spoon
finely sliced Kaffir Lime leaves x 4
Dried Cayenne Chilies (to taste and soaked first for about 10 minutes in tepid water to soften them up)
Tamarind Paste (Note: use this very sparingly as depending on the brand of paste you have chosen it may already contain tamarind paste. Try a 1/4 of a teaspoon to begin with)

First, heat the vegetable oil in pot. I like to use a thin based pot because when I remove it from the cooktop element it loses heat quickly.
When the oil is hot, add the massaman curry paste and stir until aromatic. If it starts spitting too much take it off the heat--don't burn it!
Add a serving spoon of coconut milk and blend with the paste using a spoon. when it starts to bubble from the heat add another spoonful and mix again until it starts to bubble and then add another spoonful. This is the trick to cooking the paste properly. Don't just add all the coconut milk in one volume as you'll likely end up with a gritty tasting texture.
Add the beef to the curry mixture ...and this is important ...do NOT stir it around with the spoon. Use the swirl technique whereby hiding the pot handle, move your hand in a circular motion swirling the curry mix over the meat.
When it is about 1/3 cooked, add the potatoes.
- note: you may want to cover the pot at this stage so that you don't cook off too much of the coconut milk you can take it off later to let the sauce thicken.
Add the chilli and Kaffir Lime leaves
Don't forget to taste it!! And add fish sauce and palm sugar to your taste preferences. If it tastes a little light-on then you can add a little Oyster sauce to give it some body.
Leave cook until the potatoes are soft and turn off the heat and gently fold your nuts into the mixture
Serve with steamed jasmine rice ...aloi maak maak :)