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Massaman Curry Paste substitute

Best substitute

Red curry paste plus garam masala and sugar

For 1 tablespoon massaman paste use 1 tablespoon red curry paste, half a teaspoon garam masala and 1 teaspoon palm or brown sugar

Best for beef or chicken massaman with potatoes

Different taste

The most available Thai paste, warmed up with sweet dry spice to bridge the gap.

Other massaman curry paste substitutes

Ranked, with the exact amount to use

Substitutes for Massaman Curry Paste with ratios

  1. 2Panang curry paste

    Close match

    1 tablespoon for 1 tablespoon, plus a quarter teaspoon cinnamon and 1 crushed cardamom pod

    The thick, sweet, peanut-inflected Thai paste, which is the nearest neighbour on the shelf.

    What changes
    Best for
    when you have one Thai paste and it happens to be panang, chicken massaman, richer, thicker curries

    Closest single jar, because panang already has the sweetness, the roasted nuttiness and the body that massaman needs. What it lacks is the warm dry spice, so add the cinnamon and cardamom. Panang is also saltier and more kaffir lime forward, so go easy on the fish sauce and taste before you add any.

  2. 3Yellow curry paste plus warm spices

    Different taste

    1 tablespoon for 1 tablespoon, plus a quarter teaspoon cinnamon and a pinch of ground clove

    The mildest Thai paste, spiced up toward massaman.

    What changes
    Best for
    cooking for children, potato and chicken curries, matching massaman's low heat exactly

    This is the best match on heat level, which matters more than people think, since a hot massaman is simply wrong. The trade-off is colour and flavour direction: yellow paste is turmeric-forward, so the curry comes out golden and a little earthier and brighter rather than massaman's deep brown. A teaspoon of tamarind and a spoonful of peanut butter push it closer.

  3. 4Homemade massaman paste

    Close match

    This makes about a third of a cup, roughly 5 tablespoons

    The real thing from scratch, which is the only version that genuinely tastes like massaman.

    What changes
    Best for
    getting it actually right, cooks with an Asian grocer nearby, batch-making and freezing

    Toast 1 teaspoon coriander seed, 1 teaspoon cumin seed, 2 cardamom pods, 1 star anise, 2 cloves and a 2 cm cinnamon stick in a dry pan until fragrant, then grind. Blend with 4 dried red chilies soaked in hot water and seeded, 1 shallot, 3 garlic cloves, the tender part of 1 lemongrass stalk, 1 tablespoon grated galangal or ginger, 1 teaspoon shrimp paste, 1 teaspoon palm sugar and half a teaspoon salt, adding a splash of the chili soaking water. It keeps two weeks in the fridge and months frozen in cubes.

  4. 5A mild Indian curry paste such as korma or madras

    Different taste

    1 tablespoon for 1 tablespoon

    An Indian jarred paste standing in, which works better than you would expect.

    What changes
    Best for
    supermarket-only shopping, beef and potato curries, when there is no Thai paste in the house

    This works because massaman is itself a Thai adaptation of a Muslim Indian and Persian style of curry, so the warm spice profile already overlaps. Korma is the closer of the two on sweetness and mildness; madras will be hotter and more tomato-forward. What you lose is lemongrass and galangal, so the curry tastes less fresh and citrusy. Cook it with coconut milk, a teaspoon of tamarind, palm sugar and a handful of roasted peanuts and it lands surprisingly close.

  5. 6Curry powder with cinnamon and fish sauce

    Taste and texture differ

    For 1 tablespoon massaman paste use 2 teaspoons curry powder, a quarter teaspoon cinnamon, 1 teaspoon tomato paste and 1 teaspoon fish sauce

    The bare pantry option.

    What changes
    Best for
    no paste of any kind available, a mild coconut potato curry, weeknight cooking

    This is the least-good option on the page and it is worth saying so plainly. With no lemongrass, galangal or chili paste it comes out flat and slightly dusty, and the tomato paste is doing the work of giving it colour and body. Fry the powder in oil for 45 seconds before liquid goes in, and finish with peanuts, tamarind or lime, and palm sugar. You will get a pleasant mild coconut curry, not massaman.

What is Massaman Curry Paste?

Massaman Curry Paste is Massaman curry paste, also spelled masaman and known in Thai as gaeng massaman, is a mild dark paste that takes the usual chili, lemongrass and galangal base and adds warm dry spices such as cinnamon, cardamom, clove, star anise, cumin and coriander seed, which is why massaman curry tastes closer to a Persian or Indian stew than to Thai green or red curry.

Cooking tips

  • Three things make a curry taste like massaman rather than generic coconut curry: warm dry spice, sour tamarind and roasted peanuts. If your substitute paste is missing them, add a teaspoon of tamarind paste and a handful of unsalted roasted peanuts per can of coconut milk, and drop in a cinnamon stick and a star anise to simmer.
  • Fry the paste in the thick cream from the top of the coconut milk can until the oil visibly separates and it smells strongly aromatic. Whole spices go in at this stage too, so their oils have something fatty to dissolve into.
  • Massaman is a slow curry, unlike green or red. Beef chuck or chicken thigh with potatoes and onion wants 40 minutes to an hour, and a substitute paste actually improves over that time as any harshness cooks out.
  • Season in this order and taste after each: fish sauce for salt, palm sugar for roundness, then tamarind or lime for sourness. Massaman should taste sweet and sour and salty in gentle balance, not hot. If it tastes sharp, add sugar; if it tastes heavy and dull, it needs acid.
  • Massaman paste brands vary hugely in heat and salt, from barely warm supermarket jars to fiercely hot Thai brands. Taste a small dab on a spoon before you decide how much to use.

Frequently asked questions

Can I use red curry paste instead of massaman curry paste?

Yes, and it is the usual answer. Use the same amount, or two thirds if your red paste is hot, then add half a teaspoon of garam masala and a teaspoon of palm sugar per tablespoon. Also add roasted peanuts and a teaspoon of tamarind to the pot. Without those additions it will simply taste like a red curry with potatoes in it.

Can I just leave the massaman paste out?

No. The paste is the entire flavour of the dish, so leaving it out gives you a coconut and potato stew, which is fine to eat and is not massaman. The least-bad no-paste version is coconut milk simmered with 2 teaspoons curry powder, a quarter teaspoon cinnamon, garlic, fish sauce, palm sugar, tamarind or lime, and a handful of peanuts.

Is massaman curry spicy?

It is the mildest of the well-known Thai curries, which is exactly why it is a good first Thai curry. The dried chilies in the paste are there for depth and colour rather than heat, and the sweetness and coconut milk soften what heat there is. If your massaman comes out fiery, the paste was hotter than average or you used too much.

What is the difference between massaman and panang curry?

Massaman is soupier, sweeter, browner and warm-spiced with cinnamon, cardamom and clove, and it is usually simmered slowly with potatoes and onion. Panang is thicker and drier, saltier, medium-hot, built around roasted chilies, coriander seed and ground peanuts, and finished with shredded kaffir lime leaf. Panang is the better swap for massaman than red paste is.

Is massaman curry paste vegetarian?

Usually not. Most brands contain shrimp paste, and some contain dried shrimp as well, so check the label if that matters. Vegan Thai paste brands do exist, or you can make your own and use a teaspoon of white miso or a little soy sauce in place of the shrimp paste.

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