Thai massaman curry-stuffed sweet potatoes feature cauliflower, onions and bell peppers, stewed in a thick aromatic coconut milk sauce. This comforting, flavorful dish is perfect for those evenings you want a hearty, easy dinner or side. Make on the weekend and eat the leftovers during the week!
And of course, it's gluten-and-dairy free.
What is Massaman?
According to Wiktionary, it means "uncountable" and "has as much in common with Indian food as with Thai. It's thought to be a southern Thai curry of Muslim origin ... usually containing coconut milk, roasted peanuts, potatoes, bay leaves, cardamom pods, cinnamon, palm sugar, fish sauce, and tamarind sauce."
The uncountable term seems to come from the fact that the curry contains more ingredients than curries in the north of Thailand.
This is a Paleo adaptation of that list of ingredients, using sweet potatoes and almond butter. If I had not been planning to serve these with Massaman curried steelhead trout, I could have added some garbanzo beans to the curry stuffing to make it a main dish.
Is Massaman curry vegetarian?
Massaman vegetable curry as served in most restaurants is not vegetarian because it usually contains fish sauce and shrimp paste. If you are good with this, the Mae ploy curry paste is delicious.
To make the vegan version, you could make your own Massaman curry paste as the Healthy Hunter blog describes, or use the Maesri Massaman curry paste, which is vegan.
Regarding making your own curry paste, I have made green Thai curry paste once and it was delicious. However, it was also part of a group effort in a Thai cooking class.
Recently I saw in a post by Nart, a wonderful Thai food blogger, saying that her family doesn't make their own curry paste either. Instead, they buy it from a nearby shop. So I feel a little better about using purchased curry pastes.
I like the Mae Ploy pastes because they are so economical. But, that means I buy what often seems like a large container, and the downside of that is having to be sure I have storage space for the leftover paste. Fortunately it freezes well, but the Maesri is a smaller container.
And if I'm going to serve this side dish with fish (which I did -- post coming soon!) or meat, all eaters will be fine with a curry paste like Mae Ploy that contains fish and shrimp. The Maesri curry paste is equivalent in flavor, though, so you will be happy with the richness of either one.
If you have a chance to make this recipe, please leave a note in the comments to tell me how it went!
Beth
Other curry recipes on A Meal In Mind
Thai Green Coconut Milk Mahi Mahi Curry
Instant Pot Beef Coconut Milk Curry
Shop massaman curry-stuffed sweet potatoes
Amazon carries both the Mae Ploy and the Maesri curry pastes I've mentioned in this post in case you don't have an Asian market nearby. Grocery stores near me often have red and green curry pastes but rarely have yellow or Massaman.
My favorite two coconut milk brands right now are Thrive Market and Native Forest. The Native Forest Classic doesn't contain guar gum. Additives to the coconut milk can help it thicken better but if you just want coconut and water, this one is for you. I can use a dozen cans of it in no time! If you are not a member of Thrive Market, they are an outstanding source of all things gluten-free!
Whole Foods' smooth almond butter is creamy and we love it.
California Ranch olive oil is what I cook with, when I'm not using coconut oil.
I love my Lodge Dutch Oven and use it for any soup or stew that I'm not making in my Instant Pot. These oven mitts are essential to move it (and other not dishes) in and out of the oven.
This HIC ceramic baking pan is versatile and attractive, and this 9 x 13 size is perfect for holding four large-ish stuffed sweet potatoes.
Maesri Thai Masaman Curry -...Shop on Amazon
Native Forest Organic Cocon...Shop on Amazon
Lodge Essential Enamel Cast...Shop on Amazon
HIC Kitchen Rectangular Las...Shop on Amazon
ARCLIBER Oven Mitts 1 Pair ...Shop on Amazon
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Massaman Curry-Stuffed Sweet Potatoes
Ingredients
- 4 medium sweet potatoes scrubbed and roasted until soft but not split
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons Massaman curry paste Maesri for vegan; or Mae Ploy - up to double if you prefer spicy
- 1 red bell pepper seeded and diced
- 1 medium onion peeled and diced fine
- 1 13.5 ounce can of coconut milk full-fat
- 2 tablespoons smooth almond butter
- 2-3 teaspoons tamari or fish sauce or coconut aminos
- 1 head of cauliflower cut into bite-sized florets (or into small pieces for the stalk)
- juice of 1 lime
- sea salt to taste (see note)
- about ¼ cup each chopped basil and cilantro
- finely sliced green onion basil sprigs and cilantro to garnish
Instructions
- If you have not already, roast your sweet potatoes. In my oven at high altitude this takes about an hour at 400 degrees F. This time is not included in the prep time for this dish.
- Heat the olive oil in a dutch oven or other high-sided pan.
- Add the bell peppers and onions and cook for 5 minutes or until the onions have softened slightly.
- Stir in the curry paste and cook until fragrant, or 1-2 minutes.
- Add the coconut milk and almond butter. Stir to dissolve the almond butter and combine the ingredients. Bring to a boil and then add the fish sauce, tamari or coconut aminos and the cauliflower.
- Bring back to a boil and then turn down to a simmer.
- Cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes or until the cauliflower is tender and the sauce has thickened. If needed, remove the lid of the dutch oven and simmer uncovered to thicken.
- Stir in the cilantro, basil and lime juice. Adjust the salt.
- Gently split your cooled sweet potatoes down the middle, avoiding cutting the very ends. Scoop out a little of the sweet potato flesh if you want to be able to fit more of the curry into them. Save a little of the saucier portion of the curry to top off the potatoes just before serving.
- I like to place the sweet potatoes back in a 300-degree F oven for about 15 minutes for the flavors to meld. The tops dry out a little as they are warming, which is why I save a little bit of the curry sauce to spoon on just before serving.
Please pin for later!
Erika
I love the idea of using this curry as a potato topping. Very creative!
Beth
Erika, thank you for that comment. It's always fun deciding how something different will all go together, and then so rewarding to get good feedback on the flavors.
Nigar Rahman
Actually, i don't like sweet potatoes very much even knowing it's health benefits. But I never think that this potato will cook like this. It looks also delicious.I wish it also be tasty to eat.I will try this someday. Thanks for sharing!
Beth
Nigar, the Massaman curry is traditionally served with white or gold potatoes, so you might enjoy the curry that way and not have to eat sweet potatoes if you don't like them. Actually the curry is good all by itself!
Lynne Huysamen
This sounds superb and I love that I can adapt it to be vegan or vegetarian - I'm trying to eat more plant based so it's great when recipes support this. And oh how I love sweet potato - its one of my favourite foods so I'm sure this dish is a winner!
Beth
Lynne, yes, this is one of those dishes that everybody likes and it can hold its own as a plant-based meal. If you like sweet potatoes and Thai seasonings, I hope you will have a chance to try this!
Janice sisemore
I am not much of a cook anymore but it does look good.
Beth
Janice, I know what you mean, and part of the fun of recipe development is the fact that i'm making the meals for family. I have been asked by a dear friend to consider a section on "meals for one" and so that is on my list! Thanks for the comment.
Raina Camille
I love trying other cultural food. I am curious about some of your recipes on your site. I think your site offers simple and quick recipes which is something important to me. I like to cook simple yet delicious meals.
Beth
Raina, thank you so much! I love curries, for sure, so I've got quite a few on the blog. I know people like quick recipes and I am paying attention to that as much as possible. Simple is good!
Vidya Sury
I love everything about this recipe, Beth! I love sweet potatoes and often have them as a snack, just steamed. I also slice them roast them, and even bake cakes with them. This recipe you've posted I definitely will try! I am vegetarian and have type 2 diabetes, so I have to adapt almost every recipe to suit me. I am loving all the ingredients you've used. Can't wait to try this one! I am already drooling thinking of it!
I would pressure cook the sweet potatoes rather than oven roast. This promises to be a tasty filling meal! Thanks so much.
Beth
Vidya, thanks for such a wonderful comment! I can see why you would pressure-cook the sweet potatoes to keep them extra moist. The ones I buy tend to be large, so they fit better in the oven. I have hypoglycemia, so I can imagine your process of adapting recipes! I look forward to hearing how it goes, if you have a chance.
Leana Lourens
Mmm nice! I haven't had curry in a couple of weeks and you are giving me an idea now! I will try this recipe sometime 🙂👍
Beth
Leana, we are real fans of curries around here. I hope you will let me know if you have a chance to try the recipe! Thanks.
Felicia Austin
Oh my gosh! I love curry and I like sweet potatoes, but they have to be cooked right..lol but this looks Heavenly!!! I honestly can't wait to make this.
Beth
Felicia, I know what you mean about the sweet potatoes needing to be cooked right, that is a key to this recipe and sweet potatoes can be so different in type and size. I hope you will get them just right, because the flavors of the curry are just great here.
Nicole
I'm not normally a fan of curries, I have my favourite one that I get from a restaurant nearby and that about it. But this looks absolutely divine!! I'm going to have to try it out!
Beth
Nicole, the Massaman is pretty mild, so it might appeal to you when combined with the coconut milk and almond butter. It's really fun to make and unusual, so I will be curious to know what you think if you give it a try. Thanks for the comment!
Melissa
OMG this looks SO good. I definitely need to add this into my rotation because I LOVE curry.
Beth
Melissa, it is really good and not much more work than making the curry filling itself. I'm so glad to hear that you plan to give it a try - please let me know how it goes!
Morgan
This looks absolutely delicious! I've never tried Massaman curry paste but it sounds great. I will definitely add this to my list to try out!
Beth
Morgan, I heard about Massaman paste long before I tried it, and it's fast becoming a favorite. It has so much flavor I can really put together a quick meal with little prep - love that! See what you think.