It's luscious, hearty, salty, sweet, and sour.
—all easy to find and affordable—formed the bulk of the curry, lending their creamy texture and natural sweetness. A few dried spices were used to create the fragrance associated with Massaman curry when she only had red curry paste on hand. The pièce de résistance? Tart Granny Smith apples in place of the usual tamarind. And while our family’s chicken Massaman takes a day to make, this version takes less than 20 minutes of active cooking time.
Looking at my go-to Thai supermarket in Chicago now, it’s hard to believe that back when my aunt studied in the US, she couldn’t even find the kind of coconut milk appropriate for Thai curries, which would be full-fat and devoid of sugar or thickeners. Strapped for both time and cash, had it not been for the packaged red curry paste and coconut milk powder she had taken with her from home, re-creating her favorite Thai dishes would have been out of reach.
Having written about making Thai food in America for over a decade, I have come across countless stories like my aunt’s. Constraints in the world of cooking come in many forms and affect people differently to various extents. I’m not talking about food insecurity around the world; that is a serious global issue far beyond the scope of this story. I’m speaking more of the everyday constraints that affect the way we cook and eat in different ways and to various extents.
A barren ground of resources can also be a fertile field of creativity. We sometimes forget that’s exactly how many well-loved Thai classic dishes started out. Often, the results of this kind of constraint-fueled creativity are not simply simulacra that can never measure up to the flavors they aspire to replicate but, in fact, delicious new renditions or entire new dishes in their own right.
Though skeptical, the family took to my aunt’s version of Massaman quickly. In fact, we’ve been making this nearly meatless, weeknight-friendly version of the curry ever since then. And now even though my Chicago neck of the woods offers a wide selection of fresh and shelf-stable Thai ingredients to make our family’s favorite chicken Massaman, I find myself making my aunt’s version all the time.
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