Beef cheek massaman curry

Our last two family holidays have been to Thailand, and on our last trip I decided to enrol in a Thai cookery masterclass being offered at our resort. I've never done a cooking class of any kind, so was intrigued to discover what would be on the agenda.

Upon signing up I was told that each class generally had about 5-8 participants, so I was pleasantly surprised when I arrived at hotel reception to meet my teacher that I was the only one taking the class that day.

My teacher was one of the chefs at the hotel, and he only spoke limited English - although compared to my non-existent Thai, he was practically fluent.  Whilst we waited for the car that was to take us to the local island markets to learn about traditional ingredients, he asked me where I was from.

"Sydney,Australia" I replied.

"Oh, yes, Australia….beautiful country. Tell me - are there Thai restaurants in Australia?"

"Oh, there are heaps"! I exclaimed.

"And where you live? Is there thai restaurant?"

"Absolutely. Just in my suburb (which is in Sydney's east) I'd say there are, oh, about 15?"

Silence.

I think he thought I must have slightly confused.

"….Oh! ….Thai food…is very popular in Australia then?"


And it is isn't it? When I was growing up -  it wasn't. Our local restaurant was Italian or Chinese.  Pizza Hut or Sizzler was considered to be a reasonably classy night out. But now…Thai. Its everywhere.And I am absolutely no expert on cooking the cuisine, but I have had enough Thai takeaway in my life to know what I would change about one particular dish.

 Beef massaman curry.

Instead of big, melty chunks of slow cooked beef, most Thai restaurants seem to serve their massaman curry with shrivelled strips of thin, stir fry style beef. By the time its been simmering away in the sauce for as long as it should its like eating curry flavoured beef jerky.

Beef cheeks are absolutely one of my favourite winter cuts. They are as cheap as chips and very deceptive. Even with a sharp knife they're so tough you can barely cut through them whilst raw, but after a few hours they are just magically, meltingly rich and buttery soft.

Beef cheek massaman curry