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A bowl of vegan massaman curry with chunks of seitan, potatoes, and red chilies, served with rice, peanuts, cilantro, and lime wedges.
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5 from 3 votes

Vegan Massaman Curry

Creamy coconut, melt-in-your-mouth potatoes, and crispy seitan come together in this vegan Massaman curry that's rich, comforting, and packed with bold spices. With it’s sweet roasted peanut crunch, it’s everything you want in a curry… and MORE.
Prep Time4 minutes
Cook Time20 minutes
Total Time24 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Thai
Diet: Vegan, Vegetarian
Servings: 6 cups
Calories: 380kcal
Author: Adam Sobel
Cost: $11

Equipment

Ingredients

For the Veggies and Mock Meat:

  • 2 cups white sweet potato cut in 1-inch pieces
  • 2 cups red skin potatoes quartered
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 cups seitan or vegan duck, torn in bite size pieces

For the Curry:

Optional To Serve and Garnish:

Instructions

  • Place the white sweet potatoes and red potatoes in a steamer, or a pot with water to cover. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to medium heat and cook until fork-tender. Drain and set aside.
  • Heat a large pan or wok over medium-high heat and add the olive oil. Once hot, add the seitan (or drained canned vegan duck pieces) and sauté until browned and slightly crisp on the edges. Transfer to a plate and set aside.
  • Reduce the heat to medium and add the coconut oil to the pan. After 90 seconds, once the oil is melted and hot, add the cumin seeds, cinnamon, and cloves, stirring for about a minute until fragrant.
  • Stir in the curry paste and cook for 30-60 seconds until the curry paste darkens slightly and breaks down in the oil.
  • Add the shallots, garlic, ginger, and bird’s eye chilies. Stir frequently for 2-3 minutes.
  • Pour in the coconut milk and water, stirring to combine. Add the cooked potatoes, brown sugar, vegan fish sauce if using, tamarind concentrate, and salt. Stir well and bring to a simmer over medium-low heat. Let cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  • Return the seitan to the pan and stir to coat in the curry. Simmer for 5 more minutes, allowing the curry to penetrate into the protein. Stir in the roasted peanuts and remove from heat.
  • Serve hot with jasmine rice, garnished with cilantro, additional peanuts, and bird’s eye chilies if desired.

Notes

🥔 Tater Swift – Fork It Off:
Cook potatoes until they’re fork-tender so they soak up all the flavor without falling apart like a bad breakup.
Seitan-ic Ritual:
That last quick simmer keeps the seitan tender, but overdo it and you’ll end up with sucky, mushy veggies.
🍳 I Believe I Can Fry:
Coat seitan in a little oil, air-fry at 400°F for 8–10 minutes, and enjoy crispy perfection—no deep-fry explosions required.
🔥 Dutch Oven There, Done That:
Fry seitan in a Dutch oven or high-sided pot to keep it crispy—because nobody wants their stovetop looking like a crime scene.

Nutrition

Calories: 380kcal | Carbohydrates: 29g | Protein: 15g | Fat: 25g | Saturated Fat: 15g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Sodium: 1040mg | Potassium: 558mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 11g | Vitamin A: 7863IU | Vitamin C: 9mg | Calcium: 70mg | Iron: 4mg