Days Needed To Store Massaman Curry

Our answer

Nigella's Massaman Beef Curry (from SIMPLY NIGELLA) is a Thai beef and potato curry, where the beef is slowly stewed with spices and coconut milk. After the curry is cooked, Nigella suggests cooling and refrigerating the curry for up to 3 days, before reheating and serving. This is partly for convenience, as slow-cooked or brasied or stewed meat can sometimes take longer than expected to become very tender and it saves running the risk of having to wait longer if the curry is not quite ready, plus it reheats quickly and easily. But also the flavour of this curry, as for many stews, tends to deepen and round out if left for a day or so in the fridge.

The standing time may help the flavours to penetrate the meat a little more. Also some of the starches in the vegetables start to convert to sugars and capsaicin (the component that is the heat in chillies) tends to become less fiery and more mellow over time. You only need to refrigerate the curry for one day to get the benefit of this flavour improvement. You could, of course, eat the curry straight away and it will still be delicious, but we would suggest making it ahead if at all possible. The curry also freezes very well.