Massaman curry is (arguably) the best food in the world. Where to find it in Cincinnati
At Thai Pavilion in Covington, I sit by the window scooping up mouthfuls of massaman curry as a vintage football game between the Dallas Cowboys and San Francisco 49ers plays silently on a wall-mounted television. Elvis Costello fills the olive-green dining room, but his crooning is lost on me as I savor the mellow curry and the subtle taste of coconut milk. The potatoes are cooked perfectly, the spice level (I went with three out of three) adding a punch of heat. There is the crunch of sliced carrots and peanuts, the sweetness of thick-cut onions. There's the tender braised chicken and the overall brilliance of the dish itself. As I eat, I add small forkfuls of rice into the sauce, making sure it’s never too much to absorb it all away.
While pad thai was my gateway to Thai cuisine, it was massaman curry that sealed the deal. The first time I tasted it, I was hooked. Its warming flavors of cinnamon, nutmeg and clove (sound familiar, Cincinnati?) were instantly familiar. While many of those spices are Middle Eastern, Thai ingredients such as lemongrass, coconut milk and galangal are also present. Tamarind supplies sour notes, palm sugar adds sweetness and fish sauce gives it a hit of umami. Tender potatoes, carrots, peanuts and protein are standard, but depending on the restaurant or home cook, ingredients can vary to include cauliflower, broccoli, pineapple, baby corn, beef, beef cheeks, seafood or goat.
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The origins of massaman curry date back to the 17th century. Given that its spice profile is more Middle Eastern and Indian than Thai, some theorize that the dish came about when spice traders from India and Persia made their way through southern Thailand (then Siam) while on their way to China. Eventually, those spices were blended into traditional red curry pastes, creating something altogether new.
To me, massaman curry is among the world’s great comfort foods. I’m not alone in that sentiment. In a 2021 CNN poll of the best foods in the world, massaman curry was the clear winner, followed in second place by Neapolitan pizza, and then chocolate in third. That’s how good it is.
For some reason that I've yet to figure out, the neighborhoods of Hyde Park, Mount Lookout and Oakley are home to an inordinate number of good Thai restaurants that serve the dish, including Bangkok Bistro, Asiana, Ruthai’s, Lemon Grass and Green Papaya, among others.
These days, my favorite version is served at Rosewood, in Oakley. Aside from the requisite potatoes and carrots, it’s packed with pineapple, baby corn and cauliflower. I had some recently as I sat on my neighbor’s back porch as we gathered for an impromptu Friday night dinner. “You’re really into massaman curry these days,” my wife, Amy, observed as I devoured my order directly from the takeout container. When I thought about it, I realized I’ve always been into massaman curry. But it's taken me decades to realize it is among my favorite foods in the world.
Highly Recommended is a weekly spotlight on some of food writer Keith Pandolfi's favorite finds as he eats his way across Greater Cincinnati. Find more of his recent food writing here.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Massaman curry is (arguably) the best food in the world
