I have had multiple forays into the world of making Thai food. Often times, I end up creating a dish that is tasty, but does NOT taste like the authentic dish served in my beloved local Thai spots. NOT the case with this delectable dish!
This recipe is modified from a Pin that I found a few months ago. I altered the recipe to my own taste (as I would recommend any budding home chef should do!) Remember, no two palates are the same and just because I think it tastes amazing doesn't necessarily mean everyone else will. At the end of the day, make a dish that you LOVE to eat! :)
Paneng curry tends to be a little milder than other curries may be and is distinctly different from some of the curries you may encounter in some Indian restaurants. I would recommend trying Paneng curry--I've shared it with many friends and they have been impressed with it's flavor profile.
Before getting started, its good to be aware that this dish is somewhat like a hearty soup. It has meat of your choice as well as vegetables of your choice added to it. However, the "soup" or curry base is what is more governed by recipe.
In my opinion, this dish tastes authentic despite the recipe NOT being fully authentic. Largely because I had to forego the kaffir lime leaves. (I made this dish on short notice and didn't have time to appropriately locate kaffir lime leaves). Also, I made this dish with light brown sugar rather than palm sugar.
As a seasoned pro at eating Paneng curry, I felt this dish represented a restaurant quality level of flavor. I hope you enjoy, but please, feel free to make adjustments as needed!
So to start, the recipe I used to adapt my own take on Panang Curry is located here: http://www.saveur.com/article/Recipes/Panang-Chicken-Curry
What caught my eye about this recipe was first, that it comes from chef Saipin Chutima of the restaurant Lotus of Siam in Las Vegas. A quick tour of Trip Advisor yielded fantastic results regarding satisfaction with the Thai food that is cooked at this "hidden gem" of a restaurant. So with quality taken care of, the other thing drawing me to this recipe was how simple it seemed to be. I can vouch that yes, this recipe is both simple and delicious.
My first recommendation is to purchase your curry paste and coconut milk from local Asian markets. Usually, the prices are unbeatable but also, the food typically comes from the country the dish is native to and is much better than any American interpretation.
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| These are tasty but dangerous! Be careful not to add too many or you might heat your dish up so much that you can't enjoy it. To help temper the heat of an overly spicy panning curry, try adding more coconut milk! |
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| Amazingly delicious panang curry paste. |
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| If you're wondering what is IN that amazing panning curry paste---the flavor profile is based on dried chili pepper, garlic, shallot, lemongrass, sugar, salt, kaffir lime and galangal. Spices include coriander seeds, cumin, cardamom and bay leaves. |
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| Coconut Milk from Thailand! Rich and creamy. |
Ingredients:
- 2 cups coconut milk
- A HEAPING 1/4 cup of panning curry paste
- Whole dried red chilis (to taste)
- 2 Tbsp brown sugar (light or dark, palm sugar also works)
- 3 Tbsp fish sauce --imparts a nice saltiness
- kaffir lime leaves (may substitute with bay)
- salt & pepper to taste ( I skipped this step because I tasted my dish as I went and was satisfied with the flavors)
- Meat of choice ( I used chicken breasts)
- If using chicken, I recommend using 1 and 1/2 lb chicken cut into 1/4 inch slices
- 1 and 1/4 cup of chicken stock/broth
- Jasmine rice for serving with
Directions:
- Combine the 2 cups coconut milk and heaping 1/4 cup panang curry paste in at 4 qt saucepan over medium high heat. Stir the mixture periodically and monitor closely so as to prevent it from bubbling over. Have the curry mixture at a steady simmer for approximately 12 minutes.
- Add the sliced chicken to the curry mixture and cook on medium high for about 5 to 6 minutes.
- Also add as many dried red chilis as you would like to the curry mixture to impart spice--if you are looking for a milder experience skip this step entirely. I only used 3 peppers. Add them slowly!
- Stir the chicken to make sure all the pieces are being cooked throughly.
- Add your chicken stock, brown sugar, and fish sauce and bring the mixture to a boil.
- If you prefer a thicker curry, add the chicken stock slowly until desired thickness is reached--vice versa if you like a thinner/soupier curry, add more chicken stock.
- Once boiling, allow to boil for 1 minute then remove from heat.
- Add the kaffir lime or bay leaves at this point (amount you add will depend on your flavor preference--always start small and increase as needed) :)
- RECOMMEND: Once the chicken is FULLY cooked, taste your curry sauce frequently to make sure you like the flavor profile.
- You can ALWAYS add more curry paste, or chili peppers if you want to increase the flavor or spiciness.
- Prepare your jasmine rice, ladle the curry over the rice, garnish with basil.
- To add vegetables to your curry: I recommend cooking the vegetables separately so as not to throw off the ratios of your curry. Many vegetables have a high water content and you won't want to water down your curry--you will lose all that amazing flavor!
- Cook your vegetables separately and add to your curry when they are done cooking.
- I recommend adding snap peas and bell peppers to panang curry. But feel free to add whatever vegetables you prefer.
I hope that you enjoy this simple recipe. If you have any suggestions or feedback, let me know in the comments! I hope that you fall in love with the tastes of Thai as much as I have.
P.S. If you have leftovers, this meal heats up nicely for lunch the next day! :)
Enjoy!
Elizabeth
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