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Panang Curry
Updated May 29, 2024
![Panang Curry](https://static01.nyt.com/images/2023/12/06/multimedia/ND-Panang-Curry-mqtv-copy/ND-Panang-Curry-mqtv-articleLarge.jpg?width=1280&quality=75&auto=webp)
- Total Time
- 35 minutes
- Prep Time
- 5 minutes
- Cook Time
- 30 minutes
- Rating
- Notes
- Read community notes
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Ingredients
- ½teaspoon coriander seeds
- ½teaspoon cumin seeds
- ¼cup/1 ounce dry-roasted, unsalted peanuts
- 2 to 4tablespoons red curry paste, to taste (see Tip)
- 1pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs
- 2teaspoons fish sauce, plus more as needed
- 1(13.5-ounce) can full-fat coconut milk (do not shake)
- 8makrut lime leaves, deveined, 6 torn and 2 thinly sliced, or 1 teaspoon grated lime zest, for serving
- 1½teaspoons palm, granulated or brown sugar, plus more as needed
- 1small, mild, thin-skinned pepper, such as a Fresno, Anaheim or banana pepper, or ½ small red bell pepper, thinly sliced
- Thai basil, thinly sliced, for serving (optional, if makrut lime leaves are not used)
- Rice, for serving
For the Panang Curry Paste
For the Curry
Preparation
- Step 1
Prepare the curry paste: Heat a medium sauté pan over medium. Add the coriander and cumin. Swirl the pan around, or toss the seeds with a wooden spoon, and gently toast until fragrant, about 1 minute, taking care not to burn the spices. Transfer to a small plate and cool, then place in a spice grinder or mortar and pestle, and grind to a fine powder.
- Step 2
Add the peanuts and finely grind until smooth. Transfer the mixture to a small bowl, add the red curry paste and stir until mixed.
- Step 3
Thinly slice the chicken into 1½-inch-long pieces. Place in a medium bowl, drizzle with the fish sauce and mix until coated.
- Step 4
Heat the same pan over medium-high. Scoop 4 tablespoons of the thick cream off the top of the coconut milk and add it to the pan; it will immediately sizzle. Stir until thickened and bubbling on the sides, about 30 seconds. Stir in the curry paste, to taste. Reduce to medium, and cook the paste, continuously stirring, until a thick paste forms and the coconut oil separates (the sauce “breaks”), 2 to 3 minutes. If it starts sticking, add a splash of coconut milk and scrape up anything from the bottom of the pan.
- Step 5
Add the torn lime leaves or zest and sugar. Cook, continuously stirring, to dissolve the sugar and infuse the flavors, about 2 minutes. Add the remaining coconut milk, increase to medium-high, bring to a boil and cook, continuously stirring, until the curry has thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon and has a layer of bright red oil on top, 4 to 8 minutes. The curry should be at a lively simmer; adjust the heat as necessary.
- Step 6
Add the chicken and cook, stirring frequently, until cooked through, 3 to 4 minutes. If using, stir in the peppers, saving a few for serving, and cook until just incorporated, about 1 minute. Taste and add more fish sauce and sugar, if needed. (Be mindful, this is not a sweet curry; the sweetness should hit a back note, not lead with it.)
- Step 7
Garnish with the sliced lime leaves or Thai basil and reserved peppers. Serve alongside rice.
- Different brands of curry paste vary in spice levels. Taste a little first and determine how much to use.
Private Notes
Cooking Notes
If you only have ground cumin and coriander, halve the measurements the recipe calls for
These are my suggestions if you are buying pre-made paste. 1) Don't buy American brands of Curry paste or coconut milk. I buy Maesri curry paste, Chaokoh coconut milk and/or Mae Ploy coconut cream. 2) I like lots of sauce, so I combine one 4oz can of curry paste with one 19oz can coconut cream and one 13.5oz can of coconut milk. 3) for sauce, first combine the fatty portion of coconut cream and milk with the paste until it begins to look like peanut butter, then add remaining ingredients.
Here's two more tips. 1) serving on top of rice can dilute curry flavor. serve on the side instead. 2) I use pre-cooked meat. Buy a Costco chicken and shred, then dice. I prefer pork, so I buy a big pork shoulder, slow cook it, shred it, dice it, divide into multiple servings, and freeze them. When it's time to make curry, I pull a bag of pork out of the freezer and use that. Buying a big pork shoulder also saves money. I use the shredded pork for many different recipes: curry, tacos, BBQ.
We always have a few cans of Maesri curry paste in the pantry. It makes for a very quick and easy meal that doesn't taste quick and easy. I use a bit less than the can directions call for. About 1/2 can with 1 can of coconut milk (there's 2 of us). The other 1/2 can gets frozen.
I learned almost exactly this recipe at a cooking school in Thailand and it’s delicious! Highly recommend Maesri brand curry paste. It’s a bit spicy so I usually use around half a can per pound of meat. I also add in 1/4 teaspoon of tamarind paste.
The two best curry paste brands are Mae Ploy and Maesri.
substitute for peanuts in the curry: almond butter substitute for fish sauce: Yondu Vegetable Umami Sauce. Excellent replacement for fish sauce in all recipes it calls for!
As someone who is incorrigibly (genetic) Irish I use a large potato, either nuked or baked, in the place of rice for Panang, Green, and Red, but a sweet potato with Massaman. Maesri or M.P. are both good pastes. I used to make my own paste but it's a 45-minute plus Metro to the Thai store for coriander roots. At any rate, works for me.
Made this as written last night using 3.5oz of Thai Kitchen brand red curry paste , the toasted spices, dry-roasted peanuts and, Thai Kitchen brand organic, unsweetened coconut milk chilled. Only had dried lime leaves and fished them out before serving. Used boneless, skinless chicken thighs sliced whilst still semi frozen. All round winner. Word of caution - four adults cleared their bowls and asked if there were seconds! Will double the recipe next time just to get some left overs.
Maesry actually makes a Panang curry paste. Not as easy to find as their red or green, but often available in Asian supermarket.
Coconut milk varies widely in its make up. Some cheap brands have as little as 25% coconut. Look at the ingredients, you should not accept less than 60%, some brands go up to 85% plus... Not all coconut milks are the same, it will makes a huge difference to the taste.
I believe if you refrigerate your can of coconut milk, it will separate, MaryP.
This was easy and tasty. Added green beans which worked out great. Next time will up the curry paste and the entire red pepper. A keeper
The recipe says you can substitute 1 teaspoon grated lime zest for the makrut lime leaves
You can buy vegan/vegetarian fish sauce (soy-based) for dietary restrictions, but there is really no substitute when cooking Thai food. When I first started cooking Thai food decades ago I omitted or reduced the fish sauce because it smelled terrible and I didn't think I'd like it. Then I tried the food with and without it and have never omitted again!
This recipe can be perfect if you add: - 2 T butter at the beginning on medium heat, 2 T minced garlic, 1 T minced ginger, 1 tsp grated lemon grass, and 2 finely chopped Birds Eye chili. Simmer until aromatic (1-2 min) - Add full can of coconut cream slowly add curry paste cook until thick and another can coconut milk - use 4 T MAESRI red curry paste - chicken will need to cook for longer
This was delicious, different and very easy. I made the paste in advance and this worked well.
You almost can’t go wrong here! My wife used last can of coconut milk and didn’t replace but I found a can of coconut cream in our large pantry. Likewise I used crunchy peanut butter, used ground coriander and cumin (thanks for the tip to halve the measure in that case), and I did find I needed on the upper end of the curry paste due to it being grocery store type. In fact I threw a little sriracha at it finally! Really excellent recipe, thank you. Doubt I’ll ever make it the same way twice.
Can I sub tofu vs meat? Is so, pls suggest related detail.
Made as directed. Amazing.
Double the recipe Squeeze in a whole lime at the end Use almost two bell peppers (or pepper of choice) Add an extra splash or two of fish sauce and maybe a little sugar at the end
Can this recipe be made using extra-firm tofu instead of chicken?
Living in rural Colorado I used from my pantry, Thai Kitchen red curry paste, and Geisha Coconut Milk (available locally). Even then I was delighted with the dinner. I will order Mark O's suggested Maestra and Chaokoh products and go for his recipe for lots of sauce, doublling the chicken thighs. I did add Momofuku Chili Crisp because 3 Tblespoons of paste was not enough heat. The peanut flavor came through beautifully. I can't wait to do this one again with just a few adjustments. 5 stars
I have a family member that has a food allergy to coconut. What can I substitute for the coconut milk?
You can try using a full fat greek yogurt for the "4 tablespoons of the thick cream off the top of the coconut milk" and for the rest either whole milk or half and half. Just watch it closely because it can scorch. It may also not allow for the sauce to break as successfully as it would using coconut. Personally, I would opt not to make this dish via this recipe if I couldn't use coconut.
Delicious! Added some cut-up green beans toward the end
Excellent, I followed the recipe exactly. Great blend of seasonings. Delicious.
This was a good meal, but I personally wished it was spicier; I will add more red curry paste next time. Also, it was a touch too sweet, and I didn't add any more sugar than the 1.5 teaspoons called for ; I will reduce the sugar next time.
Added some mint leaves when serving and think it adds a nice touch - though prob. not Thai.
I used a couple tablespoons of peanut butter instead of peanuts. Worked well for us.
Worked like a charm, but I added some aromatics in the paste - a bit clove of garlic and about 3/4 inch of ginger, roughly chopped and then smashed in the mortar and pestle with the rest of the paste ingredients. Added a lot of depth of flavor without overpowering the other spices, I think.
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