Panang Curry

This recipe is not for everyone!!

It's a real Panang Curry recipe for curry connoisseurs who adore real Thai food and can handle the heat. It's made using a homemade Panang Curry paste which is easy to make but will likely call for a trip to the Asian store. But if you truly want the best, it's worth it. You can't get good Panang curry in jars!

Make this creamy coconut Panang curry with either prawns/shrimp or chicken. Both are great.

Panang curry – yep, it’s SPICY!!

PROTEIN – CHOOSE ONE:

• 700g/1.4 lb whole raw prawns/shrimp *recommended* (sub 350g/12oz peeled)
• 350g / 12 oz skinless chicken thighs, thinly sliced
• 1 1/2 cups chicken stock/broth, low-sodium (not fish/seafood)

CURRY PASTE:

• 2/3 cup dried Chinese chillies** (not Thai!, too spicy!)
• 3 tbsp roasted peanuts unsalted
• 2 lemongrass stems, finely grated
• 2 eschalots, roughly chopped
• 1 tbsp galangal, finely grated (sub ginger)
• 5 garlic cloves, finely minced
• 1 1/2 tbsp shrimp paste in bean oil (sub 2 tsp crumbled belacan)
• 1/2 tsp each ground coriander, cumin, nutmeg
• 1 tbsp (packed) finely sliced kaffir lime leaves

CURRY:

• 3 tbsp canola oil
• 1 1/4 cups coconut cream, full-fat
• 3 1/2 tsp white sugar, 4 1/2 tsp fish sauce, 1/4 tsp cooking/kosher salt
• 200g/7oz green beans, trimmed, cut in half (~1 1/2 cups)
• 12 Thai basil leaves

SERVING: Jasmin rice, 1 tbsp unsalted peanuts finely chopped, red cayenne peppers, finely sliced (optional), extra Thai basil

1. Cut chillis in half, shake out seeds, chop, soak in boiling water 30 min. Drain (keep water). Blitz peanuts, then add remaining paste ingredients with ¼ cup chilli water. Blitz until smooth.

2. Prawn stock (skip if using chicken) – Put heads & shells and chicken stock in saucepan, simmer on medium 15 min, crushing shells with potato masher. Drain (should have 1 1/4c), ditch heads.

3. In deep skill, heat oil and cook curry paste 5 min until darkens and no longer wet. Add stock, coconut cream, fish sauce and salt. Bring to simmer, add beans, simmer 2 min. Add prawns or chicken, cook 2 min. Stir in basil leaves, serve over jasmin rice with garnishes!

* I think prawns/shrimp make the best Panang curry, plus can re-purpose the heads to make a quick stock that takes it from awesome to stellar! But chicken is a close second. :)

** You need 1/2 cup chillis once chopped. DO NOT use Thai or Indian dried chillies unless you can handle very, very spicy curries! Chinese chillies are milder. Don’t reduce chillies, they are key to Panang curry sauce flavour.