Panang is a simple curry that makes a frequent appearance at the curry stall. It uses red curry paste, which is perhaps the most commonly used curry preparations. The recipe for the paste follows. You can make more than necessary for one dish and keep the leftovers in the refrigerator in a tightly closed container for several weeks.
Panang Curry
Panang Curry Paste
First, you have to make the curry paste.
Ingredients
| Dried chillies | 10 g | seeds removed and soaked in water |
| Galangal | 1 tsp | finely chopped |
| Lemongrass | 2 Tbsp | sliced |
| Kaffir lime peel | 1 tsp | |
| Coriander roots | 1 Tbsp | chopped |
| Shallots | 40 g | sliced |
| Garlic | 35 g | |
| Roasted coriander seeds | 1 Tbsp | |
| Cumin | 1 Tbsp | |
| Black peppercorns | 3 g | |
| Prawn paste | 1 tsp | |
| Salt | 1 tsp |
Preparation Method
- Grind all the ingredients together to form a fine paste. You can use a mortar and pestle or take the modern approach and use a food processor.
Panang Curry Recipe
(Serves 4)
Ingredients
| Pork tenderloin | 500 g | cut in bite sized pieces |
| Red curry paste | 100 g | |
| Coconut milk | 220 ml | |
| Roasted peanuts | 20 g | coarsely chopped |
| Red spur chillies | 10 g | sliced |
| Thai basil | 50 g | |
| Kaffir lime leaves | 2 g | shredded |
| Palm sugar | ¼ Tbsp | |
| Fish sauce | 2 Tbsp | |
| Vegetable oil | 2 Tbsp |
Preparation Method
- Simmer the pork in 1 ½ cups of the coconut milk until the meat is cooked through.
- In a hot wok, heat the vegetable oil and stir-fry the curry paste together with the chopped peanuts until fragrant.
- Lower the heat and add the remaining ½ cup of coconut milk. Stir until mixed, then add the pork along with the coconut milk it was cooked in.
- Season with the fish sauce and sugar. Stir in the spur chillies. Sprinkle the kaffir lime leaves and basil over the curry and transfer to a serving dish.
