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 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 r

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.