Panang Curry

Method

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1. Open the tin without shaking it and spoon the thick cream from the top into a wok.

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2. Fry over a medium heat for 4 minutes, until it separates and the oil pools clear at the edges.

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3. Add the curry paste and fry 2 minutes, until dark and fragrant.

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4. Stir in the crushed peanuts and cook 1 minute.

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5. Add the meat and turn it in the paste for 3 minutes.

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6. Pour in the rest of the coconut milk and the water, add the whole lime leaves, and simmer 10 minutes.

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7. Add the fish sauce, palm sugar and red pepper and simmer 4 minutes.

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8. Taste and balance: it should be salty, sweet and rich in that order.

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9. Scatter the shredded lime leaf, sliced chilli and basil over and serve.

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Chef’s Tips

• Crack the cream before the paste goes in.
• Panang is thick — do not thin it out with stock.
• Shredded lime leaf at the end, not cooked in.

Common Substitutions & Variations

• For a non-vegan version, double cream can generally stand in for the coconut milk; going the other way, a plant-based cream sold for cooking is the closer match to dairy than tinned coconut milk on its own.
• A pinch of dried chilli flakes works in place of fresh chilli — start with about a third of the quantity the red chilli in the list implies, since dried chilli is more concentrated, and add more to taste.
• Lemon is the everyday swap for lime in this kind of dish — the acidity plays the same role even though the flavour is not identical.

Pairing Suggestions

• Jasmine rice
• Som tam
• Thai iced tea

Storage & Reheating

Keeps 3 days refrigerated and improves. Freezes 2 months.

Common questions

Nutritional Highlights

Per serving, calculated from the ingredient list. Treat these as an estimate — brands and cuts vary.