Versatile Panang Curry

It was an innocent question, that got a complicated answer.
Too complicated...

Do you have a good panang curry recipe?
Actually, I didn't, so I went looking to answer my neighbor's question.
Wow, what a list of ingredients. It needed to get easier if it was going to be on my menu, or his. I loved the sweetness and spice of a Panang Curry sauce...

So I decided to give it a try, so I invited them over to be my guinea pigs one Sunday night.  That invitation turned into a party that grew and grew, swelling from dinner for 4 to a boisterous group of 7, the kind that makes everyone discuss if they should call in sick tomorrow and pretend it's weekend evening. It made us consider the "music game", something that only happens late at night under very specific conditions... but alas, we all gave in to responsibility.

Panang curry is so versatile, a fantastic sauce that lends itself to so many types of meat and vegetables.  A couple guests mentioned that they had never had Panang Curry with tomato wedges in it, but my favorite Thai restaurant, only serves it like that, as did my inspiration recipe, so I included them.  It's a very personal choice, so make it your own.  With the protein choices, I chose frozen prawns, but you could chose chicken, pork, beef or even tofu. I'll give you ideas below on how to make that work. I served this with my Larb Gai recipe, my favorite Thai dish!

I'm giving you the sauce recipe first, with the choices and basic instructions for veggies and meats below that, including some ideas on how to make that work. I will make this sauce again, maybe even prepping it ahead of time in order to throw together a quick dinner.

Serves 4-6 people
Ingredients

CURRY SAUCE:

4 Tbsp. tomato paste

1 small onion, quartered

1 2" chunk of ginger, sliced

3 cloves garlic
2-3 serrano chilies, cut into chunks

1 1/2 Tbsp. soy sauce

2 Tbsp. fish sauce

1 Tbsp. paprika

1 Tbsp. chili powder
1 tsp. cayenne pepper

1/2 tsp. ground coriander

1/2 tsp. cumin

1/2 tsp. turmeric

1 can good-quality coconut milk, light or regular

juice of 1/2 lime

Meat Choices-
-1 lb frozen shrimp, peeled & deviened
-3 chicken breasts, cubed into 1" pcs
-1 lb pork tenderloin, cut into thin strips
-1 lb lean beef, cut against the grain in thin strips
-8 oz block of tofu, firm or extra firm

Vegetable Choices, chose any or all from below-

3 tomatoes, cut into wedges
1 large carrot, cut into thin slices
1/2 onion, sliced

1 red bell pepper or sweet red pepper, sliced

2 kaffir lime leaves, or substitute bay leaves (RECOMMENDED)

1/2 loose cup fresh basil leaves, chopped (RECOMMENDED)

 

Serve over steamed rice!

Preparation:

To make the curry sauce, place all sauce ingredients in a blender.  Here's everything before I added the coconut milk and blended.

Blend it until well mixed, and now pulse it a bit more so that you really don't have any lumps.

Chose your protein and veggies, here's what I suggest for the different meats:
-Shrimp or Tofu, add fresh, or frozen prawns directly to the sauce with veggies in a large saucepan. Heat in a large saucepan for 15-20 minutes, or until the shrimp are pink and vegetables are cooked.
 -Chicken, stir fry the pieces in a small amount of oil until slightly browned. Add sauce and heat in a large saucepan for 15-20 minutes, or until the meat and vegetables are cooked.
 -Pork, (chose a tender cut, like pork tenderloin) stir fry the pieces in a small amount of oil until slightly browned. Add sauce and heat in a large saucepan for 15-20 minutes, or until the meat and vegetables are cooked.
-Beef, (Sirloin, flank steak- cut against the grain) stir fry the pieces in a small amount of oil until slightly browned. Add sauce and heat in a large saucepan for 15-20 minutes, or until the meat and vegetables are cooked.

Do a taste test:
-add more fish sauce if not salty enough;
-if too spicy, add more coconut milk or a little yogurt.
-If too salty, add more lime juice.

Sprinkle with fresh basil leaves and serve with plenty of Thai jasmine rice (white or whole-grain). ENJOY!

Here's some other curries I've blogged about that you might like:
Turkey Keema Curry
Spicy Shrimp Curry