Panang curry

This was one of the curries I ordered first at a Thai restaurant. The mild yet distinct flavors bite after bite, had me hooked! Last night I made Panang curry at home using home-made Panang curry paste.

The authentic paste contains Shrimp, which we don’t eat, so made a vegetarian version of the Panang paste and curry.



You will need:

For the Panang paste:
5 Dried Chillies
½ inch piece Galangal, chopped
2 tbsp chopped Lemongrass (the fleshy part)
1 tbsp Toasted Corriander seeds
2 Garlic cloves, minced
3 shallots, finely chopped
1 tbsp skinned peanuts



For the Curry:

1 ¼ cups Coconut Milk
3 tbsp prepared Panang paste
1 tbsp Oil
1 Carrot, cut at an angle
½ cup Broccoli florets
½ cup Green beans
1 Green bell pepper, sliced
1 Onion, sliced
2 tbsp light brown sugar
A handful Thai Basil leaves
1 tbsp Sambal chili paste (if you like it hot)
Salt to taste

1 cup Jasmine rice cooked, to serve


Grind the paste ingredients in a blender using little water until smooth. This is the Panang curry paste.

Heat oil in a pan. Add the curry paste and sauté for a few minutes till fragrant. Now add the coconut milk, salt, brown sugar, and the veggies. Stir and bring to a boil. Turn down heat to low and simmer covered for 10 minutes, until veggies are soft.


Stir in the basil leaves reserving a few for garnish. Adjust seasoning if necessary and serve with a garnish of basil leaves on top.