Panang Curry
This authentic Panang curry is a rich, aromatic delight featuring succulent prawns simmered in a complex, creamy coconut sauce. Infused with freshly ground lemongrass, galangal, and aromatic kaffir lime, the sauce offers a perfect balance of savoury, nutty, and mildly spicy flavours. Served over fluffy steamed rice, this elegant Thai appetiser is as beautiful to look at as it is delicious to savour.
Cuisines
Cooking Instructions
Cooking: 10 minutes
Notes:
Kaffir lime leaves are essential for that characteristic, fragrant Thai citrus note and must be sliced into fine, delicate ribbons.
Dried red chillies should be deseeded if you prefer a milder heat, then rehydrated in boiling water to soften before blending.
The shrimp paste is optional but highly recommended to add a deeper level of umami and complexity to the finished curry.
If green beans are unavailable, sugar snap peas make a delightful substitute for that necessary fresh, crunchy texture.
Prepare Aromatics
Grate the lemongrass, galangal, and garlic using a microplane grater to create a fine texture.
Prepare Chillies
Remove the seeds from the dried chillies, chop into small pieces, soak in boiling water for 30 minutes, then drain and reserve the liquid.
Blend Paste
Combine the prepared aromatics, chillies, sliced kaffir lime leaves, shallot, shrimp paste, coriander, nutmeg, cumin, and fish sauce in a blender, processing until a smooth, uniform paste forms.
Sauté Paste
Add the curry paste to a hot pan with a small amount of oil, stir-frying until fragrant and the aromatics are fully cooked out.
Simmer Sauce
Pour in the coconut cream, scraping up the flavours from the pan, then stir in the remaining fish sauce and sugar, allowing the sauce to thicken slightly.
Cook Seafood
Add the green beans and prawns to the simmering sauce, cooking for a few minutes until the prawns are opaque and perfectly tender.
Serve
Finish by sprinkling with crushed roasted peanuts, sliced fresh chillies, and fresh basil leaves, then serve immediately over steamed rice.
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Ingredients
| Lemongrass | 2 stalks |
| Galangal | 2 cm piece |
| Garlic | 5 cloves |
| Dried Red Chillies | 15 |
| Kaffir Lime Leaves | 3 |
| Eschalot | 1 |
| Shrimp Paste | 1 tsp |
| Coriander | 1 tsp |
| Nutmeg | ¼ tsp |
| Cumin | ½ tsp |
| Fish Sauce | 1 tbsp |
| Large Prawns | 500 g |
| Coconut Cream | 400 ml |
| Green Beans | 200 g |
| Sugar | 1 tsp |
| Fish Sauce | 1 tbsp |
| Peanuts | 2 tbsp |
| Fresh Chilli | 1 |
| Basil Leaves | 1 handful |
