Thai Panang Curry Recipe

Thai chilies get me jacked. Really, I just finished making a Panang Curry and I’m feeling really… pumped? Excited? Also, my face is burning because I didn’t wash my hands after cutting them up and putting them all over my curry. I will never learn.

I love curry. Thai curry. Indian curry. All the types and all the colors. Since I just ran out of my gigantic tub of Thai green curry paste, today I went by the Total Oriental Foods Market I just discovered in Raleigh and browsed their selection of Asian foods to restock. After getting over the initial smell of the place (like really, what is that?), I wandered around, picked up some Maesri Panang Curry Paste (the same brand of curry paste I previously used) and some Thai chilies. I also got some jasmine rice (a five pound bag was the smallest they had?!) and a large package of flat rice noodles (“banh pho thuong hang”) made in Thailand, because you can always use those. Then I grabbed two cans of Thai coconut milk since they were only 99 cents. Man that’s so much cheaper than the grocery store. I even thought about grabbing one of those conical hats that they wear in the rice fields! They were only $3.50 and I’m still sad about not bringing one back from Thailand. My dad would love it.

Anyway, all of this is to say that after Charlie agreed to Asian the other night, I decided on Panang Curry and planned accordingly. I think, think that it’s my current favorite curry. I even used the recipe we got from our Thai cooking class that we took in Chiang Mai at the Siam Rice Thai Cookery School. Of course the recipe itself is a pretty hilarious translation into English that is vague on times and heats, but that’s kind of the way Thai food is. The people in Thailand often cook in a wok, generally over high heat, adding new ingredients and seasonings as they see (or taste) that the food needs it.

This is the recipe that I use to make red and green curry too, but usually Thai recipes change up the vegetables depending on the type of curry paste. For Penang Curry specifically, my “cookbook” actually recommends string beans, carrots, and baby corn, but I used onions and red bell peppers. Why? I’m not listening to your rules. Also, baby corn is gross.

Thai Penang Curry – “Pha nang kai” (serves 2, with leftovers)

• Jasmine rice (or whatever rice you prefer, but this is really the best)
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil (or coconut oil, as the Thai instructor would prefer)
• 1 and 1/2 tablespoons Penang curry paste (start with one, add more if needed)
• 1 can coconut milk (save the can)
• 1 lb chicken breasts, thinly sliced
• Water (about half a cup added to empty coconut milk can, swished around)
• 1-2 tablespoons sugar (but feel free to add more or less depending on your preference for sweetness)
• 2 Tablespoon fish sauce
• 1 Onion, sliced
• 1 Bell Pepper, sliced, seeds and membrane removed (I like red, orange or yellow)
• Thai basil (sometimes I use regular basil, though it’s a little too fragrant)
• Thai chilies (optional)

Directions  (keep in mind these are more like “guidelines”)

1. Start cooking your rice. You want it to be done at the same time as the curry.
2. Add oil to wok over medium-low heat. Add curry paste and stir fry for 30 seconds. Add coconut milk. Turn the heat up to medium-high until thoroughly combined and simmer. The orange-y oil will float to the top.
3. Add the chicken, turn heat to high, and stir until the chicken is cooked through.
4. Add the water from the coconut milk can. Then add sugar and fish sauce and stir. Do this part to taste; some people like sweeter, some prefer less fish sauce. 
5. Check to see if you need more curry paste at this point. I usually add a little more if things are spicy enough.
6. Add your vegetables, stirring continuously until softened but crisp. Do not leave the wok unattended at this point. After about three to four minutes, see if the vegetables are done to your liking. This is where I screw up a lot.
7. Taste and decide if you need more sweetness or more saltiness. If so, add more sugar and/or fish sauce accordingly. Keep in mind that too much fish sauce can be funky.
8. Turn off the heat. Throw in a few Thai basil leaves and stir in. Save the rest for sprinkling over the top of the curry.
9. Garnish, or as my recipe from Thailand says, “decorate with basil and chili.” Serve with jasmine rice.

Tip: Unless you want to truly light yourself up, don’t actually cook with the Thai chilies for this curry.There are likely already some chilies in your curry paste.  Just top your dish with it if you like that sort of thing. They are HOT.

Our cooking instructor (a hilarious 19-year-old Thai boy with great English skills who smoked cigs with his friends between dishes) told us to sit our Thai chilies away from the rest of the vegetables and save them for last to chop up and put on top of our curry. His explanation: “The chili pepper, he is bad boy, he doesn’t have any friends. And if you put more than two in your curry, you have no friends all day tomorrow… except maybe toilet.”