Panang Chicken Curry
The word curry or kare simply means a spiced sauce, not too different from a gumbo or mole. Thais usually use coconut milk as the liquid, and we use fresh herbs as the flavor base. To make a base curry paste, grind together lemongrass, shallots, kaffir lime leaves, garlic and shrimp paste to form a smooth paste. If you finish that paste with red chilies, you make red curry paste. Green chilies make green curry. Panang is made with a combination of red chilies and dried chilies and goes great with chicken, beef or duck.
Equipment
- 1 Heavy-bottomed Pot For cooking the curry base and simmering ingredients.
- 1 Chef's knife For slicing chicken, onions, bell pepper, zucchini, and chiffonade lime leaves.
- 1 Cutting Board Essential for safe and efficient preparation of all ingredients.
- 1 Wooden Spoon or Spatula For stirring and scraping the pot during the cooking process.
- 1 Whisk Useful for smoothly incorporating the curry paste into the coconut milk.
Ingredients
Main
- Two 13.5-ounce cans full-fat coconut milk with 3 tablespoons of the cream separated out (see Cook's Note)
- 4 tablespoons 60 g panang curry paste
- 1/2 cup 95 g brown onion, sliced thin
- 4 makrut lime leaves fine chiffonade
- 1 1/2 to 2 pounds 680 to 910 g chicken breast, sliced thin
- 1/2 tablespoon 10 g tamarind paste
- 2 teaspoons 10 ml fish sauce
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 red bell pepper sliced
- 1 zucchini sliced into 1/4-inch rounds
- 1 cup 240 g canned bamboo shoots, sliced
- 1/2 cup 95 g Thai sweet basil leaves, roughly chopped
Instructions
- In a heavy bottomed pot, heat the 3 tablespoons of the thick coconut cream to high for about 1 minute. When the cream starts to sizzle, stir in the curry paste into the cream like building a roux. Add the onion and half of the makrut lime leaf chiffonade. Stir-fry the paste until the paste starts to thicken, dry out, and become fragrant, about 1 minute. If the curry starts to sputter, add a small amount of coconut milk to keep the paste moving. Cook the paste until it has the consistency of peanut butter.
- Stir in the remaining coconut milk into the curry paste. Increase the heat to high until you reach a full rolling boil. Allow the curry to boil until it reduces by about 25% or coats the back of a wooden spoon, 10 to 15 minutes.
- Reduce the heat to a simmer. Add the chicken, tamarind paste, fish sauce and sugar. When the chicken is about halfway cooked, about 5 minutes, add the bell pepper and zucchini. Let simmer until the chicken is cooked through, about 5 minutes. Add the bamboo shoots and Thai basil leaves. Taste and adjust seasoning. Serve immediately over jasmine rice and garnish with a few ribbons of the remaining makrut lime leaf.
Notes
Achieving a truly vibrant Panang curry hinges on 'blooming' the curry paste. The initial high-heat cooking with coconut cream helps release the full aromatic potential of the spices and herbs in the paste, developing a rich, fragrant foundation. Ensure the curry reduces sufficiently in the second step to intensify the flavors and achieve the characteristic thick consistency. When adding chicken and vegetables, be mindful not to overcook them; the chicken should remain tender, and vegetables should retain a slight bite. Finally, always taste and adjust seasoning at the end; the balance of sweet (sugar), sour (tamarind), and salty (fish sauce) is crucial for an authentic Thai flavor profile. Garnish with fresh herbs right before serving for maximum aromatic impact.