Rich and creamy Thai Panang curry recipe. Veggies simmered in Thai curry made with aromatic herbs in coconut and peanut sauce. Panang curry paste from scratch.
We love thai curries at home. I made this Panang curry from scratch for dinner today. I loaded the curry with lots of veggies. Its so comforting as its rich and aromatic with the creamy coconut-peanut sauce. This is a vegan recipe and I have made it as a lite version by adding just minimal coconut milk. You can adjust the coconut milk according to your taste. I can have this kind of meal almost everyday without complaining. Serve it with brown rice and you have a guilt free comforting and satisfying dinner. I served with brown basmati rice. With about three servings, this curry packs about 350 calories (rough approximate) per serving. Along with half a cup of brown basmati rice (100 calories approx), this is a winner – dinner.
Panang Curry Paste
We will be making the panang curry paste from scratch. You can also use readymade / storebought paste.
I live in Bangalore and many stores carry “thai herbs bag” which contains a little bit of all thai herbs. I find that very useful while making Thai curries. The curry paste is what gives the flavour to the final curry. Take a mixie jar and add in the peeled and chopped galangal, Kaffir lime leaves, Kaffir lime peel (I used normal lime peel as I could not source kaffir lime peel), basil leaves, chopped lemon grass, coriander leaves with the stem, dried red chillies, shallots and garlic. I have used Kashmiri red chillies for getting a bright red colour. Grind everything with quarter cup of water to a fine paste. Set aside.
Heat coconut oil in a pan and add in the ground paste.
Saute for 5-6 minutes till the curry is completely cooked and dry.
Now we will add veggies. The veggies you add is completely up to you. Add the hard veggies that take time to cook first. Today, I have used mushrooms, beans and carrots. Add half a cup of water and cook for 5 minutes. Add in the salt, palm sugar, coriander powder and cumin powder. Add in the soy sauce. This curry is slightly sweeter than other thai curries.
Add in the broccoli. Cook for two minutes. Just cook briefly so the broccoli retains the crunch.
Now add in the coconut milk. I added half a cup of canned coconut milk as I made a lite curry and did not want to build up on calories. Cocunut milk is rich and high in calories. If you want a nice rich curry, add up to a cup of coconut milk. The more you add, the merrier. Add a little water to adjust the consistency of the gravy.
Now add in juice of a lime and two tablespoon of peanut butter. The peanut butter is a game changer in this curry. I love love the flavour of coconut and peanut and this is my current favorite. Add a tablespoon of more peanut butter if you like the flavour.
Note: If you do not have peanut butter, just grind some roasted peanuts and add to the curry.
Let it come to a boil. Switch off the flame immediately. Add in the capsicum (red and green) and the spring onions. Cover the pan with a lid. The heat of the curry will wilt the capsicum. Do not cook the capsicum as it will become a mush.
Note: You can also add Tofu if you wish.
Fantastic Thai panang curry – vegan and lite is ready. Serve with rice.
- 1 inch piece galangal, peeled and chopped
- 4-5 kaffir lime leaves
- 1 inch piece kaffir lime peel / lime peel
- 4-5 basil leaves
- 2 stalks lemon grass, chopped
- 3-4 stalks coriander leaves with stem
- 4-5 dried red chillies (adjust to your taste)
- 4 shallots
- 6 cloves garlic
- 2 teaspoon coconut oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon palm sugar
- ½ teaspoon coriander powder
- ½ teaspoon cumin powder
- 2 teaspoon soy sauce
- ½ cup coconut milk
- Juice of a lime (regular lime)
- 2 tablespoon plain peanut butter
- 600-700 grams veggies of your choice (mushroom, carrot, beans, broccoli, red capsicum, green capsicum is all what I used in this recipe)
- ¼ cup chopped spring onions
- Take a mixie jar and add in the peeled and chopped galangal, Kaffir lime leaves, Kaffir lime peel (I used normal lime peel as I could not source kaffir lime peel), basil leaves, chopped lemon grass, coriander leaves with the stem, dried red chillies, shallots and garlic. I have used Kashmiri red chillies for getting a bright red colour. Grind everything with quarter cup of water to a fine paste. Set aside.
- Heat coconut oil in a pan and add in the ground paste.
- Saute for 5-6 minutes till the curry is completely cooked and dry.
- Now we will add veggies. The veggies you add is completely up to you. Add the hard veggies that take time to cook first. Add half a cup of water and cook for 5 minutes.
- Add in the salt, palm sugar, coriander powder and cumin powder. Add in the soy sauce. Add in the broccoli. Cook for two minutes. Just cook briefly so the broccoli retains the crunch.
- Now add in the coconut milk. Add a little water to adjust the consistency of the gravy.
- Now add in juice of a lime and two tablespoon of peanut butter. The peanut butter is a game changer in this curry. I love love the flavour of coconut and peanut and this is my current favorite.
- Let it come to a boil. Switch off the flame immediately. Add in the capsicum (red and green) and the spring onions. Cover the pan with a lid. The heat of the curry will wilt the capsicum. Do not cook the capsicum as it will become a mush.
- Fantastic Thai panang curry – vegan and lite is ready. Serve with rice.
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