Panang curry a dish in Thailand that is rank the number dish in the world by tasteatlas in 2022. The second dish from Thailand that was in the top 30 ranking is Massaman Curry. Surprising results a little, as Panang curry beat out the popular Tom Yum Goong and Green Curry soup. However, for a change we see it as a positive.
Panang curry is a very underrated dish in Thailand. A country known for it's food but have a little love for Panang. Unless you live in the country for a while or you visit the south often you tried and heard for it. Normally it is not in people top 3 Thai dishes.
Now with the new rank top dishes and cuisine is out in 2022. You can check the top cuisine in the world here. Panang curry is getting the love it deserve. We will talk about the creamy texture with a hit of spice from the curry and how easy is it to make. A heads-up we are cheating a bit here but will always show you the real recipe. As it take long hours to grind and cook up the curry paste.
What is Panang Curry?
According to legend, Thai panang curry, also known as penang, phanang, or phanaeng, was created in central Thailand with some Khmer and Indian culinary influences.
The flavors of panang curry resemble a mix of red curry and peanut satay. In addition to the crushed peanuts, the panang curry paste contains a few traditional Thai ingredients including lemongrass, galangal, shrimp paste, and makrut or kaffir lime, which give it a distinct flavor from other curries.
The Key to a Good Panang Curry is: Peanut
Salaryman Cooking
How to make Panang
As mentioned above we are cheating here a bit, but if you are in the mood to grind and make own curry paste you can skip down below for the instructions.
Ingredients
Yes the part we are cheating with our Panang curry paste. As the cooking process is all the same, except for 1 additional detail to add from the recipe instruction below. We use Roi Thai as it is very easy to find in any country you are living in. From the United States down to Australia you can find it anywhere in a reasonable price.
If you want to make the curry from scratch before adding the meat you add 3/4 cup of coconut milk before adding the meat of choice.
Instructions
- Heat a large pot over medium heat and add the Panang curry paste from Roi Thai. Cook for 2-3 minutes until the beautiful aroma smell of sweetness peanut and chili fills the room.
- Add in your meat. Lower the heat by a fraction and simmer the curry for 8-10 minutes.
- Stir in the fish sauce, sugar, and lime juice.
- Garnish with fresh basil or kaffir lime leaves.
That's it, simple, quick and very easy to make Panang curry. Trust me you can use the brand for many other dishes and flavors. We are not advertising them, but they are easy to find and affordable price. As promise down below is how to make the curry paste from scratch.
How to make Panang curry paste
Panang Curry Paste
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup dried red chilies, soaked in hot water for 30 minutes and drained
- 1/2 cup shallots, chopped
- 1/4 cup lemongrass, chopped
- 2 tablespoons garlic, chopped
- 2 tablespoons galangal, chopped
- 2 tablespoons kaffir lime zest
- 2 tablespoons coriander seeds
- 1 tablespoon cumin seeds
- 1 tablespoon shrimp paste
- 2 teaspoons salt
Instructions:
- In a blender or food processor, combine the soaked red chilies, shallots, lemongrass, garlic, galangal, lime zest, coriander seeds, cumin seeds, and shrimp paste.
- Blend the ingredients until they form a smooth paste. You may need to stop and scrape down the sides of the blender or food processor a few times.
- Add the salt and blend again to incorporate it into the paste.
- The paste is now ready to use in your Panang curry recipe.
For a visual guide on how to make curry paste from scratch check it out here.
Final Thoughts
There you have the top rank cuisine from Thailand making into the top 10 list by tastealtas. We are happy Panang curry is getting the notice it deserve because it is delicious to eat and fun to make as well. You can be creative with making it. Also it last longer in the fridge, then other curries. Lastly, you can eat the curry with many sides and variations.
Rice is the first and top option. But roti (Thai soft pancake), bread, side of mix salads, and noodles goes well.
The peanut is the key ingredient and difference between red curry and panang.Panang is typically just cooked with coconut milk, which helps the sauce stay considerably thicker than other red curry.
