I like Thai curries and have already featured a couple on my blog (massaman curry and red curry). Thai curries are easy to make and you can make them vegan, vegetarian, or meat-based depending on your preference.

Today I’m showing you my version of Thai panang curry. It’s savory, slightly spicy, creamy, and perfectly balanced with sweetness. This takes less than 25 minutes to make. I use ready-made curry paste from the store, as this saves a huge amount of time and expense. The great thing about ready-made panang curry paste is that it already has lots of the spices you need, like dried chili peppers, galangal, ginger, lemongrass, kaffir lime zest, kaffir lime leaves, coriander root, coriander seeds, and cumin seeds. You can see why it’s so great to buy the ready-made paste — they did the work for you.

You can find panang curry paste in an Asian grocery store or online. My favorite brand is Mae Ploy for the combination of spices and the fact that it comes in a large size. A perfectly fine alternative is the Maesri brand, which comes in a smaller size. Note that any leftover paste can be kept in the refrigerator for up to a month.

I am making my curry with chicken and vegetables but you could use tofu or tempeh along with vegetables. Serve this over cooked Thai jasmine rice for a wonderful dinner for any night of the week.

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp. canola oil
• 2 tbsp. panang curry paste
• 1/2 tsp. each cumin and coriander powder
• 1 cup sliced carrots strips (1/2-inch wide and 1 1/2-inch long)
• 2 cups trimmed asparagus cut into bias 1 1/2-inch long pieces
• 1 cup mixed baby bell pepper cut into 1/4-inch wide strips
• 1 cup yellow onion (1/4 inch wide slices)
• 1 13.5 oz. can full fat coconut milk
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 tbsp. peanut butter
• 3 lime leaves, bruised slightly
• 2 1/2 tbsp. fish sauce
• 2 tbsp. brown sugar or palm sugar
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1 1/2 lbs. chicken breast cut into 1-inch wide and 1 1/2-inches long strips
• 2 tsp. fresh lime juice
• 1/4 cup Thai basil (optional)
• Cooked Jasmine rice to serve

Instructions

Heat oil over medium heat in large skillet or pan. Add curry paste, cumin, and coriander, then cook for a minute, stirring constantly so the mixture doesn’t burn. Add asparagus and stir well, then cook for a minute.

Add bell pepper, cook for about 30 seconds, then add the carrots strips. Cook for another minute, then add coconut milk, water, peanut butter, fish sauce, sugar, salt, and lime leaves to the pan. Stir well to incorporate peanut butter into the sauce.

Bring the mixture to a gentle boil, then add the chicken strips. Stir well so the chicken pieces are separated and not sticking in a large lump.

Cover the pan and cook for 6-7 minutes, checking in between. Add onions and stir well, then cook for another couple of minutes or until the chicken is cooked through and the vegetables are crisp tender. The chicken will not take very long to cook, so make sure you aren’t overcooking it.

Stir in lime juice and fresh basil if you are using them and taste for seasoning.

Sever over hot cooked rice and enjoy!

Serves 4-6

Did you make this dish? I’d love to know how it turns out! Feel free to like this post and comment or use the hashtag #globaldinein on Instagram. If you would to be notified of upcoming posts, please consider subscribing to my blog!