Panang Thai Curry

My mom introduced my brother and I to ethnic foods at a very young age.  Growing up, our palates were a lot more developed than your typical 10-year-olds.  We had one motto: the spicier, the better. We loved indian butter chicken, spicy kung pao beef, and layering our sushi with wasabi.  Thai food food was no exception to this.  We weren't meek to the heat built up from dried and roasted red thai chili peppers.  

Thai was one of our family's mutual favorites.  But it was a "special occasion" meal.  It was a cuisine we ate when it was one of our birthdays, or when celebrating my acceptance into med school.  I think part of this was due to allowing thai food to be something to look forward to. Dining in on it was a family event; something all of us enjoyed.  It was an experience.

Our favorite dish to order has always been panang curry.  This also happens to be one of my mom's favorite foods, so you can imagine her excitement when I learned how to make it.  Panang curry is made by layering full flavors and then simmering them down to a sweet and mildy spicy sauce that is typically served over white rice. The heat can be built up to taste preference by adding dried red thai chili peppers.  When you taste it, it is so densely packed with flavors, that you would never imagine the recipe to be so simple. 

I kid you not, this recipe goes down as one the best that I know.  Even more surprising, my family has consensually agreed it is the best version of thai panang curry that any of us have ever had.  Even if your'e someone who doesn't prefer spicy foods, I encourage you to give this one a try... it's THAT good. 

Last night when I made this, my mom requested I whip up 3 batches: one for us, one for the neighbors to try, and one for leftovers of course! I'm never a huge fan of leftovers, but I can never shy away from leftover curries.  I don't know what it is. It's almost as if the flavors get better after they have sat in the fridge for a day. 

I even put a twist on this recipe once for my dad while he was on his keto diet. Just leave out the oyster sauce and peanut butter, use less onion, and add more chicken to keep you full, and you've got a meal that has got a lot more flavor than the chipotle chicken and cheese you've been eating. Just be sure to check that the coconut milk you're using doesn't have any other added ingredients.  You should be in the clear if the nutrition facts say about 2 carbs per a serving. You can also make a lighter version of this by subbing the full-fat coconut milk for light coconut milk.

This key to this dish isn't so much in your technique as it is in using quality ingredients.  I like to pick up a thick quality panang curry paste and a full fat, high quality coconut milk from my local asian market.  When I go, I usually stock up just because of how big of a hit this curry is in my household.  If you have the option of purchasing kaffir lime leaves at your asian market, I suggest crushing those and subbing them in for the lime zest I use in my recipe. My asian market doesn't carry them, so lime zest is my best bet on getting that subtle tang in.

This recipe has also got a lot of nice colors to it.  You can spark creativity in this dish by playing up on those bright shades.  I like to use a variety of sweet, firm, red, orange, and yellow bell peppers.  When serving this to guests, a few basil leaves or curled piece of red radish to garnish is sure to impress anyone sitting at your dinner table. 

Prep time: 10 min

Cook time: 20 min

Servings: 4

Calories: ~600 per a serving  

Ingredients:

1 1/2 pounds chicken breast

1 small onion, peeled

1 small red bell pepper, seeded and rinsed

1 small orange bell pepper, seeded and rinsed

3 garlic cloves 

1 tbs coconut oil (may sub for canola oil)

4 ounce can Panang Red Curry Paste

1 tbsp peanut butter

zest of 1 lime

13.5 ounce can unsweetened coconut milk

3 tablespoons oyster sauce (may sub fish sauce)
1 tbsp splenda (or sugar)

1 handful of basil leaves

Instructions:

1. Using a pair of kitchen scissors, cut chicken diagonally into thin bite sized pieces. Place to the side to use later.

2. Slice your onion and bell pepper into strips.  Place to the side to use later.

3. Add coconut oil to a medium sized sauce pan (or wok) and place on the stove over medium heat.

4. Once pan is heated, press all the garlic into the pan. Add the onions and let them sauté for about a minute.  Then add the bell peppers and sauté for another minute. 

5. Remove your veggies from the pan and scoop in curry paste and peanut butter.  Let the flavors intensify by moving them around the pan on medium heat for about 2 minutes.

6. Put your veggies back into the pan and mix into the curry paste.  Then add the oyster sauce, lime zest, splenda (or sugar), and coconut milk to the pan.

7. Stir in your sliced chicken and bring to a boil.  Lower heat and simmer for about 15 minutes.  Stir occasionally.

8.  When curry is finished and chicken is cooked through, mix in the basil leaves, and serve over basmati rice.