Cooking in

Vancouver · Metro Vancouver

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Thai · Central Thailand

Panang Curry

Panang curry is a thick, dry, rich curry — less coconut milk than green curry, roasted peanuts pounded into the paste, and a more intensely concentrated coconut cream reduced around the protein. The flavour is sweet, slightly creamy, and aromatic without the fiery heat of green curry. Traditionally made with beef, the sauce should coat the meat like a thick glaze rather than pool around it.

‹Swipe for the next dish›

Serves4

Total30 min

Within reach5of 9 in Vancouver

Five in town · four not yet within reach.

How the 9 are reached

In town: 5 · coconut milk, chicken breast, tamarind paste, fish sauce (nam pla), palm sugar
Not yet within reach: 4 · panang curry paste (Thai, kaffir lime leaves, long red chilli, thai basil leaves

Cook

‹ Previous · Pad Woon Sen (Stir-Fried Glass Noodles)|Next · Pandan-Wrapped Chicken (Gai Hor Bai Toey) ›

The Market List

The benchmark for each ingredient, and who stocks it near you. Tap a stockist to go straight to the product.

40g

Panang curry paste (Thai

quality brand)

Not yet within reach of Vancouver · each reach is counted

400ml

coconut milk

full fat

Origin · Sri Lankan coconut (Coconut Research Institute of Sri Lanka), Sri LankaIn town · Jeya Brothers →

300g

chicken breast

cut into 2cm cubes

In town · Angel Seafoods →

100g

roasted peanuts

unsalted

Your own market

25g

tamarind paste

In town · IGA Stores of BC → · also Jeya Brothers, Granville Island Spice Co. · 1 more

15ml

fish sauce (nam pla)

In town · Bosa Foods →

10g

palm sugar

Origin · IndonesiaIn town · Wismettac → · also Jeya Brothers, SGC Food Distributors

kaffir lime leaves

Not yet within reach of Vancouver · each reach is counted

long red chilli

sliced

Not yet within reach of Vancouver · each reach is counted

30g

Thai basil leaves

Not yet within reach of Vancouver · each reach is counted

Within reach counts in town, delivered, shipped and the nearest city. A staple counts once it has a local seller. Charted from each shop's own pages; not yet vouched by a cook who shops here.

The larder of Vancouver →

Each tap is counted, so the stockist sees the demand Provenance sends them.

The Method

Bring coconut milk to a gentle simmer in a heavy-bottomed pan over medium heat.

From the canon — Fresh coconut milk — extracted from freshly grated coconut flesh rather than purchased in a can — and the technique of 'cracking' it: heating the thick, fat-… Coconut Milk: Cracking, Frying, Reducing →

Stir in Panang curry paste, working it through the coconut milk until fully dissolved; cook 2 minutes.

Add chicken cubes and poach at gentle simmer for 8–10 minutes until cooked through.

Fold in roasted peanuts, tamarind paste, fish sauce, and palm sugar; stir to combine.

From the canon — Fish sauce — nam pla — is the universal salt of the Thai kitchen. Fish Sauce (Nam Pla): Selection and Use →

Tear kaffir lime leaves directly into the curry and simmer 3 minutes.

Taste and adjust seasoning with fish sauce or palm sugar as needed.

Finish with fresh Thai basil and sliced red chilli; serve immediately over jasmine rice.

From the canon — Thai jasmine rice — khao hom mali (fragrant jasmine rice) — cooked by the absorption method: precisely measured rice washed to remove surface starch, combine… Jasmine Rice (Khao Hom Mali): The Absorption Method →

III

Sensory Tests

◇Where it lives or dies. The moment where Panang lives or dies is the reduction at the end — after the beef is cooked, continue reducing the curry over medium heat, stirring frequently, until the coconut oil begins to rise to the surface of the sauce. This is the signal that the water has cooked off and the curry has reached its correct thick, concentrated state. The surface of the curry should glisten with coconut oil.

Pillar IV

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