Fancy a smashing curry to warm the chilliest of cockles? This is the most warming, comforting Thai curry I have ever tasted, and I’m sure you’ll enjoy it as much as we did. Beef Panang curry is fragrant, delicious and you must try it!
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This beef Panang curry has the huge advantage of being ready in almost no time at all – using thin strips of good quality beef means that the curry doesn’t need slow cooking; in fact, this one is almost as fast as a stir fry!
The curry is essentially a mixture of all of my favourite spices, mixed together and mellowed with coconut milk. There is a little heat, but it is gentle rather than burning.
This would be best served with a veggie side dish – some spinach, simply wilted, would be perfect. It’s also important to make sure you have plenty of rice (Thai jasmine rice is best) to soak up the lovely, creamy sauce. Mmmm!
Beef Panang Curry – The Ingredients
This curry does have a lot of ingredients, but they are mostly store cupboard ingredients so once you’ve bought them you can use them again and again (for cooking this recipe multiple times – once you’ve tried it you’ll understand!)
- Shallots – give a mild sweetness.
- Garlic – to give that savoury punch.
- Red chilli – this recipe calls for one red chilli for a mild curry. You can up the chillies if you’re a spice lover!
- Galangal – if you can’t find fresh, a jar of the paste will work. Use one teaspoon.
- Soy sauce – for seasoning.
- Fish sauce – absolutely vital for this recipe! It brings a depth of flavour like you wouldn’t imagine.
- Tomato puree – try to get one which is just made from tomatoes, no added ingredients.
- Kaffir lime leaves – dried are fine.
- Paprika – use ordinary, not smoked.
- Ground cumin, coriander, cinnamon, turmeric, nutmeg, cloves – this is your spice mix. Try to use all of them, the flavours balance beautifully.
- Groundnut oil – adds that delicious nutty flavour. You could use vegetable oil if you can’t get hold of it.
- Steak – get good quality steak and slice it really thinly.
- Coconut milk – for that creamy, sweet end note. Use full fat rather than reduced fat for a better flavour and texture.
- Lime – fresh lime brings a beautiful citrus cut through for all of those rich flavours.
- Basil leaves – that floral basil flavour is so incredible with all of the other flavours!
- Thai jasmine rice – to serve. You can use any white rice, though. To make it super quick, use the microwavable rice you can get from the supermarket.
Cooking the Curry
Here are my tips for making this curry a success:
- Gather all of your ingredients and get everything prepared before you start cooking. It’s a fast recipe so you’ll need everything ready! I prep everything, even down to opening the tin of coconut milk, before I get started.
- Make sure your steak is cut thinly. If it isn’t thin enough, you’ll have to cook it for longer and it could go tough. You want each slice to be just a few millimetres wide.
- Make double curry paste! You can store the paste in the fridge for a week. Try it with prawns. – yum!
(You can get cast iron oven safe individual dishes like mine here)
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Beef Panang Curry
Save This RecipeIngredients
- 2 shallots
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 red chilli
- 1 thumb sized piece of galangal
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp fish sauce
- 4 tbsps tomato puree
- 3 kaffir lime leaves
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tbsp ground cumin
- 1 tbsp ground coriander
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp ground tumeric
- 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp ground cloves
- 1 tbsp ground nut oil
- 450 g steak sliced thinly
- 400 ml coconut milk
- 1 lime
- A few basil leaves
- Thai jasmine rice cooked, to serve
Instructions
- To make your curry paste, finely chop the shallots, garlic, chilli and galangal. Place into a bowl, and add the soy sauce, fish sauce, tomato puree, lime leaves, paprika, cumin, coriander, tumeric, nutmeg, cinnamon and cloves. Mix well to combine.
- Heat the groundnut oil in a large saucepan. When it is hot, add the steak and brown for 1-2 minutes. Add the curry paste and mix together. Heat for another 2 minutes, stirring often.
- Add the coconut milk and bring to a simmer. Ladle into bowls and squeeze over lime juice and tear over a few leaves of basil. Believe it or not, it’s ready!
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