This is my faaavourite Thai Curry, inspired from my honeymoon trip to Thailand! Since then, whichever Thai restaurants I go to, this dish would be my first choice. After seeing me repeating the same dish every time, my husband suggested me to try preparing it at home. It was about time, and that’s how all this came together…

It is said “Great Ingredients make Great Food”, and that’s exactly how I feel about this recipe. A simple and authentic curry in 30 minutes time; it’s so comforting, packed full of flavours, with the aroma of the leaves, richness from the coconut milk, spiciness of the paste, saltiness from the fish sauce, and sweetness of the sugar. If you need some extra spice – add some serrano peppers! And the best part of this recipe is, I managed to pull it off in restaurant quality style, trust me!!!

The hero of this dish is the Panang curry paste which is prepared from dried chili peppers, galangal, lemongrass, kaffir lime zest, coriander root, coriander seeds, cumin seeds, garlic, shallot, shrimp paste, salt and peanuts.  I have used a store bought paste due to the unavailability of all the ingredients in my nearby grocery stores. If you are allergic to peanuts by chance, most of the store bought Panang curry paste omits the use of peanuts so as to keep it safe for everyone.

The authentic curry calls for kaffir lime leaves, which is an inevitable part of Thai dishes especially soups, curries or stir fried dishes. If you are planning to add Kaffir lime leaves in your curry, make sure you remove its stem and chop leaves into a julienne cut (cut into long thin strips). Generally people tend to discard it if left as a whole. The zest of lime is also a substitute for kaffir lime leaves (6 leaves = 1 tbsp zest). And like me if you couldn’t get these leaves, using Thai basil leaves instead is another good option. Basil is not an exact substitution, but it has a unique flavour which stands up to Thai dishes.

The dish is usually made with any protein which is also cut into thin strips. That helps in ensuring a proper cook quickly as the dish is not boiled long since it contains coconut milk which may split. The concentration of coconut milk has to remain very thick to give the richness to the curry. For vegetarians, alternatives for fish sauce will be vegetable stock or soy sauce. Tofu can be used in place of meat.

I highly recommend you to read the “Notes section” below for the variations.

Enjoy this Thai delicacy…!!!

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Prep time: 25-30 minutes
Serves: 2

INGREDIENTS

• 1 lb chicken tenderloin / breast (cut into thin strips)
• Oil (as required)
• 2 tbsp panang curry paste (store bought)
• 400 ml coconut milk
• 2 tbsp fish sauce
• 1 tbsp light brown sugar (or palm sugar)
• ½ cup bell peppers (sliced)
• 3 tbsp water
• 8-10 Thai basil leaves (plus extra for garnish)

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Heat a pan with little oil and start sautéing the panang curry paste on a medium flame until it is aromatic (for 2 mins). Make sure not to burn the paste.
2. Add the thick part of the coconut milk (4 tbsp), saute well until the oil starts to separate.
3. Add the chicken pieces, basil leaves, and the rest of the coconut milk along with a little water.
4. Bring the heat to low, add bell peppers, fish sauce and brown sugar, and allow it to cook for 5-7 mins. Turn off the heat when the chicken is completely cooked.
5. Garnish with additional basil leaves.

Serve with steamed white rice/ fried rice.

Note:

1. For Vegetarians, substitute protein with tofu, and fish sauce with vegetable stock or soya sauce. Use gluten free soya sauce like tamari to make this recipe gluten free.
2. If you are preparing the Panang curry paste on your own rather than a store bought one, you may need to increase the quantity of the paste to 4 tbsp because store bought paste is usually concentrated.
3. Palm sugar (authentic ingredient) can be replaced with light brown sugar or sugar.
4. Kaffir lime leaves (authentic ingredient) can be replaced with lime zest (6 leaves = 1 tbsp zest) or with Thai basil leaves.
5. Fish sauce / soya sauce already has plenty of salt in it, so season only if necessary.
6. Use Serrano peppers for extra spiciness.

Interested in more Thai recipes? Check these out:

Pad Thai with Shrimp

Rice Noodles with Chicken & Veggies

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The word pad means “stir fried” and it is the common meal you can find on the streets of Thailand. How would I know? Well actually that’s where we toured for our honeymoon!! Awwww, it was one of the most memorable trips… sightseeing, adventure tours, walking around the street shops, trying food at different roadside eateries, shopping… we had so much to do and it was super fun..!!!!

The yummiest Pad Thai I have ever tasted was at my first time, at an upscale restaurant in Pattaya, Thailand. The balance of the sauces, perfectly cooked rice stick noodles, fresh shrimp, the plating, altogether it made me a huge fan of this dish. After moving to the US I have had no dearth for Thai food, and I just love their various dishes like the spicy basil fried rice, and Panang curry.

Pad Thai flavours are a combination of the rice noodles, veggies, protein, peanuts and the main hero, it’s Pad Thai Sauce. The sauce is a complex blend of hot, sour, sweet and salt; the right balance of the sweetness from sugar/brown sugar, sourness from tamarind puree, acidity of the lime juice, spiciness from the paprika and the salty fish sauce and oyster sauce. Another thing I like about Thai food is how easily you can use any protein – chicken, shrimp or tofu for the veggies.

Do try this recipe and let me know how it tasted… Enjoy..!!

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Prep time: 30 minutes
Serves: 2 servings

INGREDIENTS

• 7 oz dried rice noodles
• 2 tbsp tamarind puree
• 2 tbsp oyster sauce
• 3 tbsp fish sauce
• ¼ tsp paprika/chili powder
• 2 tbsp brown sugar
• 2 garlic cloves (chopped)
• 1 tbsp shallots (minced)
• 5-8 shrimps (deveined)
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup carrots (sliced thinly)
• Crushed peanuts
• Oil (as required)
• Green onions (chopped)
• Lime wedges (to garnish)

INSTRUCTIONS

1. To prepare the pad thai sauce, in a small bowl mix tamarind puree, fish sauce, oyster sauce, brown sugar, and paprika powder, stir well and keep aside.
2. Meanwhile cook the noodles according to its package instructions OR soak rice noodles in lukewarm water for 1 hour. Drain, and add to pan as required in the instructions below.
3. Heat a pan/wok with some oil. Add chopped garlic and shallots, saute until they are fragrant. Add shrimp and cook till its color changes.
4. Make a pit in the center of the wok by moving the cooked shrimp mix to the sides and pour the eggs. Beat the eggs lightly so that the yolks break and as it starts to coagulate fold in the cooked shrimp mix. Add carrots.
5. Add the drained rice noodles to the pan and toss well.
6. Once the noodles and the shrimp are almost cooked, add the pad thai sauce to the pan and mix.
7. As the sauce starts to boil, add the peanuts and keep folding in the noodles with the sauce till it thickens (2 mins).
8. Remove from the heat, garnish with green onions, peanuts and lime wedge.
9. Serve immediately.

Note:

1. For vegetarians, the shrimp/protein can be substituted with tofu, and fish/oyster sauce with soya sauce.
2. A wok suits the best to cook pad thai, but if you don’t have one you can use any centered heavy bottomed pan or even a cast iron skillet works.
3. Use rice stick noodles, the extra wide ones can be bought from Asian stores.
4. Do not overcook rice noodles as it can turn sticky.
5. Vary the spiciness according to your preference by adjusting the amount of paprika powder.

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