Panang Curry - real, from scratch

Name: Panang Curry - real, from scratch
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 1 h
Cuisine: Thai
Ingredients: 700g/ 1.4 lb whole raw prawns/shrimp ((ie shell on), medium ~8cm / 3"long - Note 1); 350g / 12 oz boneless, skinless chicken thighs (, cut into 7mm/ 1/3" slices); 1 1/2 cups chicken stock/broth (, low-sodium (not fish/seafood - Note 2)); 2/3 cup dried Chinese chillies (not Thai!) ((24 x 6cm/2.5" long, 1/2 cup (15g) once deseeded chopped) - Note 3); 3 tbsp roasted peanuts unsalted; 2 lemongrass stems (, finely grated (2 x 20cm/8" lengths) - Note 4); 2 eschalots (, roughly chopped (1/2 cup)); 1 tbsp galangal, finely grated ((~1.5cm / 0.6" piece) - Note 5); 5 garlic cloves (, finely minced); 1 1/2 tbsp shrimp paste in bean oil ( - Note 6); 1/2 tsp each ground coriander, cumin, nutmeg; 1 tbsp (packed) finely sliced kaffir lime leaves ( (~ 6 leaves) - Note 7); 3 tbsp canola oil; 1 1/4 cups coconut cream (, full-fat (standard Aus 270ml small can ok)); 3 1/2 tsp white sugar; 4 1/2 tsp fish sauce; 1/4 tsp cooking/kosher salt; 200g/7oz green beans (, trimmed, cut in half (~1 1/2 cups)); 12 Thai basil leaves ( - Note 8); Jasmin rice; 2 tbsp unsalted peanuts (, finely chopped); Red cayenne peppers (, finely sliced (optional)); Thai basil leaves (, 3 leaves per serving - Note 8)

Instructions

Prep:30minCook:30min

Recipe video above. This is a stunning Panang Curry made entirely from scratch. It's for people who adore real Thai food, can handle the heat and understand that you just can't replicate the fresh flavour of a real Penang Curry using paste from a jar! Not even using my favourite Maesri curry paste that I'll happily use for Thai Red and Green Curry.It calls for a trip to the Asian store but once you have the ingredients, it's straightforward to make. See SPICINESS note in notes section below - yep, it's spicy, and it can't be avoided!

Updated at: Sat, 01 Nov 2025 21:05:29 GMT