Thai Panang Beef Curry
Back again with another easy and totally delicious meal! This Thai beef panang curry has a full-on flavour with a slight touch of spice dancing on your tastebuds. Although I love the spice burning my tastebuds off, I feel that a Panang curry is a perfect example of the sweeter, milder side of Thai cuisine. And for me, it’s nice to appreciate dishes like this from time to time and enjoy spice at a different pace.
This recipe is very simple, really going back to basics with this one. And Beef in a sweet Thai curry sauce, what’s not to love? One of the most intensely rich and fragrant curries that Thailand has to offer is Panang and for me, it's all about the sauce. Traditionally the sauce is thicker than other Thai curries and is reduced for longer so that the sauce becomes ‘muddy’ and clings to the meat. When a sauce becomes muddy, you will see a separation of oil and sauce and this is good, it’s all about trusting the cooking process!
If you have been following our other Panang Curry recipes, you may have noticed that fresh kaffir lime leaves are always on the ingredient list. The leaves have a sweet and distinct lemony scent and bring a fresh and unique citrus taste to the curry. Even though our Mae Jum Thai curry pastes have kaffir lime rind, you would want to add more to really enhance that particular flavour. It can’t be substituted, so if you see a recipe suggesting lime juice as a substitute, please don’t fall into the trap! Adding lime juice will only add sourness and a panang should be sweet.
How to Cook Thai Beef Panang Curry
There’s not much preparation for this dish, only need to slice the beef. Once preparation is complete, heat some oil in a large saucepan or wok on medium to high heat. Add Panang curry paste and stir-fry for a couple of minutes to build a beautiful aroma. From an unshaken can, scoop out the thick layer of coconut milk and add it to the wok to loosen the paste.
Next season, with fish sauce and palm sugar, leave to simmer for 5 minutes or until you see some oils rise to the surface. If you don’t see any oils, turn the heat up and simmer for longer. Now it is time to add the sliced beef. Stir the beef in the sauce so that all the beef has been fully coated before adding the remaining contents of the coconut milk.
Let the curry simmer for 15 minutes. Adding the large red chillies is optional, you can add them with the beef so that it becomes soft or leave them last as a crunchy texture garnish. Another garnish is thinly chopped kaffir lime leaves. And that is it - Thai beef panang curry, sit back and enjoy with a side of freshly steamed Thai Jasmine rice!
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Thai Panang Beef Curry
Ingredients
- 500 g Beef Rump Steak
- 35 g Mae Jum Thai Panang Curry Paste
- 400 ml Coconut Milk
- 50 g Large Red chillies Optional
- 3-4 Kaffir Lime Leaves
- 1 tbsp Fish Sauce
- 1 tbsp Palm Sugar
Instructions
Preparation
- Thinly slice the beef steak into strips
- Finely chop kaffir lime leaves and slice red chilli (optional)
Cooking Method
- Heat the thick layer of coconut milk (coconut cream) in a wok and then add the curry paste. Bring to a light boil and blend well. Simmer for 5 minutes to allow the oils to rise to the surface
- Add palm sugar and fish sauce, blend well before adding in the beef strips. Stir beef into the sauce for 2 minutes
- Add the remaining coconut milk and simmer for a further 10 minutes until fully cooked. Serve up with freshly steamed Jasmine rice and garnish with thinly chopped kaffir lime leaves
