"Get Well" Panang Curry

My poor husband is sick. We thought his allergies were riled up from our recent new home renovation projects, but the sniffling has turned into coughing and a sore throat -- and now he's just pitiful. He's been curled up in our over-sized recliner with our "magic" (read: threadbare) blanket since last night. So today called for some serious get well food, beyond the Reese's cups I grabbed this morning, some real, homemade comfort food and I knew just the thing: panang curry.

If you've never had Thai food before or are intimidated by hot curries, this is a great place to start. The flavors are smooth and vibrant without being too spicy (heat or literal spice) and the ingredients are familiar, not foreign or off-putting (which also makes it easy shopping). Being filled with common vegetables and only a few non-pantry staples, you're able to ease out of the ordinary and into the extraordinary.

Unlike some curry dishes, which can be thick and almost gummy, this recipe uses two cans of coconut milk, making for an almost soup-like sauce that is creamy and sweet and perfect served over rice.   This thinner sauce allows the vegetables and meat/tofu to shine as solid, beautiful bites independently of the broth instead of being coated in one-note of flavor. Each of the bites is able to full of flavor and texture - which is made even better by large cuts, especially on the meaty mushrooms. Go as heavy as you want on the vegetables - the original recipe called for tiny quantities and I've increased them by almost half and it's still a thin broth with hearty vegetable pieces - you could even add more!

 

I first made this recipe last fall - following the original to the letter - but have since adapted it to our tastes and to my "use what's on hand" leftover philosophy. We both enjoyed the traditional, tofu preparation but carnivorous varieties are delicious, too! After last Thanksgiving, I used the overwhelming amount of turkey and have continued to experiment with it. Today, I thawed out two chicken thighs, boiled them in heavily salted water and pulled the meat off of the bone. But honestly, you could use almost any pre-cooked poultry cut (I wouldn't use ground meat) but leftover KFC or grilled chicken leftovers would be delicious!

In addition to being an easy trip to the grocery store (only panang curry paste might warrant a search in the "ethnic" aisle - an easier to find substitute is red curry paste, which is the main ingredient in panang curry paste anyway), this recipe is completely painless to cook - using only one pot and taking less than 30 minutes to complete. With good mise en place and prepping all of your vegetables and proteins ahead of time, this recipe literally requires two steps - browning the spices and dumping in everything else!

I don't think I have an easier international recipe in my arsenal and this curry certainly beats chicken noodle soup for curing any cold!

Panang Curry

Ingredients:

2 T vegetable oil
2 T chopped garlic
1 t grated ginger
2 T panang (or red) curry paste
2, 13.5 oz. cans coconut milk (FYI: I've tried this with light coconut milk and didn't enjoy it as much, but it's still good)
1 T palm sugar (or brown sugar)
1 t salt
1 T reduced sodium soy sauce
1 - 1 1/2 T lime juice
1/4 c roasted and unsalted cashews, roughly chopped (much cheaper when bought in the bulk dry goods aisle)
1 1/2 c quartered white mushrooms
1 c chopped white or yellow onion
4 Thai basil leaves (optional - these are hard to come by here, so you can easily nix them)
4 - 6 oz. cubed protein (raw, extra firm tofu or any precooked poultry cuts)
10 broccoli florets
1 cup chopped red bell pepper (these can be expensive, so don't hesitate to use cheaper, green peppers)
15 snap peas (strings removed)

Method: 

In a well-seasoned wok or heavy-bottom sauce pan, heat oil on medium heat. When hot, add ginger and garlic and sautee until light brown - don't let it brown too much or your garlic will be bitter.

Stir in curry paste. Whisk in coconut milk, sugar, salt, soy sauce and lime juice. Start with 1 T and add more to taste, it can be a bold flavor. Also, taste carefully for the salt; it doesn't take much but just a pinch brightens the flavor of every vegetable and the curry paste.

Add vegetables and proteins and simmer until tofu is cooked completely and vegetables are al dente (you can cook them softer if you'd like, but I prefer a bit of a bite).

Serve over warm rice, especially jasmine, and top with cashews and sriracha, if you like. And if you're a "dipper" like I am, this sauce is great soaked up by naan or spring rolls (we especially love Healthy Choice's Thai chicken spring rolls).