Panang-style rich beef curry with peanuts

Ingredients

Paste (or 4 tbsp ready-made panang)

• 4 dried large red chillies, soaked
• 1 tbsp lemongrass, chopped
• 1 tbsp galangal, grated
• 4 garlic cloves
• 2 shallots
• 1 tsp coriander seeds, toasted
• 1 tsp cumin seeds, toasted
• ½ tsp shrimp paste

Curry

• 600 g beef sirloin, sliced thin
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 400 ml coconut milk (thick)
• 100 ml water
• 3 kaffir lime leaves, torn
• 2 tbsp fish sauce
• 1 tbsp palm sugar
• 80 g roasted peanuts
• ½ cup Thai basil leaves
• 1 red chilli, sliced (to garnish)

Method

1. Paste. Blitz paste ingredients with 2 tbsp water to a coarse paste.
2. Paste-fry. Heat oil in a wok. Fry paste 3 minutes until fragrant.
3. Coconut. Add half the coconut milk, stir until oil splits, 3 minutes.
4. Beef. Add beef, stir-fry 4 minutes until just cooked.
5. Simmer. Add remaining coconut milk + water + lime leaves. Simmer 15 minutes.
6. Season. Stir in fish sauce + palm sugar. Should be thick, not soupy.
7. Finish. Off heat, stir in peanuts + basil. Garnish with sliced chilli.
8. Serve. With jasmine rice.

Tips

• Panang paste is the thick red one. Less watery than red curry.
• Less coconut milk than you’d think. Panang is thick, not soupy.
• Finish with peanuts + basil right at the end. Crunch and aroma.