Panang Chicken Curry (Gaeng Panang Gai)

A lot of people think that Thai curries are so hot that they will blow your head off. Not true. There are many curries that are mild but intensely flavored with just the right amount of seasoning and coconut milk. The magic is in the curry paste. You can make it from scratch, but the paste available in an Asian market is usually very good.

Serves: 2

Prep: 10 mins

Cook: 15 mins

US

Metric

Ingredients

• 8 oz230g boneless chicken thigh or breast, cut into bite-sized pieces
• 1 – 2 Tbsp15–30ml Panang curry paste
• 22 kaffir lime leaves, shredded
• ½ cup120ml red bell peppers, chopped into ½" pieces
• ½ cup120ml sweet potatoes, chopped into ½" pieces
• ½ cup120ml carrots, chopped into ½" pieces
• 5 – 85 – 8 pea eggplants (or substitute ¼ cup frozen peas)
• 11 Thai chili, sliced
• 1 cup240ml coconut milk
• 2 Tbsp30ml cooking oil

Seasoning

• 1 Tbsp10g palm sugar
• 1 Tbsp15ml fish sauce

Preparation

1. Heat the oil in a wok until smoking, then add the curry paste. Stir until fragrant.

2. Add coconut milk and combine. Bring to a boil and cook until the fat separates (oil on top).

3. Add sweet potatoes and carrots, and cook for 5 minutes.

4. Add chicken and cook until almost done, about 4 minutes.

5. Add bell peppers, kaffir lime leaves and pea eggplant (or peas).

6. Season with palm sugar and fish sauce.

7. Stir constantly until the chicken and eggplant are cooked. Plate and top with chili.