Panang curry paste
Non-vegetarian
พริกแกงพะแนง · phrik kaeng phanaeng
A thick red curry paste enriched with pounded roasted peanuts and a touch more coriander and cumin. It is fried in reduced coconut cream for the rich, nutty, almost dry panang curries of central Thailand.
Panang curry paste is a Thai condiment from Thailand, ready in about 45 minutes and made with dried whole chillies and roasted peanuts. It serves 9 and is rated intermediate to cook.
No licensed photograph of this dish yet.
- Prep
- 25 min
- Cook
- 5 min
- Rest
- 15 min
- Total
- 45 min
- Serves
- 9
- Level
- Intermediate
- Calories
- 32
Method
Step 1
Soak the deseeded chillies in just-boiled water for 15 minutes; squeeze dry and chop.
- 15 min
Food safety: Wear gloves or wash your hands well after handling chillies, and keep them away from your eyes.
Step 2
Dry-roast the coriander and cumin over medium-low heat for 1–2 minutes until fragrant; toast the foil-wrapped shrimp paste (opens in a new tab) and warm the peanuts in the same pan for 2 minutes. Cool the seeds and pound to a powder.
- 4 min
- medium-low heat
- Frying pan / skillet (opens in a new tab)
- Mortar and pestle (opens in a new tab)
Food safety: Toast shrimp paste wrapped in foil with the fan on — it is pungent — and note that it makes the paste unsuitable for anyone with a shellfish allergy.
Step 3
Pound the chillies with the salt, then add galangal (opens in a new tab), lemongrass (opens in a new tab), lime (opens in a new tab) zest and coriander root one at a time, then the shallots (opens in a new tab) and garlic (opens in a new tab), until smooth.
How it looks · Photo: https://kaboompics.com/ on Pexels Step 4
Add the peanuts and pound until the paste is thick and the nuts have disappeared, then work in the shrimp paste (opens in a new tab) and ground seeds. (Or blend everything in a food processor (opens in a new tab) with 1–2 tbsp water.)
Step 5
Jar and chill. Fry 3–4 tbsp in coconut cream that has been simmered until the oil separates.
About this dish
- Origin
- Central Thailand, Thailand · Commonly attributedEssentially a red curry paste with peanuts; some cooks add the peanuts to the curry instead of the paste. The name may refer to Penang, but this is not settled.Also popular in United States, United KingdomMore food from Thailand
- Dish
- Condiments, chutneys & relishes
- Cooking method
- Raw, Toasted
- Taste
- nutty, spicy (chilli heat), rich, aromatic / warmly spiced
- Diet
- Pescatarian · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-freeWorked out from the ingredients. How labels work
All labels
Pescatarian · Non-vegetarian · Flexitarian-friendly · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · Egg-free · No added sugar · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · DASH-style - Good for
- Make-ahead · Freezer-friendly
- Cook more with
- Dried whole chillies · Roasted peanuts · Galangal · Lemongrass · Lime · Coriander leaves
- Techniques
- Toasting · Simmering · Bhunao · Spice roasting (dry-roasting)
Allergens
- Contains: Crustaceansfrom shrimp paste
- Contains: Peanutsfrom roasted peanuts
Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.
Nutrition
32 kcal per serving
Estimated1 serving ≈ 16 g · recipe makes 9
Where the energy comes from
- Protein 15%
- Carbohydrate 43%
- Fat 42%
| Nutrient | Per serving | Per 100 g |
|---|---|---|
| Energy | 32 kcal | 203 kcal |
| Protein | 1.3 g | 8.3 g |
| Carbohydrate | 3.7 g | 24 g |
| Net carbohydrate | — | — |
| Sugars | — | — |
| Added sugars | 0 g | 0 g |
| Fibre | — | — |
| Fat | 1.6 g | 10.6 g |
| Saturated fat | 0.2 g | 1.5 g |
| Trans fat | — | — |
| Cholesterol | 0 mg | 0 mg |
| Sodium | 197 mg | 1267 mg |
| Salt equivalent | 0.5 g | 3.2 g |
Vitamins & minerals per serving
- Potassium
- 106 mg
- Calcium
- 15 mg
- Iron
- 0.6 mg
- Magnesium
- 13 mg
- Vitamin A (RAE)
- 19 µg
- Vitamin C
- 1 mg
- Vitamin D
- 0 µg
- Vitamin B12
- 0 µg
- Folate (DFE)
- 7 µg
How these numbers were made
- Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
- Galangal: Fresh ginger used as a stand-in: no galangal entry in FDC SR Legacy, and galangal is a closely related rhizome used in similar small amounts.
- Shrimp paste: Fish sauce (FDC 174531) at 1.5× as a stand-in salted fermented seafood condiment; protein is understated.
- “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
- Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.
Good to know
Tips
- Panang should be thick: fry the paste in reduced coconut cream and add only a little coconut milk.
Common mistakes
- Using salted, flavoured peanuts, which over-salt the paste.
Serve with
- Panang beef or chicken, panang prawns, and choo chee fish (with a little extra paste and coconut cream).
Food safety
- Toast shrimp paste wrapped in foil with the fan on — it is pungent — and note that it makes the paste unsuitable for anyone with a shellfish allergy.
- Contains peanuts; label the jar clearly.
- Keep refrigerated.
Storage
- Pack into a clean jar, press cling film onto the surface or cover with a thin layer of oil, and refrigerate; or freeze in tablespoon portions in an ice-cube tray and bag them. Keeps about 7 days in the fridge (the peanuts shorten it) and 3 months frozen.
Variations
- Choo chee paste: A closely related paste with a little less peanut, used for fish and prawns in thick coconut cream.
Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated
About this masala
- Type
- Curry paste
- Texture
- Smooth paste
- One batch makes
- about 140 g
- Keeps
- 7 days
- Store
- Covered, in the fridge
- Recipe
- Regional variation
Central Thailand. Makes Panang curry paste, the ingredient our dish recipes list. All masalas
Regional variations: Thai red curry paste
Used in
Amounts are each dish’s own quantity, for the servings it is written for. “Make enough” opens this recipe scaled for that dish.
- Panang curry with beefMade fresh in the recipe (pounded with peanuts in step 1) · 154 g for 4 servingsMake enough
Recipe DNA
How this dish is built
Grouped by each ingredient’s role in the dish. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.
What the dish is built around
Main ingredient
- Lime, raw zest only — makrut if possible2 g
- Roasted peanuts, dry-roast again briefly if not freshly roasted, skins rubbed off25 g
Reviews & corrections
Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.
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