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Thai

Panang curry with beef

Non-vegetarian

พะแนงเนื้อ · phanaeng nuea

Thin slices of beef in a thick, reduced coconut cream sauce with a red chilli and peanut paste, finished with plenty of finely shredded makrut lime leaves.

Panang curry with beef is a Thai curry from Thailand, ready in about 50 minutes and made with dried whole chillies, roasted peanuts and coconut cream. It serves 4 and is rated intermediate to cook.

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Panang curry
Representative photo. Vee Satayamas from Bangkok, Thailand / Wikimedia Commons · CC-BY-2.0
Prep
30 min
Cook
20 min
Total
50 min
Serves
4
Level
Intermediate
Calories
569

Ingredients

4 servings

For the curry paste

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Pound the toasted spices to a powder, then add the salt, chillies, lemongrass (opens in a new tab), galangal (opens in a new tab), shallots (opens in a new tab) and garlic (opens in a new tab) and pound to a paste. Add the peanuts and shrimp paste (opens in a new tab) and pound until thick and smooth.

    Spices being ground in a mortar and pestle
    How it looks · Photo: https://kaboompics.com/ on Pexels

  2. Step 2

    Simmer half the coconut cream (opens in a new tab) in a wok (opens in a new tab) until thick and the oil separates. Fry about 4 tablespoons of paste in it until fragrant.

    Ingredients tossed in a hot wok
    How it looks · Photo: Aesthos AR. Photography on Pexels

  3. Step 3

    Add the beef and stir until it loses its raw colour, then add the coconut milk (opens in a new tab), fish sauce (opens in a new tab) and palm sugar (opens in a new tab) and simmer briefly until the sauce coats the meat.

    • 6 min
    • medium heat

  4. Step 4

    Stir in most of the lime leaves and the basil (opens in a new tab). Serve drizzled with the remaining coconut cream (opens in a new tab) and topped with the rest of the lime leaves and chilli.

    • 2 min

About this dish

Origin
Thailand · Well documentedDespite the English spelling 'Penang', it is a Thai curry.Also popular in United States, United KingdomMore food from Thailand
Dish
Lunch · Dinner · Curries · Main courses
Cooking method
Simmered
Taste
rich, spicy (chilli heat), nutty, sweet & savoury
Diet
No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · High-protein
All labelsNon-vegetarian · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · Egg-free · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · High-protein
With the listed swaps: Pescatarian, Flexitarian-friendly, Beef-freeWorked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for
One-pan
Cook more with
Dried whole chillies · Roasted peanuts · Coconut cream · Beef sirloin steak · Shallot · Garlic
Techniques
Simmering · Bhunao

Allergens

  • Contains, can be adapted: Fishfrom fish sauce
  • Contains: Crustaceansfrom shrimp paste, fish sauce
  • 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

569 kcal per serving

Estimated

1 serving ≈ 289 g · recipe makes 4

Where the energy comes from

  • Protein 23%
  • Carbohydrate 14%
  • Fat 63%
Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
NutrientPer servingPer 100 g*
Energy569 kcal197 kcal
Protein34.5 g11.9 g
Carbohydrate20 g6.9 g
Net carbohydrate——
Sugars——
Added sugars4.8 g1.7 g
Fibre——
Fat41.5 g14.4 g
Saturated fat31 g10.7 g
Trans fat——
Cholesterol75 mg26 mg
Sodium988 mg342 mg
Salt equivalent2.5 g0.9 g
Vitamins & minerals per serving
Potassium
1044 mg
Calcium
88 mg
Iron
6.7 mg
Magnesium
112 mg
Vitamin A (RAE)
48 µg
Vitamin C
6 mg
Vitamin D
0.1 µg
Vitamin B12
1.4 µg
Folate (DFE)
62 µg

How these numbers were made

  • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
  • *Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
  • Optional ingredients are not included: fresh red chilli, long-grain white rice.
  • Not counted (tiny amounts or “to taste”): makrut lime leaves.
  • 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.
  • Jaggery / palm sugar: Brown sugar (FDC 168833) used as a stand-in for unrefined cane jaggery and palm sugar.
  • “—” 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

  • The sauce should be thick enough to cling — panang is not a soupy curry.
  • About 3 tablespoons of store-bought panang paste can replace the homemade paste.

Common mistakes

  • Simmering the thin beef for too long makes it tough.

Serve with

  • Serve with jasmine rice and stir-fried greens.

Food safety

  • Thin beef slices cook in minutes; simmer until no longer red. Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours and eat within 3 days.

Storage

  • Refrigerate for up to 2 days.

Reheating

  • Reheat briefly over low heat so the beef does not toughen.

Variations

  • Chicken panang: Use thinly sliced chicken breast or thigh and cook until no pink remains.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

Built from the recipe’s own sections. 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

Used in steps 3, 4

Masalas in this recipe

Make the masala first, then come back to finish the dish.

  • Curry paste

    Panang curry paste

    This recipe makes it as part of the method (154 g for 4 servings). The full masala recipe explains each step in detail.

    Make Panang curry paste

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