Vegan Panang curry using Red curry paste!
It’s true, Vegan Panang curry paste is not very easy to find but vegan Red curry paste? That tiny jar can be found anywhere! You don’t even need to go to an Asian store to get your hands on that thing. That got me thinking, could I make a vegan Panang curry using Red curry paste?
To answer that question, let’s see what a Panang curry is and how Red and Panang curries are both different from each other.
What is a Panang curry
Panang curry is a coconut milk based Thai curry. It is traditionally prepared using meat with little to no vegetables added. Panang curry is thicker than other Thai curries with a thick sauce coating the meat.
The sauce is thicker due to the addition of peanuts in the curry paste which makes the curry extra creamy and delicious! Who else loves peanuts? I do! Which is why I add a generous amount of peanuts into the curry paste 🙂
Is my version authentic?
No, and I am not claiming it to be! Firstly, authentic panang curry paste is not vegan, it has shrimp paste and fish sauce in it.
The fresh herb used to finish an authentic panang curry is kaffir lime leaf. I have skipped using kaffir lime leaves and used Thai basil instead.
That being said, keeping dietary restrictions and availability in mind, I have tried to stick as close as possible to the ingredients that go into a traditional Panang curry.
My vegan panang curry is also very easy to make and comes together quickly. It is loaded with vegetables for a nutritious meal!
How is Panang curry different from Red curry?
On digging deeper into what traditionally goes into Thai curry pastes, you can see a pattern emerge despite the fact that there are 100 different ways to traditionally make them.
Ingredients commonly found in vegan Red curry paste. I am not listing the non-vegan ingredients, for obvious reasons 🙂
- Dry red chillies
- Galangal
- Lemongrass
- Cilantro roots(Roots of coriander plant)
- Kaffir lime zest
- Shallots
- Garlic
- Pepper
- Salt
Ingredients commonly found in vegan Panang curry paste.
- Dry red chillies
- Galangal
- Lemongrass
- Cilantro roots(Roots of coriander plant)
- Kaffir lime zest
- Shallots
- Garlic
- Pepper
- Salt
- Coriander seeds
- Cumin seeds
- Peanuts
Voila! You can now see that Panang curry paste is built on Red curry paste! Coriander seeds, cumin seeds and peanuts are the extra ingredients that go into Panang curry paste. Am sure you are on board now!
The addition of coriander and cumin gives Panang curry a nice warmth and peanuts make the curry more creamy and rich! Oh, how I love it!
Why not make vegan Panang curry from scratch?
While that would certainly be THE best option, I have my reasons for not doing it. For one, I am thrifty. I can find a tiny jar of vegan Thai red curry paste for as less as $2.50, with which I can make two big potfuls of curry. Whereas if I had to spend on all the ingredients to make a curry paste from scratch, I would easily have to spend over $15. Sure, I would make curry paste from scratch if ingredients were cheaper.
Also, these ingredients come in bigger packs and using up leftovers can be a pain. So there you go, that’s why I find it convenient to go with store-bought paste.
Ingredients required to make vegan Panang curry
Curry paste – I make my Panang curry paste using Red curry paste as the base. You can also use store bought Panang curry paste instead.
Red curry paste is easily found in Asian aisles of grocery chains. It can also be found online. In India, red curry pastes are available online. Vegetarians please be sure to check the ingredients to make sure it’s vegetarian.
Spices – Coriander and cumin seeds are used in panang curry paste. They are available at all grocery stores, cheaper at Indian grocery stores.
Coconut milk – Coconut milk can be extracted from fresh coconuts. You can also use store bought coconut milk. Coconut cream can be used too. If using coconut cream, you may need to use more water in the curry.
NOTE: Coconut milk that come refrigerated, in cartons are the ones used as a drink. They don’t work well in curries.
Vegetables – Any vegetable that would go well in a Thai curry can be used. Enoki mushrooms get a special mention here as it’s a family favourite and we love its texture. It can be found in Asian stores.
Thai basil-Thai basil adds a wonderful freshness to the curry. You may also use Italian basil or holy basil instead.
Sweetener– Traditionally palm sugar is used to sweeten the curry. I always have jaggery(a type of unrefined Indian sugar) in my pantry, so that is what I use. You can use any sweeteners of your choice.
Tips to make vegan Panang curry
Although I use store bought red curry paste, I like to freshen the curry paste up with fresh ingredients that I may happen to have on hand. What I mean is, I add a clove or two of garlic or a teaspoon of cilantro stem(in place of cilantro roots) or if I happen to have lemongrass I like to add a teaspoon of that as well and blend these fresh herbs and spices with the store bought curry paste. It is entirely optional but it is something that I like to do as it brings extra freshness into the curry.
Traditionally, to prepare a Thai curry, the curry paste is sauteed in the fat rendered by boiling down thick coconut milk. This fat is nothing but coconut oil. So to make things a little simpler I add coconut oil into the pot and saute the curry paste in it .
Check out these other vegan Thai recipes like Thai basil fried rice and Sticky rice with mango.
Vegan Panang curry using Red curry paste
Equipment
- I use standard measuring cups to measure ingredients in my recipes.
Ingredients
For panang curry paste
- 4 tbsp red curry paste I use Thai kitchen brand, which is mild. Potency may differ if using a different brand.
- ¼ cup peanuts
- 1 tsp coriander seeds
- ¼ tsp cumin seeds
- 2 cloves garlic
- ½ tbsp stem/roots of coriander/cilantro optional
- ½ tsp oil
Rest of the ingredients
- 1 tbsp oil preferably coconut
- 1½ cups coconut milk 13.5 fl oz can
- ½ cup water
- 200 grams firm tofu half a pack/about 2 cups
- 2 cups enoki mushrooms
- 2 cups bell peppers
- 2 cups loosely packed bok choy or any greens
- 1 cup loosely packed thai basil
- 1 ½ tsp soy sauce
- ¼ tsp white pepper
- 1-2 tsp jaggery or palm sugar or any other sugar
- salt to taste
Instructions
Transform red curry paste to Panang curry paste
- On medium heat, toast the coriander and cumin seeds in a pan on low-medium heat until fragrant. Take care not to burn the spices!
- Transfer toasted spices into a blender.
- Next, in the same pan, toast the peanuts in half teaspoon of oil until they are roasted. You can also use roasted peanuts instead.
- Transfer peanuts into the blender.
- Add red curry paste and garlic.
- Add the stem/roots of coriander/cilantro, if using.
- Blend everything together. If needed, add water just enough to help with blending.
- Panang curry paste is ready to use.
Prepare the curry
- In a pot, add coconut oil.
- Add in the Panang curry paste.
- On low heat fry the curry paste in oil for a minute. De-glaze the pot with a spoonful of water if curry paste sticks to the pot.
- Add white pepper powder and saute for 30 seconds.
- Add the bell peppers/capsicum.
- Turn up the heat to medium. Mix and cook for a minute.
- Next add the enoki mushrooms. Mix and cook for about 30 seconds
- Go in with your choice of greens and mix.
- Season the vegetables with salt. Do keep in mind that the curry paste contains salt and you will also be adding soy sauce into the curry later. Add lesser salt than you normally would.
- Add coconut milk.
- Add soy sauce.
- Add in 1 tsp of your sugar of choice. Taste and add the second teaspoon if needed.
- Add water.
- Add cubed tofu and gently push the cubes into the curry taking care not to break them.
- Bring the curry to a gentle boil. Do not turn the heat to high as the coconut milk can get separated.
- Keep stirring the pot occasionally and simmer for five minutes on low heat.
- Taste and adjust salt, sugar and soy sauce to your liking.
- Add torn Thai basil and stir.
- After adding the basil you can turn off the heat or simmer for a minute and turn off the heat.
- Serve Panang curry with Jasmine rice.
Video
Notes
- If you are unsure of the amount of red curry paste to use to suit your palate, start with a lesser amount. Once you add the coconut milk and water, do a taste test. If you need more, saute some more red curry paste on the side and add into the curry.
- If you happen to have lemongrass, you can add a teaspoon of lemongrass as well into the blender when making panang curry paste. Thai use the stalk of lemongrass in curries, not the leaves.
- Peel off the outer layers of the lemongrass stalk. Finely chop the inner tender part of the stalk and use that in the curry paste.
- Vegetables of your choice can be used as long as you think it will go well in this curry.
- De-glaze the pot with a splash of water when curry paste starts sticking to the pot.
- Do keep in mind that the curry paste contains salt and you will also be adding soy sauce into the curry later. Add lesser salt than you usually would.
- Add vegetables into the pot keeping cooking times in mind. First add the vegetables that take longer to cook and later add the other vegetables that cook quickly. This way, you can ensure to retain the crunch in vegetables.
- After adding coconut milk, do not cook on high heat as coconut milk can curdle.
- Procedure to prepare Thai red curry and Thai green curry remains the same. You only have to use red/green curry paste in place of panang curry paste.
Looks yum😋
thank you!!!
Woow this looks so delicious 😊
Thank you!