Country of origin: Thailand

Panang curry is a thick, flavorful curry that can be served with meat or easily made into a vegetarian dish. It is hailed as a Thai dish, but has strong influence from India. This variation has been heavily Americanized, so Thai friends, don't kill me for the substitutions I had to make due to limited selection at my local markets.

For a more in depth history on this dish, check out this detailed write up from The High Heel Gourmet. 

Servings: 8

Ingredients:

• 1 cup Jasmati or Jasmine rice

• 2 cups water

• 1 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breast, cubed

• 1 yellow onion, diced

• 1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced

• 1 orange bell pepper, seeded and diced

• 15-20 fresh green beans, halved

• 1 small red chili pepper, minced

• 2 garlic cloves, minced

• 1/4 cup fresh Thai basil leaves (or sweet basil), sliced

• 1 Tbsp. coconut oil

• 4 ounce jar red curry paste

• 1 Tbsp. creamy peanut butter

• 1 lime, zested and juiced (*technically, for this recipe to be authentic, you should really use about 10-12 crushed kaffir lime leaves. I, however, only had one lime on hand and it was a perfectly good sub)

• 1 (13.5 ounce) can thick coconut milk, unsweetened

• 1 (8 ounce) can bamboo slices

• 3 tablespoons fish sauce (I was out of fish sauce at the time I made this dish, so I subbed with 3 Tbsp soy sauce with 3 minced anchovies)

Directions:

1. Combine the water and Jasmati or Jasmine rice in a sauce pan. Bring to a boil, stir once, then let simmer while covered for 20 minutes. 

2. Chop the onions and peppers into chunks, roughly one inch in size, and mince—or, as you all know I'm all for, crush—the garlic.

3. Next, if you're using kaffir lime leaves, crush them to help release their oils. If you're using a fresh lime zest the rind and then juice the entire lime into a small bowl, set aside. 

4. Place a large skillet or wok over medium-high heat. Add the coconut oil.

5. Once the oil melts, add the onions. Sauté for 1 minute, then add the peppers and garlic. Sauté another 2-3 minutes.

6. While the vegetables cook, cut the raw chicken into bite-size pieces.

7. Once the veggies are cooked, move them to the sides of the skillet and add the Panang red curry paste and peanut butter to the center of the pan. Sauté the curry and PB for 2-3 minutes to intensify the flavor, moving around the pan. Then add the kaffir lime leaves or lime juice and rind, coconut milk, and fish sauce. Stir to blend.

8. Stir in the chopped raw chicken and bring to a boil

9. Lower the heat and simmer for 10-15 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through and the sauce thickens. Stir occasionally.

10. Remove from heat and stir in the basil leaves.

11. Serve with rice. I prefer to accompany this saucy dish with white Jasmine or Jasmati rice.