A great basic panang recipe found through various Pinterest sources.
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 tablespoon garlic chopped
- 1/2 cup peas frozen or fresh
- 1 cup broccoli florets chopped
- 1 teaspoon ginger grated or finely minced
- 1 tablespoon panang curry paste (i use mae ploy, which is hotter than aroy-d. adjust amount to suit brand.)
- 2 13.5 ounce cans light coconut milk trader joe's or whole foods
- 1 1/2 tablespoons brown sugar or palm sugar
- 1 tablespoon gf tamari sauce
- 1 tablespoon lime juice fresh squeezed
- 1/4 cup cashews roasted and unsalted
- 1 cup white mushrooms quartered
- 1 cup onion chopped (optional)
- 4 thai basil leaves
- 1 cup white potatoes chopped
- 1 cup sweet potatoes chopped
- 10 snap peas (or snow peas)
- 1 cup carrots roughly chopped
- Carbohydrate 24.9023547535387 g
- Cholesterol 0 mg
- Fat 9.46614875226567 g
- Fiber 5.06819998492176 g
- Protein 5.14643675041418 g
- Saturated Fat 1.22826384392555 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (190g)
- Sodium 53.9780500191857 mg
- Sugar 19.834154768617 g
- Trans Fat 0.401784343797572 g
- Calories 195 calories
Step-by-step
- Heat oil on medium heat. Once hot, add the ginger and garlic and let it cook until light brown. Stir in the curry paste and break it up.
- Add the coconut milk, brown sugar, tamari and lime juice, and turn heat up to medium-high.
- Add the root vegetables (potatoes, sweet potatoes, and carrots), and cook for 15 minutes, or until root veggies are cooked through and soft. Add the lighter veggies (basil leaves, broccoli, mushrooms, snap peas, peas, etc.), and cook for 3-5 more minutes.
- Serve immediately over jasmine rice. Top with crushed cashews.
- Substitution friendly: use whichever veggies sounds good. Can add protein as desired: brown in pot before adding curry paste.
Replacing light coconut milk with full-fat canned coconut milk alters the emulsion stability and increases viscosity by nearly twenty percent. Fat content dictates how well capsaicin binds and distributes across the palate. Understanding these structural changes ensures predictable results regardless of pantry inventory.
Managing Density and Cooking Times
Root vegetables require distinct thermal energy compared to tender green vegetables. Introduce dense ingredients like white potatoes, sweet potatoes, and carrots simultaneously during the simmer phase. Cook these items for fifteen minutes to allow starches to gelatinize fully. Introduce quick-cooking items such as snap peas, broccoli florets, and fresh green peas during the final three to five minutes of simmering. Prolonged heat degrades chlorophyll and ruins crisp-tender textures.Evaluating Doneness Visually
Assessing doneness without a thermometer relies on physical and optical transformations. Piercing a carrot or sweet potato with the tip of a paring knife should reveal zero mechanical resistance at the center. Thai basil leaves wilt and darken rapidly when exposed to hot liquids, releasing essential oils into the broth. Watch for the oil to separate slightly at the surface of the simmering coconut milk as an indicator that the emulsion has reached optimal reduction.
