Penang Curry Paste (Krueang Kaeng Penang)

Thai Translation – Krueang = Paste, Gaeng = Curry, Penang = Penang

Penang curry, sometimes spelt “panang”, is a flavoursome and creamy mild curry that is perfect for many types of meat or vegetarian. It takes its name from the island off peninsula Malaysia, Penang curry has a different flavour to more traditional thai curries. The paste is based on the red curry paste but peanuts are added which give it a delicious nutty flavour. 

Preparation Time – 15 minutes

Makes 2 tablespoons

Ingredients

2-5 dry red chilis
1 inch piece of galangal

1 inch piece thai ginseng

4 garlic cloves

2 spring onions

1 1/3 tsp dry coriander seeds

1/2 inch piece tumeric

1 kaffir lime leaf

1 piece lemongrass

small handful of raw peanuts

Method

1. Soak the dry chilli's in water until they are tender. This will take approximately 10-30 minutes. Chop roughly. If you do not like your curries spicy you can remove the seeds.
   
2. Dry roast the raw peanuts in a wok.
   
3. Peel the galangal, ginseng, garlic, tumeric, lemongrass and spring onions. Chop roughly and set aside. Rip the hard stem of the kaffir lime leaf out and set leaf aside.
   
4. In a mortar and pestle, crush the coriander seeds til they begin to turn to a powder. Add the chilli's and crush well so they begin to turn to a paste.
   
5. Add the rest of the ingredients and crush well to make a paste, ensuring that you crush all the ingredients well. Use a spoon to mix the paste around so that it has a regular consistency.