Beef Panang Curry Recipe

Finely chop the shallot, the garlic cloves, and the lemongrass and add them to a mortar and pestle along with the star anise, the cumin seeds, 4 makrut lime leaves, and the cardamom. Pound them together until paste-like.

Then, stir in the chili paste, the galangal paste, the shrimp paste, the ground coriander, ground cinnamon, salt, pepper, and the juice of 1 lime. Add 2 tablespoons of roasted peanuts to a food processor and chop them up finely, before combining with the rest of the ingredients to form the Panang curry paste. If you would like to make the paste smoother, add it to the food processor along with the peanuts, and blend.

To begin the curry, add the cooking oil to the pan. Add 4 tablespoons of the Panang curry paste to the pan and fry it on a low to medium heat for 5 minutes, until it is fragrant and darkened in color.

Add the can of coconut milk and the 4 remaining Makrut lime leaves. Cook everything together for a few minutes, then add the fish sauce and the sugar. Allow everything to stew for 5 minutes and reduce slightly. Add the juice from ½ a lime.

Add the beef strips to the pan and cook them for 2 to 3 minutes until they have just lost their pink coloring.

Serve the Panang curry sprinkled with sliced red chillies and the remaining roasted peanuts. Serve on rice noodles if desired, with a sprinkling of fresh coriander leaves and a wedge of lime.