It’s only been about a two weeks since I left Thailand, but I’m already missing the incredible food. One of my favorite dishes I had while I was out there was Panang Curry. It’s a sweeter, milder curry and I thought it would be fun to try and recreate it based on memory last night!
It’s very rare that I create a bomb recipe the first time, but I managed to do it with this one! Since there was a sale on tofu at the grocery store, I decided to use that instead of a traditional protein. Feel free to add chicken instead though!
Panang Curry with Fried Tofu
Serve this delicious, panang curry over jasmine rice and top it with crushed cashews! You can also serve it over quinoa or farro too!
Prep Time10 mins
Cook Time40 mins
Total Time50 mins
Servings: 2
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp Canola Oil 1.5 for tofu and 1.5 for curry
- 1 tbsp Fresh Ginger minced
- 1 Large Shallot chopped fine
- 1/4 cup Peanut Butter creamy
- 2 tsp Turmeric
- 1 tsp Ground Cumin
- 1/5 tsp Thai Red Curry Paste
- 1 1/2 cups Water
- 1 can Sweetened Coconut Milk
- 1 1/2 tsp Lime Zest
- 1.5 tbsp Brown Sugar
- 14 oz Extra Firm Tofu (1 package) drained, dried and and cut into cubes
- 1 Potato sweet or regular; peeled and cut into even sized cubes
- 1/4 lb Fresh Green Beans trimmed
- 1 tbsp Fresh Lime Juice
- 1/2 cup Cashews crushed
- Salt & Pepper to taste
Instructions
- Prep all your veggies! It will make cooking much more enjoyable. Mince your garlic and ginger, chop your shallot and trim up your green beans. Put them aside.
- Cook up your tofu. You could just throw it in the curry as is, but I think frying it up in a little bit of oil makes it taste a whole lot better. To do that, heat your oil up in a skillet over medium heat. Once heated up, place your tofu carefully into the oil and let fry on that side for 3-5 minutes (until golden). Use tongs to flip and repeat on all sides. Drain on paper towel.
- While your tofu is draining, heat up your remaining oil in a large pot over medium. Add your shallots and ginger. Cook for 3 minutes then add your garlic. Cook for another 2 minutes until shallots are soft. Watch the heat and make sure you are constantly stirring to avoid any burning.
- Add your peanut butter, cumin, turmeric and red curry paste. Stir around for a minute and then carefully add in your coconut milk, water, brown sugar and lime zest. Whisk the sauce together until well combined. Once combined add in your potatoes and tofu. Put a lid on it and let it simmer for 25 minutes.
- 5 minutes before it’s done, add your green beans. After 25 minutes, take the lid off, crank the heat up and let it go for 5 minutes. Turn off the heat, add your lime juice and let it thicken up for a few minutes before serving.
I served this panang curry over jasmine rice and topped it with crushed cashews and it was awesome! You could also serve it over quinoa or farro too!
Love always,
Erica
