Panang Muu แพนงหมู Panang Curry With Pork

I was determined to use up all the meat and seafood in my freezer, bounties that I bought months ago that I didn't have the opportunity to cook.

Among the goodies I unearthed was a piece of pork fillet which I turned into a delicious panang curry. With the homemade curry paste I prepared beforehand, frozen kaffir lime leaves in the freezer and coconut cream in my pantry, such a wonderful meal can be prepared with ease.

As I have mentioned before, this keang (Thai curry) is named after the Malaysian state of Penang but it is simply the Thais' interpretation of a Malaysian curry, so don't expect to find anything similar when you are in Penang next.

Though completely misleading, whoever invented this luscious dish should truly be applauded.

P.S feel free to add some green beans to the curry if our heart desires.

serves 4 as part of a Thai meal
you'll need;
500g of pork fillet, thinly sliced
1 can of coconut cream (Mae Ploy brand)
3 heaped tbs of Panang curry paste, homemade or shop bought
4 tbs of fish sauce
4 tbs of palm sugar
6 kaffir lime leaves, finely shredded
5 bird chillies, halved lengthwise
3 heaped tbs of toasted peanut, pounded (optional)

Slice pork and finely shred the kaffir lime leaves.

Fish sauce and palm sugar is a must of course.

Add 1/3 can of the coconut cream to the wok and cook on medium heat until the oil starts to split.

Add curry paste, mix well and allow the paste to fry in the coconut cream/oil mixture on medium heat for about a minute.

Add the rest of the coconut cream (reserving a few tablespoons for later use) and bring it to a simmer, season with fish sauce and palm sugar. Add pork to the wok together with half of the kaffir lime leaves and chili halves, mix and cook gently until the pork is just cooked. Finally stir in the pounded peanut (if using) and check for seasonings.

Drizzle the reserved coconut cream and garnish with the rest of the shredded kaffir lime leaves and chili halves.

Serve with plenty of steamed rice and perhaps a perfectly fried egg?

Phat Si Ew Neur ผัดซีอิ๊วเนื้อ Thai Soy Fried Rice Noodles With Beef

Another Sunday with a grand dinner plan but I knew my lavish Malaysian dinner plan was destined to fail after our second bottle of chablis at yum cha.

So instead of fish curry and tamarind prawns, we settled for a very simple stir fried noodles - phat si eww. This is Thai's answer to gon chao eu hor (乾炒牛河 fried rice noodles with beef), a simple one dish meal that is of Chinese origin that can be found all over the kingdom. You may of course replace the beef with pork, seafood or chicken, for my chicken version please click here.

P.S Obviously my Malaysian Monday post will be late again this week, but do send in your entries to me at sureshchong@yahoo.com if you have been dishing up delicious Malaysian fares.

recipe per serve

you'll need;

200 g of fresh hor fun, mixed with a dash of soy

50 g of beef rump, marinated with dash of soy, oyster sauce and pepper

1 egg

3 stalks of kailan, sliced at an angle

2 cloves of garlic, chopped

2 tbs of light soy

2 tbs of dark soy

pinch of sugar

Slice beef thinly across the grains and marinate with soy, oyster sauce and pepper.

Prepare the kailan and garlic.

In a smoking hot wok, char noodles mixed with soy with a little oil for a minute, carefully move the noodles around to char the other side. Don't be tempted to move them too much or you'll break them into pieces. Set aside.

Heat up the wok again and fry the marinated beef and chopped garlic with a little oil til lightly browned. Remove and set aside.

When the wok is hot again, add a little more oil and crack in the egg, allow the egg set a little before lightly scrambling it, add kailan and stir fry on high heat for a minute.

Return the beef and noodles to the wok and mix well. Add seasonings and stir fry on high heat for another minute or so.

Serve with some cut chillies with fish sauce.

Kaeng Phet Ob Gai แกงเผ็ดอบไก่ Baked Whole Chicken In Red Curry Sauce

Tummy wanted a Thai curry while I was looking forward to a good old Sunday roast, in the end we came to a sweet compromise and the result is this beautiful baked whole chicken in red curry sauce using the same technique I learnt from cooking the Italian classic - chicken cooked in milk and the chicken came out moist and juicy as you had imagined.

With the selection of vegetables in the delicious sauce, all you need is plenty of steamed rice and some cold Singha beers

P.S You may use green curry paste of course, homemade is the best but good quality shop bought ones are allowed too :)

recipe from the tummies' kitchen

serves 4 to 6 as part of a Thai meal

oven preheated at 200 C (conventional)

you'll need;

1 free range chicken, removed excess fat, rubbed with garlic and pepper paste

2 small zucchini, cut into manageable pieces

2 long eggplants, cut into manageable pieces

a handful of green beans, topped and tailed and cut into 4 cm pieces

3 heaped tbs of homemade or shop bought red curry paste

2 kaffir lime leaves, torn

1 can of Ayam brand coconut cream

1 can of Ayam brand coconut milk

1.5 cups of stock

4 tbs of fish sauce

4 tbs of palm sugar

1 bunch of Thai basil, picked

2 kaffir lime leaves, finely shredded

2 to 3 bird chillies, sliced

garlic, pepper and coriander paste;

3 cloves of garlic,

3 coriander roots, scrubbed and chopped

2 tbs of white peppercorns 

a pinch of salt

*pound everything into a course paste

Prepare the vegetables and set aside.

Cook eggplant pieces with a little oil on high heat until slightly soften. This step is optional but the end result is worth the extra few minutes.

Rub chicken with the garlic, pepper and coriander root paste then brown chicken in a pot with a little oil until golden all over, remove and set aside.

Place 4 heaped tbs of coconut cream into a oven proofed pot (big enough to snug the chicken in) and slowly bring it to a simmer, when the coconut cream starts to split, add in the curry paste and fry until oil bubbles start to appear, add torn kaffir lime leaves and stir for a further minute.

Add in the rest of the coconut cream, coconut milk and stock, mix well and bring it to a simmer.

Return the chicken to the hot creamy sauce and place the pot into the hot oven for 45 to 60 minutes depending on the size of the chicken. 

Baste the chicken with the curry sauce from time to time. When the bird is ready, remove from the pot and allow to rest in a warm place for 10 to 15 minutes before chopping.

Put the pot back onto the stove and bring the sauce back to a simmer, add the vegetables and cook to your liking. Check for seasonings and throw in the Thai basil.

Cut chicken into pieces Chinese style and arrange neatly in a large shallow platter.

Pour the sauce with the vegetables over, garnish with finely shredded kaffir lime leaves, sliced chillies and Thai basil. Serve with plenty of hot steamed rice and some cut chillies in fish sauce on the side.

Yum Muu Yang Polamai ยำหมูย่างผลไม้ Grilled Pork And Stone Fruit Salad

I have no idea why such a delicious dish was not posted closer to the date when it was first prepared... a question best leave to the X-File team.

I know we won't be getting any stone fruit here in Australia for a few more months but then I do have my readers over the northern hemisphere who are enjoying the abundance of stone fruits at the moment. Other seasonal fruits can be used of course; pineapple, kiwi fruit and rock melon is another combination that will work very well and if you are in the tropics, why not take advantage of the huge array of tropical fruits you have over there?

You may use the classic marinade (garlic, coriander root, white peppercorns and salt) with other meats of your choice. Seafood such as tuna, salmon and trout are also fantastic substitutes. Feel free to experiment with the ingredients available to you, remember sanuk (fun) is a crucial ingredient of a successful Thai salad.

Serve this refreshing salad as part of a Thai meal - with one of the two Thai curries (massaman curry with beef or panang chicken) I posted recently perhaps? If you are a fan of using fruits in savoury dishes, you might also want to check out my spicy prawns salad with stone fruits and corn.

recipe from the tummies' kitchen
oven preheated at 200 C (conventional)
serves 4 to 6 as part of a Thai meal
you'll need;
2 pieces of pork fillets ( ~400g)
2 tsp of salt
2 cloves of garlic
2 coriander roots
2 tsp of white peppercorns
2 nectarines, stones removed and sliced
2 white peaches, stones removed and sliced
2 peaches, stones removed and sliced
1 small cucumber, sliced
2 spring onions, diagonally sliced
1/2 red onion or 3 shallots, sliced
a handful of mix lettuce leaves
4 soft boiled eggs, peeled and quartered
1/3 cup of cashew nuts, toasted

for the dressing;

2 coriander roots, chopped 

5 to 8 bird chilies, chopped

3 cloves of garlic, chopped

3  tbs of castor sugar

3 tbs of fish sauce

6 tbs of lime juice

pinch of salt

Pound garlic, coriander roots and white peppercorns with salt to a course paste, marinate pork with the paste for at least an hour.

Roast cashew in the oven for 15 minutes, allow to cool. For the dressing - place all ingredients in a bowl and mix well, it should taste hot, salty, sour, and sweet.

Prepare the rest of the ingredients and place in a large salad bowl.

Pan fry pork fillets with a little oil for 30 seconds on each side, transfer the pan to the hot oven and cook for 12 to 15 minutes. Allow to rest before slicing.

Add pork slices to the salad bowl, pour 1/2 of the dressing over and mix well. Top with egg wedges and sprinkle the cashew over. Leftover dressing can be kept refrigerated for a week.

Keang Massaman Neur แกงมัสมั่นเนื้อ Massaman Curry With Beef

The wind is blowing at 100km/h as I type and I must confess I am loving this crazy weather! It is the perfect excuse for staying in; to catch up with my reading, to compose new posts for the coming week and to make comforting slow cooking dishes such as this.

Kaeng massaman (or musmun means muslim in Thai) or Thai Muslim curry has to be the best known and the most loved Thai curry outside of the land of a thousand smiles. Being placed at the top spot of the world's 50 most delicious foods by CNNGo last year shouldn't come as too much of a surprise to many.

This stew like curry is richly infused with coconut cream and heavily spiced with dried spices not commonly seen in other kaeng or Thai curries except for kaeng kari (Thai Indian curry), another very aromatic and rich curry from the Muslim south. Both are heavily influenced by the cuisine of India and Persia (present day Iran), a legacy of the inclusiveness of the cosmopolitan Ayutthya period and a testament to the willingness of the Thais to incorporate foreign ingredients into their cuisine from way back (a poem written during the reign of King Rama ll some 200 years ago mentioned this classic dish when chili and spices were first introduced to the Thais).The similarity doesn't just end there; root vegetables (such as potato, sweet potato and yam) play an important supporting role in both dishes and the refreshing cucumber salad (achart) often accompanied these rich curries.

I prefer to use gravy beef (or shin beef) but other cheaper, tougher cuts such as chuck/blade, brisket or oxtail can be used instead, do not attempt to use rump or more expensive cuts as you will end up with tough, fibrous dry meat. Do leave some of the tendons on as they will cook down to sheer deliciousness.

This is by far the most complex and elaborate kaeng to prepare especially if you decide to make your own curry paste as well. However don't be put off by the tasks ahead as your hard work will be rewarded accordingly.

P.S I have previously posted a version using turkey (see kaeng massaman gai ngwong), duck will work equally well but do adjust the cooking time accordingly.

recipe from the tummies' kitchen
serves 6 to 8 as part of a Thai meal
you'll need;
1.5 kg of gravy beef (meat from the shin)*,  cut into chunks, blanched and refreshed
2.5 cups of coconut milk (Ayam brand)
6 shallots, roasted and peeled
1 cup of peanuts, boiled until tender, drained well
3 potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
1 large brown onion, peeled and cut into chunks
2 cups of coconut cream (Ayam brand)
3 heaped tbs of massaman curry paste, homemade or shop bought
3 bay leaves
3 brown cardamom, dry roasted
4 cloves, dry roasted
1.5 (round) pieces of palm sugar, crushed
5 tbs of fish sauce
1/4 cup of tamarind concentrate
1/2 tbs of grated mace
6 kamquat, sliced with seeds removed (optional)

Blanch beef chunks for about two minutes, refresh under cold water. Bring the coconut milk to a boil, add beef and simmer until the beef is tender. The coconut milk will split during the process, scoop it out and set aside for frying the curry paste later.

To grill the shallots - place shallots on a grill over the stove top and grill until the outside is blacken and the flesh is soft. Allow to cool before peeling.

Prepare the rest of the ingredients.

Place the coconut cream together with coconut oil from step number 1 and cook on medium heat until oil starts to split.

Add curry paste and fry in the oily mixture over medium heat for 3 to 5 minutes.

Return beef to the pan and fry in the curry paste for a minute.

Add the coconut milk (from stage 1), bay leaves and cardamom and bring it to a simmer. Season with palm sugar, fish sauce and tamarind concentrate.

Add potatoes and onion and coconut cream and simmer until potato is tender. Add sliced kumquat and check for seasonings.

Garnish with chili and coriander and serve as part of a Thai meal. A refreshing cucumber relish (achart) is often served together with this rich curry.

Panang Gai แพนงไก่ Panang Curry With Chicken

It has been months since I last shared a recipe for kaeng or Thai curry with you. I think it is is only fitting to do just that after my recent post on Thai curry pastes.

Panang (sometimes written as phanaeng) is indeed named after the charming Malaysian island of Penang. However this is the Thais' interpretation of what a curry from their southern neighbour is, so don't expect to find anything similar when you are in Penang next. For that reason Panang joined a group of other famous dishes that simply do not exist in the country/city that they are named after such as the likes of mee Siam, Singapore noodles and Mongolian beef.

This is a relatively mild dish that can be enjoyed by the whole family; it is extremely aromatic and full of flavour, made extra creamy with the added crushed peanuts in this version of mine. I often add some greens to brighten up the curry, a trick I picked up from my grandmother - by doing so it also saves me the trouble of making another vegetable dish when I am feeling lazy.

serves 2 with rice as a one dish meal or 4 as part of a Thai meal
you'll need;
vegetable oil for cooking
300 g of chicken thighs, cut into cubes, marinated with a little fish sauce
a handful of green beans, topped and tailed and halved, blanched
1 small broccoli, cut into manageable florets, blanched
1/3 cup of coconut cream (Ayam brand)
3 heaped tbs of Panang curry paste, homemade or shop bought
3/4 cup of coconut milk (Ayam brand)
2 tbs of fish sauce
2 tbs of palm sugar
2 kaffir lime leaves, finely shredded
3 bird chilies, sliced
2 heaped tbs of unsalted peanut, dry roasted and pounded (optional)

Cut and marinate the chicken and prepare the vegetables and herbs.

Brown chicken pieces with a little oil in batches until golden all over. You may omit this step but I think it greatly improves the final result.

Heat up 1/3 cup of the coconut cream and when oil starts to split add in the curry paste, mix well and fry the paste in the cream/oil mixture on medium heat for a minute.

Add coconut milk, bring it to a simmer, season with fish sauce, palm sugar, half of the kaffir lime leaves and chili.

Return chicken and blanched vegetables to the wok and simmer until the chicken is cook through, add crushed peanut and check for seasonings.

Sprinkle with the rest of the shredded kaffir lime leaves and sliced chilies, serve with plenty of steamed rice.