Vegan Panang Curry – rich, creamy and chock full of vegetables, this mildly sweet and spicy coconut milk based Thai curry uses a homemade panang paste and is absolutely divine with a side of Jasmine rice or even noodles. Scroll for full step-by-step recipe, tricks, substitutions as well as printable/save Recipe Card below.
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Once you make this super easy and absolutely delicious vegetarian version of homemade Thai dish, there is no going back to restaurant takeout panang curry for you. Our whole family loves Asian dishes, be it Indian, Thai or Chinese. But our recent favorite is this easy to make Thai curry which tastes absolutely delicious and I could just slurp on it all day. Ever since I tasted this curry from a local restaurant takeout, I have been craving for it and finally was able to recreate the same flavor in my kitchen with homemade panang curry paste using easily available ingredients. You can use store bought panang curry paste too if you can find it or prefer.
WHAT IS PANANG CURRY:
This super creamy and smooth curry with hues of red chilies, peanuts, lemon grass and some basic spices like coriander and cumin in a mildly sweet and savory coconut milk based gravy is one of the most popular curries you can indulge in from the cuisine of Thailand. You must be familiar with Thai red or green curry but once you taste this panang curry, it will be definitely be your favorite too in your home. The base of this curry is a simple, premade penang curry paste which you can either use store bought or make some easily at home like I have. Once the paste is ready, all you need is to sauté some aromatics like onions and garlic and simmer it along with the panang paste, coconut milk and veggies or even some chicken or seafood to make it your own version of homemade panang curry. It turns into this golden yellow, creamy, smooth, mildly sweet and mildly spicy drool worthy Asian curry which you can enjoy with rice, noodles or even any flat bread. The joy on my family’s face whenever I make this is a joy to behold for me! Absolutely drool worthy and addictive. This amazing flavored Panang Curry Paste can be made ahead and be used to make this curry as well as a delicious Thai noodle soup called Laksa soup too! Do check it out here. Instant Pot being my favorite appliance in my kitchen, I decided to make it in that but you can easily make yours over a stove top too.
INGREDIENTS NEEDED TO MAKE VEGAN PANANG CURRY:
Panang Curry Paste – you can use store bought paste but I preferred to make my own. You will need dry red chilies (or red chili/cayenne pepper powder), a small bit of lemon grass (which is a must in most Thai curries), ginger (if you can find it, use traditional galangal), garlic, coriander and cumin powders, shallots/onions and some kaffir lime leaves. If you cannot find kaffir lime leaves, just use any lime leaf or lemon leaves you can find. Peanut Butter (or peanuts): One of the main flavors in panang curry is peanuts and it is easier to use natural peanut butter if you have some at home; smooth or chunky as you will be blending it with the other curry paste ingredients. If you do not have peanut butter, use a handful of deskinned peanuts instead. Vegetables – I have used broccoli, zucchini, carrots and red bell peppers. You could also use mushroom, eggplants etc. Of course you will need some onions, garlic, jalapenos (optional) as the main aromatics. Protein – we love tofu, so used some firm tofu in the curry. If you cannot find it, you can use paneer (Indian cottage cheese) but then it does not become vegan then. Coconut milk – this is the base of the curry. You can use store bought canned coconut milk (which I always have in my pantry) or make your own fresh coconut milk at home using fresh coconuts if you can find some; nothing like the flavor of freshly squeezed coconut milk. Sweetener – traditionally, Thai cuisine uses palm sugar but you can use jaggery (unrefined cane sugar), brown sugar or best is coconut sugar which I prefer and have used here. For garnish, if you can find Thai basil, nothing like it but I could not find any so just used some cilantro leaves.
STEP-WISE INSTRUCTIONS TO MAKE VEGAN PANANG CURRY :
(Ingredient list and more details in recipe card below)
Just blend panang curry paste ingredients to a smooth paste (or use store bought curry paste). Sauté aromatics like onions, garlic etc. along with green chilies/jalapenos/Serrano peppers until onions are slightly soft. Add the curry paste and fry again for a few seconds. Stir in most of the coconut milk; just enough to cook the mixture, tofu chunks and the carrot chunks along with salt and your choice of sweetener, then either pressure cook or simmer in a pan over a stove top. If you feel that the tofu chunks are too soft that they may dissipate or break up in the curry while pressure cooking, you can add after the pressure cooking stage. This may happen if the tofu is not firm enough. If using Instant Pot, pressure cook on “LOW” FOR ONLY 1 MINUTE! If using stove top pressure cooker, then add only the carrot chunks and pressure cook for 1 whistle. Once the pressure drops, add the rest of the veggies (broccoli, zucchini and bell peppers) along with tofu if not added before, rest of the coconut milk, more sugar, peanut butter or salt if needed Adjust seasonings and consistency (by adding more water or coconut milk) to get a mildly sweet, spicy and savory creamy curry with the veggies just cooked and of course still with a crunchy bite. Simmer for a couple of minutes. That is it! Just garnish and enjoy with some hot Thai Jasmine rice, Basmati rice or any cooked rice you prefer. It tastes absolutely divine with noodles or even cooked quinoa too.
Doesn’t it sound super easy and super delicious? My mouth is drooling just writing this post and cannot wait to make it again!
STOVE TOP VERSION OF VEGAN PANANG CURRY (updated April 2023):
For my foodie friends who would love to try this curry on a stove top, here we go.
Same procedure but sauté the carrots and any vegetable that needs a bit more cooking after you add and fry the paste. Then add coconut milk, seasonings and more peanut butter if needed along with rest of veggies. Bring to a gentle boil, simmer and serve hot! You gotta make this and if you do, I would love to see or hear about it. Please leave your thoughts or comment in the box below (do not forget to give a star rating) and/or share your version on Instagram tagging me (@curryandvanilla16) or even on my Facebook page. Enjoy Foodies and Happy Cooking!
If you are a big fan of Asian curries like we are, then you must check out some of these from my kitchen:
Instant Pot Tofu Tikka Masala Curry Quick, 30-minute Chana Masala Curry Corn on the Cob Ghashi Vegan Mushroom Masala Curry One-pot Vegan Mixed Dal Curry
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