Panang Curry Paste

Name: Panang Curry Paste
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 5 min
Total time: 35 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Thai
Ingredients: 10-15 Sun-dried Thai long chilies halved, seeded; 3-4 Sun-dried green Thai long chilies halved, seeded, toasted; 3-4 pieces Mace toasted; 2-3 Cardamom pods whole, toasted; 2 teaspoons Coriander seeds toasted; 1 teaspoon Cumin seeds toasted; 1/2 teaspoon Black peppercorns; 2 teaspoons Galangal grated; 2 tablespoons Garlic chopped or pressed; 2 teaspoons Kaffir lime peel grated; 2 tablespoons Lemongrass finely sliced; 2 teaspoons Coriander root chopped; 3 tablespoons Red shallots peeled and chopped; 1/2 teaspoon Salt; 1 teaspoon Shrimp paste

Kaeng Panang

A toasted spice curry paste built on mace, cardamom, and fresh Thai herbs

Prep: 30 min
Cook: 5 min
Serves: 4
Heat: medium

What sets panang paste apart from other Thai red curry pastes is a distinct layer of toasted whole spices — mace, cardamom, cumin, and coriander seed — ground separately from the fresh herb base of lemongrass, galangal, garlic, and kaffir lime before the two come together in the mortar. That toasting step draws out warm, aromatic oils that give panang its recognizable golden-orange color and mellow character, generally milder than other curries and approachable even for people who don't usually go for spicy food. Made fresh, the paste comes out noticeably chunkier than the store-bought version, a texture that's part of what signals it was built from raw ingredients rather than a jar.

Ingredients

10-15 Sun-dried Thai long chilies (halved, seeded)
3-4 Sun-dried green Thai long chilies (halved, seeded, toasted)
3-4 pieces Mace (toasted)
2-3 Cardamom pods (whole, toasted)
2 teaspoons Coriander seeds (toasted)
1 teaspoon Cumin seeds (toasted)
1/2 teaspoon Black peppercorns
2 teaspoons Galangal (grated)
2 tablespoons Garlic (chopped or pressed)
2 teaspoons Kaffir lime peel (grated)
2 tablespoons Lemongrass (finely sliced)
2 teaspoons Coriander root (chopped)
3 tablespoons Red shallots (peeled and chopped)
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1 teaspoon Shrimp paste

Directions

Toast the coriander and cumin seeds in a dry pan over low heat, stirring often, until lightly browned.
Add the mace to the pan and toast on both sides until browned.
Toast the whole cardamom pods the same way, letting the heat release their oils and fragrance.
Toast the green chilies on both sides until browned.
Cut open the red and green chilies and remove all the seeds.
Grind the chilies, mace, cardamom, cumin, coriander seed, and black peppercorns together as fine as possible in a food processor or spice grinder. Set aside.
Grate the galangal and kaffir lime peel. Chop or press the garlic. Finely slice the lemongrass. Chop the coriander root and shallots.
Grind all the fresh herbs together as fine as possible.
Working in a mortar and pestle, mash the ground fresh herbs until very smooth, searching out and breaking down any large chunks.
Add the ground dry spices and salt, continuing to pound and mix until as fine as possible.
Add the shrimp paste and continue mashing until fully incorporated with no large pieces remaining. A homemade paste will stay a bit chunkier than store-bought, which is normal.
Divide into small portions (about 2 tablespoons each) and freeze for later use, or refrigerate for use within about a week.

Notes

Toast the whole spices low and slow, one type at a time, rather than all together — different spices brown at different rates, and toasting separately keeps any one ingredient from burning while others are still underdone.

Substitutions

Ground cardamom (about 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon) can substitute for whole pods if that's all you have, though whole pods toasted fresh have noticeably more flavor.