Jeremy Pang’s Panang chicken curry
Chef Jeremy Pang’s spin on aromatic Panang chicken curry, a Thai-style red curry, uses juicy chicken legs and involves making a quick curry paste using toasted spices, coriander, lemongrass and dried red chillies. It’s finished with fish sauce and palm sugar – but you can use light soft brown sugar in a pinch. Serve with rice.
Ingreadient
- 4 chicken legs
- Vegetable oil to fry
- 3 lime leaves
- 300ml coconut milk
- 100ml chicken stock
- 2 potatoes, peeled and cut into large chunks
- 2-3 tbsp fish sauce
- 1 tbsp palm sugar or soft brown sugar
- 1 large red chilli, finely sliced
- 2 tsp coriander seeds
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- ½ tsp black peppercorns
- 10-15 dried red chillies, soaked in hot water for 10-15 minutes, then drained and finely chopped
- 4-5 thai shallots or 1 regular shallot, finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 2 lime leaves, finely chopped
- 1 stick lemongrass, trimmed, bruised and finely chopped
- ½ thumb-size piece ginger or galangal, peeled and finely chopped
- Handful coriander roots or stalks, finely chopped
- 1 tbsp crispy shallots (optional)
Instruction
- For the curry paste, toast the coriander and cumin seeds and peppercorns in a dry pan over a medium heat for 1-2 minutes until fragrant. Transfer to a pestle and mortar and add the rest of the paste ingredients, one at a time, pounding between each addition to create a smooth paste (you can also whizz them in a food processor with 1 tbsp water).
- Massage 2-3 tbsp of the curry paste into the chicken legs, reserving the rest for the sauce.
- Heat 1-2 tbsp vegetable oil in a frying pan over a medium-high heat and fry the chicken legs for 5-6 minutes on each side until golden brown.
- Meanwhile, heat 1-2 tbsp vegetable oil in a heavy-bottomed wok or saucepan over a low heat, then add the remaining curry paste. Throw in the whole lime leaves and cook, stirring, for 4-5 minutes until fragrant and deep red. Pour in 75ml of the coconut milk, stir and bring to the boil, then add another 75ml. Return to the boil, then add the remaining coconut milk along with the chicken stock. Bring to the boil once again, then add the potatoes and the browned chicken pieces. Turn the heat down to low and allow to simmer for 20-25 minutes.
- Turn the heat up and bring to a vigorous boil. Continue to cook for another 10 minutes until the sauce has reduced to a double cream consistency.
- Season the curry with the fish sauce and palm sugar, allowing the sugar to melt into the sauce, then taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary. Garnish with the sliced red chilli and serve.
