Homemade Panang Curry Paste – Awesome & Quick

Homemade Panang curry paste is the way to go when you decide to make a delicious Thai Chicken Panang curry and realize you are out of shop-bought paste.

Read on to find out how to make Panang curry paste from scratch with tips as well as how you can easily convert red curry paste to Panang curry paste and liven up that drab shop bought paste taste at the same time.

Panang curry paste is basically a variation of red curry paste and uses mostly the same ingredients just adding in a few extra spices (cumin seeds, coriander seeds, and peanuts) to change the taste profile of the dish.

Here are some jump links if you want to rush straight to the recipe – you’ll miss a lot of tips contained in the step by step guide though.

Here is our great Thai Chicken Panang Curry for you to follow once you have the curry paste made

Video Cooking Show – DIY Panang Curry Paste

Ingredients You Need

• Dried Red Jinda Chilies – hot Thai chili or another hot spicy chili available locally – used for spiciness
• Dried Red Spur Chilies – the larger but milder Prik Chee Fah similar to long serrano chilies – used for color
• Lemongrass, Cilantro Root, Kaffir Lime Zest, & Galangal – for their unique flavor and aroma
• Shallots & Garlic – to build flavor
• Shrimp Paste – helps bind and adds definitive flavor
• Coriander Seeds & Cumin Seeds – for spice and aroma
• Peanuts – giving the essential Panang curry taste
• Water – to help blend and can be omitted for a stiffer (and longer-lasting paste if using a mortar and pestle)

Note: If you can’t source kaffir lime where you live then you can use regular lime with kaffir lime leaves which are readily available online.

The dried spur chilies are usually soaked as they are quite tough to break down but the Jinda chilies are usually not soaked as they are a softer consistency already.

Making Penang Curry Paste – Step by Step

How to make Panang curry paste and why we do / notes on each step

Step 1 – Prepare the Spices

The coriander seed and cumin seed really deserve roasting because it improves flavor as well as makes them easier to crush.

Heat your pan to medium-high heat and add the dry seeds. Give the pan a shake as the seeds toast to ensure they toast evenly.

You will know they are ready when you start to smell their aroma wafting up from the pan and visually the little cumin seeds will start to jump up and down a little like they are alive – their taste certainly is alive!

When done tip them into a mortar and pestle and grind and crush into a powder. It is this grinding that releases all the taste into the final paste. You can mill mechanically but the result is a less flavorful and aromatic spice

Step 2 – Prepare the Aromatics

We use two types of chili for this recipe, Jinda chili which is commonly known as Thai chili internationally – a hot chili that adds most of the spiciness – and Spur Chili which is a larger but similarly shaped chili and much milder. The links in the previous sentence take you to our chili substitutes page if you have trouble finding the ones we specify.

The dried red Spur Chili is there mainly to add color but they also add a little spiciness. You can reduce spiciness overall by removing the seeds and white parts of both the Jinda and Spur chilies but it is not advised to reduce the number of chilies overall as you will end up with a less vibrant colored paste which will affect the color of the final dish.

As for the dried chilies you can choose to soak them in tepid water for 30-60 minutes and make them softer and so easier to pound into the paste – this is recommended if you intend to use just a mortar and pestle. Drain after soaking and before use.

Chop the chilies into small pieces.

Or you can just use them dry which is more convenient if using the mini blender method but you will need a bit more water to compensate and get the blender to function properly.

The ginger should be scraped with a spoon to remove most of the skin and then chopped along with the coriander (or cilantro) root and shallots. The kaffir lime zest should be removed carefully and avoid taking off the bitter white pith which is not wanted and will add a bitter taste to avoid.

The lemongrass should be sliced thinly.

It is important to chop the ingredients quite small to assist in turning them into a paste. This applies especially for the mortar and pestle method but is also relevant for the mini blender method as it helps the ingredients to move in the blender vortex and so you will need less water to keep your blender functioning properly.

Step 3 – Blend or Pound

Using a Mortar and Pestle

If using the mortar and pestle start with the lemongrass and other hard ingredients. Use a light pounding motion with a twisting grinding action on the pestle to grind the ingredients against the side of the mortar. It will take some time but get the ingredients well broken down before adding the next ingredient and continuing the process.

Add the ingredients one by one and grind into a paste before adding the next ingredient.

You should not have to add water if you soaked the chilies so resist the urge to add it as the paste should be fairly stiff when finished. In most cases, if the dried chili is properly soaked then you should not need to add water.

Using a Mini Blender

Simply add all the ingredients into the mini blender cannister and blend, starting with a pulse to get things going and increasing the length of pulse as the ingredients begin to form a paste. You’ll probably need to adjust water content to keep the ingredients mixing.

If the ingredients are too big or too dry then they tend to stick in the blender – you will know as the blender sound will turn into a higher and constant pitch sound as the motor turns the blades that chop nothing as the ingredients do not move into the blade area.

If this happens then remove the blender container and reposition the ingredients adding an extra tablespoon of water to help things move around as the blender requires to do its job.

Homemade Panang Curry Paste Recipe