Panang Curry in the UK: what it is, how to order it, where to find it
Quick answer
Panang is a thick, rich, mildly spiced Thai curry with peanuts and kaffir lime, drier and sweeter than red or green. Often made with beef or chicken, it clings to the meat rather than being soupy, and it is a good middle ground for those who want a curry with flavour and only gentle heat.
Calories and nutrition
- Calories
- 580
- Protein
- 30 g
- Carbs
- 46 g
- Fat
- 30 g
- Salt
- 2.4 g
460–720 kcal
Portion: One portion with rice, about 380 g.
Thicker and nuttier than red curry; peanuts add fat.
Estimates for a typical portion, based on standard UK and USDA food composition data. Actual values depend on the recipe and the restaurant.
What it is
Panang curry paste is close to red curry paste but with ground peanuts and a milder chilli balance. It is cooked with less coconut milk than red or green so the sauce stays thick and clinging, with beef, chicken or duck, seasoned with fish sauce, palm sugar and kaffir lime, and finished with sliced lime leaf and a swirl of coconut cream. It is richer, sweeter and nuttier than red curry, and drier; the sauce coats the meat rather than pooling. Heat is gentle to medium.
How to judge it
Thick and clinging, rich with peanut and coconut, fragrant with lime leaf, gently spiced. A thin, soupy or harshly hot version is not panang. The peanut note and the drier consistency are the signatures. Fresh lime leaf on top is the mark of a good one.
Panang among Thai curries
Between red and massaman: thicker and nuttier than red, less dry-spiced than massaman, milder than green. If you want a rich, mildly hot curry that is not soupy, panang is the pick. It is usually made with beef in Thailand.
Where it is done well in the UK
Thai restaurants using proper paste. The list below shows areas with the most Thai restaurants.
How to order it
Order panang for a thick, rich, mildly spiced curry with a peanut note; it clings to the meat rather than being soupy. Beef is traditional. Gentle to medium heat. Serve with jasmine rice.
Where it's done well
UK councils with the most panang curry specialists, by restaurant name, in our directory.
Restaurants near you
Search by postcode or use your location to find restaurants likely to serve panang curry near you.
Make it at home
Serves 4 · 40 min
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp panang or red curry paste, 1 tbsp ground peanuts
- 300 ml coconut milk
- 400 g beef or chicken, sliced
- 2 tbsp fish sauce, 1 tbsp palm sugar
- 4 kaffir lime leaves, coconut cream, jasmine rice
Method
- Fry the paste and peanuts in a little coconut cream until fragrant.
- Add the meat and coat, then just enough coconut milk to make a thick sauce.
- Season with fish sauce and palm sugar and simmer until thick and the meat tender.
- Finish with sliced lime leaf and a swirl of coconut cream; serve with rice.
Use less coconut milk than for red or green so it stays thick. The ground peanut is the panang signature.