Watch The Full Video Tutorial!

Just an FYI that the recipe has been updated after the release of this video (which is very old!), so some of the steps and amounts in the recipe card may differ slightly. But it is still good to watch to get the idea of the process!

How to Make Massaman Curry มัสมั่นไก่

Here's a bird's eye view of this recipe, when you're ready to make, please see the full recipe card below!

Before you cook: Like all stews, this dish is better the next day after the flavors have had time to mingle. So if you can, make it a day in advanced!

Storage

Massaman curry keeps VERY well. In fact, I recommend making it one day in advance for even better flavour. But when you reheat, be careful not to overcook the potatoes! In the fridge, in an airtight container, the curry will keep for up to a week.

If you want to make this recipe a part of your regular rotation, I suggest making the massaman curry sauce in advance and freeze it!

Ingredients and Notes

Here are ingredients you'll need and important notes about them. For amounts, see the full recipe card below.

• Red curry paste - Using store bought red curry paste is fine, most Thai people do! BUT it's important to choose a good brand as that can make or break your curry. I recommend Maeploy, Aroy-D, or Namjai in that order, and you can see my full review of red curry paste here. If you're feeling ambitious, you can absolutely make your own! Here's my homemade Thai red curry paste recipe.
• Coconut milk - This is what makes the curry rich and creamy, and it's important to use good quality, full-fat coconut milk. See this post on how to choose the best coconut milk.
• Chicken thigh - I highly recommend using chicken thighs over breast so that it can have time to braise in the liquid so it will become tender and load the curry sauce with more chicken flavour.
• Chicken stock - you can theoretically use water, but for maximum flavour, go with chicken stock. You can use store bought or homemade stock, but make sure it's unsalted or at the very least low-sodium because the curry paste and fish sauce are both quite salty already.
• Fish sauce - fish sauce is the key seasoning for all Thai curries! If you're allergic to fish, soy sauce can be used instead. It's important to choose good quality fish sauce, and you can read more about how to choose good fish sauce here.
• Palm sugar - it is traditional to use palm sugar, but light brown sugar or granulated sugar are fine substitutes in this case because the curry is strongly flavoured, so it won't much much difference.
• Kabocha squash - I love using kabocha squash for red curry as the creamy sweetness pairs so well with the curry. However, feel free to substitute other vegetables - Thai eggplant and bamboo shoots are common vegetables for Thai curries.
• Thai basil - If you don't have it, regular Italian basil will do.
• Red pepper - this is added just for some colour. Red bell pepper will do, or anything mild.

How to Make Thai Red Curry Chicken

Here's a bird's eye view of the process. For full instructions, see the recipe card below, and I also recommend watching the video tutorial to ensure success!

1. Wash the kabocha squash and slice off any woody blemishes off the skin, but otherwise the skin can be left on. Remove the seeds and cut into bite-sized cubes. (If you have leftover squash, try using it in this stir-fry recipe.)
2. Bring ½ cup of coconut milk to a boil, add curry paste and stir to break up lumps.
3. Continue cooking and reducing over medium high heat until it is very thick and the coconut oil starts separating from the curry paste.
4. Add the chicken and toss to mix with the paste and add the remaining coconut milk.

5. Add the chicken stock, half of the fish sauce, and the palm sugar, then simmer for about 8 minutes.
6. Add the squash, then simmer on low heat for another 6-8 minutes or until the squash is cooked through.
7. Taste the sauce and add more fish sauce as needed. Be sure the make it strong-tasting as it'll be served over plain rice.
8. Turn off the heat and stir in Thai basil and red peppers, if using. Enjoy!

Substituting Other Proteins

Anything and everything, but make sure you change the cooking time to match your protein of choice! Everything works with red curry - pork, beef, seafood, you name it.

You can check out my pineapple red curry recipe and a vegan red curry with tofu here as examples. While other curries in Thailand have common meat pairings, for example massaman is usually paired with chicken or beef, the basic a Thai red curry can take any and all proteins.

This is because the flavours of red curry is "basic" relative to other curries, meaning it doesn't have a lot of spices (compared to Thai massaman curry, for example), so the flavours can go with anything from delicate fish to gamey beef.

Substituting Other Vegetables

I like using kabocha squash because creamy squash and red curry is one of my absolute favourite flavour pairings.

While you can use a different kind of squash or whatever vegetables are available to you, here are a few common pairings in Thailand: Thai eggplant, pineapple, winter melon, and bamboo shoots (see the green curry recipe for how to deal with bamboo shoots).

Is it better to make the curry paste from scratch?

Homemade red curry paste can taste better, but not necessarily. I want to get this misconception out of the way because it hinders many people from making Thai food. You do not have to make the curry paste in order to make "legit" curry, and most Thai people do not make their own curry paste.

Growing up in Thailand my family always bought curry pastes, with the exception of very simple curries such as the sour curry or gaeng som. Go to any markets in Thailand and you'll see mounds of curry pastes people but in bulk.

Making curry paste from scratch is not something I'd do on a weeknight. Even if you're using a power tool to help as shown in my red curry paste recipe, gathering ingredients is no small feat. And just because you made the curry paste from scratch, does not mean you'll end up with a better curry! There are some very good curry pastes on the market that can rival homemade ones.

So when I make curry paste, I do it more for the experience of it. It connects me to the dish and the cuisine in a deeper way, it's a labour of love, and I love it when I can really taste the difference between mine and the store bought one. Or sometimes I make it because it's not available to buy, such as the paste for kao soi.

1. If using beef short ribs with bones, separate the bones from the meat but keep the bones.
2. Optional step: In the pot you'll use the make the curry, sear the beef in oil until browned on 2 sides. You'll need to do this in batches. Once done, pour out any excess oil and put the beef back into the pot along with the bones.
3. Add ½ cup of the coconut milk, 1 tablespoon of the curry paste, 1 tablespoon fish sauce, and top it up with just enough water to submerge. Simmer for 2 - 2.5 hours until fork tender. While you wait you can move on and make the curry sauce.
4. Once the beef is done, remove it from the cooking liquid. Discard the bones but keep the cooking liquid.

5. Bring ¾ cup of coconut milk to a boil then add the curry paste and stir to dissolve the paste.
6. Keep stirring over medium heat until the coconut oil starts sizzling out of the paste.
7. Add some of the remaining coconut milk and stir to dissolve the paste, then add the rest.
8. Add the cooked beef into the curry sauce.

9. Add the potatoes, onions, sugar, tamarind, fish sauce, and then top it up with just enough of the beef cooking liquid to keep everything submerged. (The remaining liquid you did not use you can use as a base for a tasty beef soup!)
10. Simmer for 10-15 minutes or until the potatoes are fork tender. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.
11. Add the peanuts, if using.
12. Enjoy your super tender beef with jasmine rice!

Advance Prep Tips and Storage

Since massaman beef takes a few hours, there are lots of different ways to spread out the work to make serving day much easier! Here are a few other things you can do to spread out the work:

• Braise the beef up to a few days ahead, then make the curry sauce and finish the curry on serving day. You can also cut up the onions and potatoes ahead of time so they're ready to go.
• You can finish the whole curry ahead of time and simply reheat when ready to eat, and in fact it'll taste even better that way! However, be careful not to reheat for too long as the potatoes may over cook during the reheat.
• If making your own curry paste, it can be made any time in advance and frozen until ready to use. You can add it to the pot directly from frozen.

Storage: Massaman curry will last in the fridge for one week. It's a great dish for meal prep!

Watch The Video Tutorial!

All my recipes come with step-by-step video tutorials with extra tips not mentioned in the blog post, so make sure you watch the video below to ensure success - and if you enjoy the show, please consider subscribing to my YouTube channel. Thank you!

Ingredients and Notes

Here are all the ingredients you need and important notes about them. For amounts, see the recipe card below.

• Thai red curry paste. I recommend Maeploy or Aroy D brands as they have the strongest flavours and this recipe is made using these pastes. Other brands can also be used, but you may need to adjust the amount of the paste and saltiness. See my thorough review of common red curry paste brands here.
• Coconut milk. See my post on how to choose good coconut milk here.
• Palm sugar, finely chopped or grated. You can also substitute equal amount of light brown sugar for this recipe.
• Fish sauce
• Eggs, large.
• Makrut lime leaves, finely julienned. If you don't have them you can omit.
• Any kind of fish filet or seafood. The most common choice is white fish such as bass or tilapia, but salmon would also work. You can also use shrimp, squid, or shellfish (without the shells). If you don't eat seafood: You can sub bite-sized pieces of chicken, preferably dark meat but breast would be okay too. I don't recommend pork or beef or anything that would become tough if overcooked because you won't be able to control precisely how long the meat cooks in the custard.
• Shredded cabbage or other sturdy leafy veg. The veggies are added at the bottom of the custard for texture, so you want to use sturdy veggies such as cabbage, kale or Chinese broccoli leaves.
• Thai basil
• Banana leaves, optional. You can buy banana leaves frozen at many Asian grocery stores.
• Jasmine rice, for serving. Like a regular curry, haw mok is always eating with jasmine rice!

Garnish

Garnishes by default are optional, but without them it can definitely look a bit plain. Haw mok come with a standard set of garnishes to add some colour to the top:

• Coconut milk
• Cornstarch, this is to thicken the coconut milk so it stays put on the custard. It can be replaced with any other thickening starches such as rice flour or all-purpose flour.
• Sliced red chilies or julienned red bell pepper
• Cilantro or another green herb you've got on hand. To keep it simple you can julienne extra makrut lime leaves and use that as a garnish. You can also use Thai basil for garnish, but be sure to serve it right away as basil turns dark once it comes into contact with hot food for a while.

How to Make Haw Mok - Step by Step

Here's a bird's eye view of the steps to give you an idea of what's involved. For the complete instructions, see the recipe card below. If this is your first time, I recommend watching the video tutorial in the recipe card to ensure success.

1. Add a splash of coconut milk to the curry paste and stir to loosen the paste. Once the paste is loose, add the remaining coconut milk and stir until the paste is dissolved.
2. Add the eggs, fish sauce, sugar, makrut lime leaves and stir to combine.
3. Add the fish and stir to mix.
4. Line the ramekins with strips of banana leaves if desired, then line the bottom with steamed cabbage and/or kale and Thai basil.

5. Distribute the pieces of fish evenly among the cups.
6. Ladle the custard over the fish, leaving at least ½ inch of headroom to allow for some puffing.
7. Steam on medium heat for 15-20 minutes or until set.
8. Garnish with thickened coconut milk, chilies and cilantro or more julienned makrut lime leaves.

Advance Prep and Storage

This is a great dish to make in advance of a dinner party or just for meal prep. There are a few ways to do it.

• You can steam the whole thing in advance, then re-steam to reheat before serving. Leave the garnish until just before serving.
• The custard mixture can be made ahead of time, without the fish, and kept in the fridge for a few days. Add the fish the day you're cooking.
• If using banana leaves, I recommending cutting and cleaning them ahead of time. I find this part a bit of a hassle cuz it gets messy with all the banana leaf trimmings everywhere, so doing it on a separate day helps. Once cleaned and cut, store in a well-sealed container in the fridge to keep it from drying.

Any leftover haw mok can be kept in the fridge for up to a week. The best way to reheat is to steam, but you can microwave it as well. To microwave, I would use no more than 50% power to ensure the custard is evenly heated through and prevent it from exploding as eggs tend to do in the microwave...so cover it with something!

Haw Mok Modifications

This is a very flexible dish that you can exercise your creativity on. Here are some things to try:

• Change the curry paste. Use green curry paste instead of red curry paste! You can also try other curry pastes as well but green would be the best pairing with seafood.
• Change the protein. Instead of fish, try making haw mok talay which uses a mix of fish, squid, shrimp and sometimes mussels. You can do crab for a luxury version. You can even use chicken or pork, or opt for a no-meat version!
• Change the size. You can make tiny little cups which are always cute and would cook quickly, just make sure you cut the fish down smaller. You can also do one large one in a big dish, which I have done and it ends up looking very impressive, but cooking time will increasing to about 50 minutes so be patient!
• Add different veggies. In this recipe I use cabbage and/or kale, but you can definitely try other things that won't become too watery or mushy.

What is Panang Curry?

Of all the different Thai coconut milk based curries, panang curry is one that is quite unique. Instead of having plenty of liquid like a Thai green curry or red curry, panang curry comes in a small amount of thick, rich sauce. You can make an argument that it's more of a saucy stir fry.

Another defining feature is the generous use of cumin and coriander seeds which distinguishes its flavour from the basic Thai red curry. Makrut lime leaves (aka kaffir lime leaves) are also considered must-have for panang curry. Peanuts are ground into the curry paste, making the resulting sauce thicker and richer, though for commercial panang curry pastes, the peanuts are often omitted or replaced with mung beans to avoid allergies.

You can buy panang curry pastes from some Asian grocery stores that stock a lot of Southeast Asian products, but it's not an easy one to find. So I have included how to make panang curry paste from scratch in this recipe, OR if you're short on time you can also try my shotcut - the semi-homemade panang curry paste - which includes just a few ingredients added to store bought red curry paste.

Ingredients and Notes

Here are all the ingredients you'll need and important notes about them. For amounts, see the full recipe card below.

• Panang curry paste, store bought or homemade (recipe below). This is the heart of the curry and the quality of your curry hangs on the quality of your paste. So if you're going to use store bought, make sure it is good quality. My preference is for Maeploy or Aroy D brands, and if you cannot find store bought panang curry paste, you can also buy red curry paste and add a few ingredients to it to turn it into a panang paste.
• Coconut milk. It's important to use good quality coconut milk when it comes to Thai curries, read more about how to choose good coconut milk here.
• Fish sauce. More about how to choose good fish sauce here.
• Sugar. If you have palm sugar, you can use it, but for this granulated white sugar or light brown sugar will also work just fine.
• Pork tenderloin or pork collar butt, sliced thinly (~⅛ inch) or you can substitute chicken breast or thigh, sliced about ½-inch thick.
• Makrut lime leaves, also known as kaffir lime leaves. This is an important flavour in panang curry. It adds a citrusy aroma the helps brighten and lighten the otherwise rich curry. If you can't find fresh, frozen is the second best option, and dried would be the last resort.
• Mild red chilies for garnish, optional. This is just to give it some colour. Traditionally we use spur chilies or prik chee fa, but any kind of red pepper will do.

Homemade Panang Curry Paste Ingredients

Again, you do NOT have to make it from scratch! It is perfectly acceptable to use store bought, and see my hack for making semi homemade panang curry paste below!

• Dried Chilies. Panang is not supposed to be a super spicy curry, so I stick with mild dried chilies such as guajillo or puya chilies. If you want to add some heat, you can add some spicier chilies such as Thai or arbol chilies as well.
• Coarse salt. If you're pounding by hand, the coarseness will help add some friction, but if making by machine, any kind of salt is fine.
• Cumin seeds, toasted
• Coriander seeds, toasted
• White peppercorns
• Chopped lemongrass, use lemongrass from the bottom half only which is where the flavour is most concentrated. More about lemongrass here.
• Chopped galangal. Fresh or frozen galangal will do. More about galangal here.
• Makrut lime zest. AKA kaffir lime zest. This is the green part of the skin of the makrut limes, and it is very hard to find so I wouldn't worry so much if you don't have it. It has the same aroma as makrut lime leaves, so you can always just add a few extra leaves into the curry. More about makrut lime leaves here.
• Cilantro roots. Simply the roots of the cilantro/coriander plant! This is a common ingredient in Thai cuisine, but outside of Thailand it can be hard to find. Not to worry, you can substitute cilantro stems instead!
• Garlic
• Shallots
• Shrimp paste, called gapi in Thai, this is a fermented shrimp paste, which is an ingredient added to most Thai curries. It is salty and has a funky smell but adds a huge amount of umami. If you don't have it, you can omit it, and you'll just need to add a little more fish sauce to the curry.
• Roasted peanuts. This adds richness to the curry, if you're allergic to peanuts you can substitute another nut or seeds that you are not allergic to to mimic the same richness.

How to Make Panang Curry

Here's a bird's eye view of the process, the full instructions are in the recipe card below, and if it's your first time make sure you watch the video below to ensure success.

1. Reduce some of the coconut milk in a wok or large skillet until very thick.
2. Add the curry paste and stir to mix.
3. Keep stirring until coconut oil starts to separate and sizzle around the curry paste.
4. Add the palm sugar and torm makrut lime leaves and stir until the sugar is dissolved.

5. Add the meat and toss to coat in the paste (image shows beef, but it would be the same if using pork or chicken).
6. Add the remaining coconut milk and stir until the meat is cooked through, then turn off the heat.
7. Taste and adjust seasoning with more fish sauce if needed, then stir in the red pepper.
8. Plate and top with julienned makrut lime leaves for garnish.

Watch the Video Tutorial

Here's the video showing how to make panang curry with beef, though the process would be exactly the same if using pork or chicken. (I do have a video that shows how to make panang curry with pork, but I have since updated my process so this one is better 😊). If you enjoy my videos, please consider subscribing to my YouTube channel. Thank you!

Storing Leftover and Advance Prep

Panang curry keeps quite well and is great for meal prep. In the fridge it should last up to a week, just be sure not to overcook the meat when you reheat it. Any leftover curry paste can be frozen.

To make this dish even quicker to pull off on a weeknight, make your curry paste in advance, and you can keep curry paste frozen for several months. You can even make a large amount if you want to come back to this dish regularly!

FAQ

More Classic Thai Recipes You'll Love

If you're ready to try more dishes, here are some popular classic Thai recipes to check out, complete with video tutorials as always!

Recipe

Authentic Thai Panang Curry

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 5 from 12 reviews

• Author: Pailin Chongchitnant
• Prep Time: 20 mins
• If making curry paste: 20 mins
• Cook Time: 5 mins
• Total Time: 45 minutes
• Yield: 2 servings

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Description

Authentic recipe for Thai panang curry, just like you'd have it in Thailand! This recipe uses pork, which is the most common type of panang curry in Thailand, but you can substitute chicken if you wish. If you want to use beef, see my recipe for panang beef which gives some extra tips for making sure your beef is tender.

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Ingredients

• 4 Tbsp (60 ml) panang curry paste, store bought use one of the recipes below (see note 1)
• 10.5 oz (300 g) pork tenderloin or collar but, thinly sliced against the grain (see note 2)
• 1½ tsp (7.5 ml) fish sauce
• 2 tsp (10 ml) neutral oil
• 1 ¼ cups (300 ml) coconut milk, plus a little extra for garnish if you wish
• 10 makrut lime leaves, 7 roughly torn into chucks, 3 finely julienned for garnish
• 1½ Tbsp (18 g) palm sugar, finely chopped, packed 
• ⅛ red bell pepper, julienned for garnish, optional
• Jasmine rice for serving

Option 1: Homemade Panang Curry Paste

• 10 g dried mild chilies, such as guajillo or puya peppers. 
• ½ tsp coarse salt
• ¾ tsp cumin seeds
• 1½ tsp  coriander seeds
• ¼ tsp white peppercorns
• 3 Tbsp chopped lemongrass, from bottom half only
• 1 Tbsp chopped galangal
• 1 ½ tsp makrut lime zest (aka kaffir lime)
• 2 cilantro roots or 6 cilantro stems, chopped
• 3 Tbsp chopped garlic
• ¼ cup chopped shallots
• 1 tsp fermented shrimp paste (gapi)
• 2 Tbsp roasted peanuts (if allergic, sub another type of nuts or seeds)

Option 2: Semi-Homemade Panang Curry Paste

• 4 tablespoon red curry paste
• ¾ tsp cumin seeds
• 1 ½ tsp coriander seeds
• 2 Tbsp roasted peanuts (if allergic, sub another type of nuts or seeds)
• 1 tsp fermented shrimp paste (optional, only if the red curry paste doesn’t already have it)

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Instructions

For the Curry:

1. Add 1½ teaspoon fish sauce and oil to the pork and massage it in with your hands, separating the pieces  that are stuck together as you mix.
2. In a saute pan or a wok over medium high heat, reduce ¾ cup coconut milk until thickened and creamy. Stir in curry paste and reduce the heat to medium low. Cook the paste for a few minutes, stirring constantly, until coconut oil separates away from the paste. If the paste sticks to the pan, you can deglaze with a bit of the remaining coconut milk.
3. Add palm sugar and torn makrut lime leaves and cook for a minute or so until the sugar is dissolved.
4. Add the pork and quickly toss it with the curry paste, separating the pieces as much as you can. Once the pork is about 50% cooked, add the remaining coconut milk and stir for just one more minute, just until the pork is mostly cooked through, then turn off the heat. *Do not overcook the pork or it will become chewy; it will continue to cook in the residual heat even after you turn off the heat. If it looks too dry, you can add a splash of water at this point.
5. Stir in red peppers, if using. Taste and adjust seasoning with more fish sauce as needed. The amount of fish sauce you need greatly depends on how salty your curry paste is, which varies between brands.
6. Plate, and if you have extra coconut milk handy, it's traditional to garnish panang curry with a little drizzle of coconut milk on top, but don't worry if you don't have any extra. Top with julienned makrut lime leaves and more red peppers as desired.
7. Serve with jasmine rice, enjoy!

For the Homemade Panang Curry Paste:

*This method requires the use of a large granite mortar and pestle. You can also use an immersion blender if you have one, but you'll need to double the recipe to make it grind properly. See my red curry paste recipe for how to use an immersion blender to make curry paste.

1. In a dry skillet toast the cumin seeds over medium heat until they darken slightly and are aromatic and start to pop, 2-3 minutes; remove from the pan. Repeat with the coriander seeds.
2. Add the coriander and cumin seeds into a coffee/spice grinder. Then cut the chilies into chunks and pour out the seeds, and add them to the grinder also. Grinde everything into a powder. Add the roasted peanuts and grind just until mostly fine. 
3. In a large mortar and pestle, add lemongrass, galangal, kaffir lime zest, cilantro roots/stems and salt and pound into a fine paste. Add the shallots and garlic and pound into a fine paste, adding the dry spices once the shallots and garlic start to become wet to help absorb liquid. 
4. Pound everything into a fine paste, then add the shrimp paste and pound to mix. 

For the Semi-Homemade Panang Curry Paste:

1. In a dry skillet toast the cumin seeds over medium heat until they darken slightly and are aromatic and start to pop, 2-3 minutes; remove from the pan. Repeat with the coriander seeds.
2. Grind the cumin and coriander seeds until very fine using a mortar and pestle or a coffee grinder.
3. Add the roasted peanuts and grind until fine.
4. Mix ground spices into the red curry paste and shrimp paste, if using a mortar and pestle, simply add the paste into the mortar and pound to mix.

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Notes

1. If you are using store bought curry paste, add 2 tablespoons of ground roasted peanuts because most store bought pastes leave out peanuts.
2. If you want to substitute chicken, I recommend boneless skinless chicken thigh, sliced into ½-inch thick pieces. If you want to use beef, see my panang beef recipe for some tips on making sure the beef is tender.

What is Panang Curry?

Panang curry is kind of an interesting dish, because it's quite unique compared to other Thai curries. You may have noticed that most dishes that are classified as "curry" of "gaeng" in Thai cuisine are rather soupy. Lots of sauce, thin and runny sauce, some are even water-based and eat very much like brothy soups like this sour curry or this breast milk boosting curry. (If you have my cookbook, I talk about what is curry in there.)

Panang, on the other hand, might be closer to what you imagine when you think of the word "curry"— a thicker, richer sauce, and just enough of it to coat all the stuff and pool a little. We even have a special word for this amount of liquid in a dish, it's called "kluk klik".  Panang is also unique in that it is all meat—it never has any vegetables added to it. The meat is always thinly sliced, and at most you'll get some red peppers thrown in as garnish.

Flavour-wise, it is similar to a red curry with a couple of important ingredients added: coriander, cumin, and peanuts. You can check out my Thai red curry recipe to compare!

It's a great weeknight curry because it comes together so fast. The cooking technique is almost more of a stir-fry, which awesome!

How to Ensure Tender Beef

When eating a beef curry or stir-fry, my biggest pet peeve is when the meat is chewy. I hate it. No matter how delicious it is...if the meat it chewy, the dish is ruined in my books. There are a few simple keys to make sure you have tender beef without having to braise it for a long time.

1. Choose a cut of beef that you would eat as a steak. The assumption being that any beef you will eat as a steak is considered "tender", at least compared to cuts you would need to stew or braise. This is a good rule of thumb for choosing stir-fry beef, which this recipe essentially is. I'm using New York strip in this video (it's a particularly fatty one, which was just a lucky pick at the store!).This does NOT mean it has to be an expensive cut, but if you're choosing the less expensive, leaner steaks, the next two points are very important.
2. Slice the meat AGAINST THE GRAIN. If the meat is naturally tender (New York, ribeye, or tenderloin), it's not as big of a deal, but for cuts that are borderline chewy....like flank, or lean sirloin tip, it's very important. You want the shortest meat fibers possible because the longer it is, the harder it is to chew. Think of slicing the beef as "pre-chewing"—let the knife do the hard work for you. So pay attention to your steak, look at which direction the meat grain runs, and slice across it. See my video for an example.
3. Slice meat THINLY. For 2 reasons, one is because the thinner the beef the more tender is it to chew, which is important if you're using leaner, less tender meat. The other reason is that this is a quick-cooking curry, not a long simmering one, so if the meat is thick the flavour will not have time to penetrate the inside. Using meat that is still a little frozen inside makes slicing thinly much easier.

Watch The Full Video Tutorial!

All my recipes come with step-by-step video tutorials with extra tips not mentioned in the blog post, so make sure you watch the video below to ensure success - and if you enjoy the show, please consider subscribing to my YouTube channel. Thank you!

Ingredients

Here are all the ingredients you'll need to make this recipe. For amounts, check out the full recipe card below.

• Beef, very thinly sliced against the grain (see notes about tender beef above)
• Fish sauce. More about fish sauce here.
• Oil
• Coconut milk
• Homemade or semi-homemade panang curry paste (recipe follows)
• Makrut lime leaves, 7 roughly torn into chunks which we'll add to the curry, and 3 finely julienned which we will use as garnish on top.
• Palm sugar, finely chopped, packed. If you don't have it, light brown or even granulated white sugar will be fine as it is a small amount.
• A handful mild red pepper, thinly julienned for garnish, optional
• Jasmine rice for serving

Semi-Homemade Panang Curry Paste

If you can't find pre-made panang curry paste at the store, you can easily make one using red curry paste as a base.

• Store bought red curry paste. I recommend Maeploy, Aroy D, Maesri and Namjai brands. I don't recommend Thai Kitchen. Read my red curry paste review here.
• Toasted cumin seeds.
• Toasted coriander seeds. Do not use ground coriander as it is often lacking in flavour. Buy whole coriander seeds, widely available at Asian and Indian grocery stores.
• Roasted peanuts, if allergic, you can sub another type of nuts or seeds.
• Fermented shrimp paste, for some extra umami. This is optional, only if the red curry paste doesn’t already have it.

How to Make Panang Curry Beef

Here are all the steps to make this recipe. If this is your first time, I highly recommend watching the video tutorial to ensure success.

For the semi-homemade panang curry paste:

1. Grind the cumin and coriander seeds until very fine using a mortar and pestle or a coffee grinder.
2. Add roasted peanuts and grind until fine.
3. Mix the red curry paste and shrimp paste into the ground spice mixture.

For the Curry

1. Add 1½ teaspoon fish sauce and oil to beef and massage it in with your hands, separating the pieces of beef that are stuck together as you mix.
2. In a saute pan or a wok over medium high heat, reduce ¾ cup coconut milk until thickened and creamy.
3. Stir in curry paste and reduce the heat to medium low. Cook the paste for a few minutes, stirring constantly, until coconut oil separates away from the paste. If the paste sticks to the pan, you can deglaze with a bit of the remaining coconut milk.
4. Add palm sugar and torn kaffir lime leaves and cook for a minute or so until the sugar is dissolved.
5. Add beef and quickly toss it with the curry paste, separating the pieces of beef as much as you can. Once the beef is about 50% cooked, add the remaining coconut milk and stir for 30 more seconds or just until the beef is fully cooked. If it looks too dry, you can add a splash of water at this point.
6. Stir in red peppers, if using, and turn off the heat.
7. Taste and adjust seasoning with more fish sauce and/or sugar as needed.
8. Garnish with julienned kaffir lime leaves and more red peppers as desired.
9. Serve with jasmine rice, enjoy!

Recipe Card

Panang Curry Beef แพนงเนื้อ

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 5 from 18 reviews

• Author: Pailin Chongchitnant
• Yield: 2-3 servings

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Ingredients

• 300g beef, very thinly sliced against the grain (see notes about tender beef above)
• 1½ tsp fish sauce
• 2 tsp oil
• ¾ cup + ½ cup coconut milk
• 1 recipe homemade or semi-homemade panang curry paste (recipe follows)
• 10 kaffir lime leaves, 7 roughly torn, 3 finely julienned
• ~1 teaspoon fish sauce, to taste
• 1½ Tbsp palm sugar, finely chopped, packed (if using granulated sugar, use 1 tablespoon to start then taste and adjust)
• A handful mild red pepper, thinly julienned for garnish, optional
• Jasmine rice for serving

Semi-Homemade Panang Curry Paste

• 3-4 tablespoon red curry paste (see notes)
• ¾ tsp toasted cumin seeds
• 1 ½ tsp toasted coriander seeds
• 2 Tbsp roasted peanuts, unsalted (if allergic, sub another type of nuts or seeds)
• 1 tsp fermented shrimp paste (optional, only if the red curry paste doesn’t already have it)

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Instructions

For the semi-homemade panang curry paste:

1. Grind the cumin and coriander seeds until very fine using a mortar and pestle or a coffee grinder.
2. Add roasted peanuts and grind until fine.
3. Mix the red curry paste and shrimp paste into the ground spice mixture.

For the Curry

1. Add 1½ teaspoon fish sauce and oil to beef and massage it in with your hands, separating the pieces of beef that are stuck together as you mix.
2. In a saute pan or a wok over medium high heat, reduce ¾ cup coconut milk until thickened and creamy.
3. Stir in curry paste and reduce the heat to medium low. Cook the paste for a few minutes, stirring constantly, until coconut oil separates away from the paste. If the paste sticks to the pan, you can deglaze with a bit of the remaining coconut milk.
4. Add palm sugar and torn kaffir lime leaves and cook for a minute or so until the sugar is dissolved.
5. Add beef and quickly toss it with the curry paste, separating the pieces of beef as much as you can. Once the beef is about 50% cooked, add the remaining coconut milk and stir for 30 more seconds or just until the beef is fully cooked. If it looks too dry, you can add a splash of water at this point.
6. Stir in red peppers, if using, and turn off the heat.
7. Taste and adjust seasoning with more fish sauce and/or sugar as needed.
8. Garnish with julienned kaffir lime leaves and more red peppers as desired.
9. Serve with jasmine rice, enjoy!

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Notes

You can use any curry paste brand that you like. In this video I used Maesri brand. Watch this video for my tips on choosing a curry paste.

What is Khao Soi and Where Did it Come From?

Khao soi ข้าวซอย is a northern Thai noodle soup that uses wheat-based egg noodles and is served in a coconut milk curry broth. It's typically made with chicken or beef, and the bowl is topped with crispy deep fried noodles. Although it is sometimes called "Chiang Mai Noodles" in the West, it is not unique to, nor originated from, Chiang Mai. 

Khao means rice and soi means to julienne. It's an interesting name because there is no rice involved in the process. Some say this is because the dish used to use rice noodles made by julienning sheets of dough. Others say khao is short for khao salee which means wheat. Yet some think that the word came from a similar Burmese dish called ohn no khao swe, which I think is more likely because the two dishes are really quite similar.

The exact origin of khao soi is debated, but the prevalent theory seems to be that it came into northern Thailand via Chinese-Muslim immigrants from the Yunnan region, which is why khao soi is not usually made with pork; despite the fact that pork is the most common meat in Thailand.

The Yunnanese, or jeen haw in Thai, would've had to travel through Myanmar in order to get to Northern Thailand, so it is possible that they encountered ohn no khao swe there and brought it with them to Thailand, hence the similarity of the two dishes.

Khao soi in Thailand can vary significantly. This is because after khao soi arrived in Thailand, in whatever form that was originally, Thai people in various places started to modify the dish to suit their own palate. So when you're in Northern Thailand, don't just try one khao soi and think you've "been there done that!"

For example, in northern Thailand you can find something called "Yunnanese khao soi" that bares almost no resemblance to this recipe - the broth has no coconut milk, and the noodles are big fat rice noodles. Aside from the fact that they're both noodles in soup, and a few common ingredients...there is very little else alike. This is possibly as close to the "original" khao soi as it gets.

Noodle Soup Ingredients

• Coconut milk, read about how to choose good coconut milk here.
• Chicken drumsticks or drumettes. Drumsticks are the most common in Thailand as the bones make the broth rich and flavourful. If you're short on time, use drumettes and they will cook in half the time of drumsticks. You can substitute boneless chicken with some caveats; see more on this in the FAQ below.
• Soy sauce. It might surprise you to see soy sauce used in a Thai curry, but that's because this is a dish of Chinese Muslim origin! See more on the history of khao soi above.
• Fish sauce. Optional, I use fish sauce to do my final seasoning adjustment because I like the flavour, but you can also just use more salt or soy sauce.
• Palm sugar, finely chopped. But brown or granulated is fine also.
• Wheat-based egg noodles, also known as wonton noodles, can be bought fresh in the refrigerated section at Asian markets. Most commonly khao soi uses flat noodles, but sometimes round ones are used, so whatever you prefer is fine. Some of these noodles will be used for frying as crispy noodles on top.
• Chopped cilantro for garnish, optional (not pictured).

Condiments for Khao Soi

These four condiments are iconic, and khao soi is not complete if served without them! However, if you don't eat spicy, you can skip the fried chili flakes.

How to Make Khao Soi Step-By-Step

Here's a bird's eye view of the process. Since all the components can be made in advance, I recommend you spread the work out over two days to make it easier. See more on advance prep below. Also if this is your first time, I highly recommend watching the video tutorial to ensure success.

For khao soi curry paste

1. Remove the seeds from the black cardamom pods and place the seeds into a medium dry skillet along with the coriander seeds. Toast over medium high heat, moving them constantly, until the coriander seeds darken slightly. Set aside.
2. In the same skillet over high heat, place the ginger and turmeric slices down and let them sear until they're slightly charred. Then flip and char the other side and remove from the pan.
3. In the same skillet, add the shallots and let them char; stirring them around to char them more evenly. Remove from the pan.
4. Cut the chilies into chunks and pour out most of the seeds.

5. In a coffee/spice grinder, grind the chilies, black cardamom and coriander seeds into a powder, remove and set aside.
6. In a heavy-duty mortar and pestle, pound the ginger and turmeric into a fine paste. (*You can also double the recipe to get more volume and use an immersion blender, as shown in my red curry paste recipe.)
7. Add the shallots and the coarse salt and pound; and once it starts to get wet and slippery, add some of the ground spices to help absorb moisture and add friction.
8. Pound into a fine paste, then add any remaining dried spices and pound to mix.

For khao soi broth

9. Add ½ cup (120 ml) of the coconut milk and bring to a boil over medium heat. Add the curry paste and stir for a few minutes until the mixture is very thick and coconut oil starts to sizzle around the edges of the paste.
10. Add the remaining coconut milk and stir to dissolve the paste. Then add water, soy sauce, black soy sauce, and sugar.
11. Add the chicken drumsticks and bring to a simmer. Simmer gently for 40 minutes or until the drumsticks are fork tender. (Now's a good time to prep condiments and fry the noodles.)
12. Taste and adjust seasoning, adding more fish sauce if it needs a little more salt.

13. For crispy noodles: Cut the noodles for frying to about 4 inches, then fry them in a 350°F oil, pressing them down to keep them submerged. Once they are golden brown and the bubbling has almost completely stopped, remove from the oil and drain on a paper towel.
14. When ready to eat: Boil the noodles until they are fully cooked - timing will vary between brands and noodle sizes. Mine take 3 minutes. Drain and divide into serving bowls.
15. Place 1 or 2 drumsticks into the bowl and ladle the curry on top.
16. Serve immediately with the condiments.

For The Fried Chili Flakes (optional)

Of the 4 khao soi condiments, this is the only one that needs to be prepped beyond chopping, but it's a snap. It is also optional and only needed if you want to let your guests to make it spicier.

1. Add the chili flakes and oil to a small pot or skillet - you can make as much as you want here, it keeps indefinitely in the fridge. Then add just enough oil so that the chili flakes look like wet sand.
2. Turn the heat on medium low and keep stirring until the chilies start to darken and smell smoky. Transfer into a small bowl immediately to stop the cooking.

Advance Prep Tips

There are several components to khao soi, so unless you're doing this as a weekend project, I suggest you break the work up over a couple of days. Here are the things you can do ahead of time and how to store them.

• Make the curry paste in advance. If you do one thing in advance, this should be it. Make the curry paste, and then if you'll be cooking the curry in the next day or two, keep it refrigerated. Beyond that amount of time, you should freeze the curry paste. It can be frozen for a few months so you can make a big batch and freeze the remainder.
• Make the curry broth in advance. The broth will keep well in the fridge for up to a week. You can even freeze it in smaller portions if you want to save it for a rainy day. It will actually taste better once it's had time to sit.
• Fry the noodles in advance. The noodles can be fried and kept in an airtight container for up to a week. If you're frying them a few days ahead, fry them until all the bubbles are completely gone to make sure there is no moisture left in them. This will ensure they stay crispy for a long time.
• Prep the condiments. Getting the condiments together is the kind of fiddly thing that I hate dealing with on the day I'm busy serving guests. So I prep the condiments the day before and put them in little bowls/ramekins, put them on a plate, then wrap the whole thing and refrigerate. Then you just bring the whole plate out when ready to serve.

Frequently Asked Questions

How I Chose the Brands for Review

There are a large variety of brands out there, and it’s impossible for me to taste test them all, so I had to narrow it down to five which is a manageable number. To qualify for my test, the criteria was:

• The brand is commonly available outside of Thailand. So nothing obscure, local, or specific to a region.
• The brand has to have been around for a long time and have a good reputation; so they’re all coming in with a certain amount of cred. New brands are popping up all the time, but I wanted ones that have at least passed the test of time.
• The brand has to have all the expected ingredients for a green curry paste. I also checked that they don't have any chemical additives, because a good curry paste should just be a mix of real food ingredients.

Our 5 Green Curry Paste Contestants

With the above criteria, I arrived at these 5:

• Maeploy - my current go-to brand and the winner from our red curry paste test. It does contain shrimp paste, which is traditional, but if you’re vegan, this one is out by default.
• Aroy-D - another brand that I use quite often cuz it’s widely available; and if Mae Ploy isn't available this is the one I get. They also make my go-to coconut milk.
• Maesri - the only brand that comes in a can, and also the only one with sugar in the ingredient list. It also contains "Chinese ginger" aka fingerroot or grachai, and I could definitely smell it upon opening.
• Namjai - another one in our lineup that contains shrimp paste, and it did very well in the red curry paste taste test. It's a brand that's become increasingly popular in Thailand.
• Thai Kitchen - not a brand I see at Asian grocery stores, but by far the most common one available in the “international aisle” at non-Asian grocery stores, so it's safe to say this is marketed to non-Asian customers. It's also probably the one that the largest number of people have access to. (Sidenote: It is a McKormick brand, but is made in Thailand.)

Where to buy these curry pastes in your city? Your local Asian grocer will surely have at least one of these, check out our map of Asian grocery stores to locate one near you!

But what is a Thai curry paste anyway?

Thai curry pastes are basically a mix of ground up fresh herbs and spices. The most common curry paste ingredients are: chiles, garlic, shallots, lemongrass, galangal, cilantro root (coriander root), makrut lime zest (kaffir lime zest), and white peppercorns. Shrimp paste is always added to curry pastes in Thailand, though many exported brands omit this to make it vegan and allergy friendly.

The above ingredients are included in most curry pastes, and then other ingredients are added depending on the type of curry. Green curry paste is uniquely green because it's the only paste that uses fresh green chiles, while most others use dried red chilies.

If you want to learn more about curry pastes in general, I highly suggest watching my curry paste 101 video where I go more in depth into what it is, and how to use, store, etc. Also, to explore other ways to use curry paste here are 5 ways to use curry paste beside making a curry.

Green Curry Paste Tasting Video - Live Reaction!

The results are written out below, but for the full experience watch the video for my live reaction and detailed review!

How I Did the Taste Test - The 2 Tests

Our first test involves making my popular green curry chicken recipe. The process is shown in the video above, but I weighed every single ingredient down to the gram and timed each step of the cooking process to control for any differences.

I first tasted the curry straight up so I can really taste the differences. Then I tasted them all again with rice, which is arguably the most relevant test because Thai curries are not meant to be eaten on their own but are always served with rice.

Then I picked my top 2 (which were very close) and got 4 of my friends and family to taste the top 2 to find out which was preferred by most!

And the best Thai green curry paste is...

Here's the official ranking:

1. Mae Ploy: Though this wasn't my initial pick when I tasted in-studio, when I later blind-tasted it against Aroy-D at home, this was the one I preferred. It has the strongest flavour, good level of spice, and has the most umami due to the shrimp paste. "There's more going on," was the comment from a taster.
2. Aroy-D: By far the best of all 3 vegan options. Also a very close runner up and was my initial favourite before I had a change of mind! *The Aroy-D curry paste I get contains no shrimp paste, however, a viewer has commented that he has seen a version that lists "shrimp powder" on the ingredient list. I don't know if that's an old formula, but it's worth double checking before buying if you don't eat shrimp.
3. Maesri: Maesri green curry paste performed much better than it did as a red curry paste; which is very interesting to me. It had a prominent flavour of grachai (fingerroot) which was nice, but it had a slightly weaker flavour than the top 2. It was also very slightly sweeter, which is not surprising as it's the only brand with added sugar.
4. Namjai: I was very surprised it didn't do better because its red curry paste performed so well! Overall it was weaker in flavour, and looking back it's not surprising because the paste was also on the moister side. And higher moisture content means less concentrated flavours. It also had a flavour that was the most unique compared to other brands (not in a bad way at all). If using this Namjai, I would use more of it than the 3 above.
5. Thai Kitchen: The worst! It was the weakest flavour in the group by a long shot. It is not spicy at all (so kid friendly) and the resulting dish didn't even taste like green curry. If this is all you have to work with, I'd use the whole jar for a 4-serving batch of curry. If serving people who cannot tolerate any heat, such as children, this is the one to use.

My Final Recommendations

For most people, I recommend going with one of the top 2: Mae Ploy and Aroy-D. Maeploy is preferred if it's available, but Aroy-D was also good. You can also add your own shrimp paste to Aroy-D for that extra umami.

If you're vegan or allergic to shrimp, then Aroy-D or Maesri would be 2 great options. But always check the ingredient list because it's common for there to be multiple formulas of the same Thai product on the market.

Important notes on packaging: Over the years I have seen that the same brand would come out with different packaging for the same product. For example, I have seen pictures of Aroy-D in little cans à la Maesri. You should not assume that the product inside is the same if the packaging is different!

Different types of packaging may also require the food inside to be processed differently, and sometimes moisture content, acidity, and other things have to vary due to the different processing requirement. Companies also sometimes have different formulas for different markets, for example domestic vs export markets.

The Bigger Takeaway

The main takeaway is that there is a huge range between brands of store-bought curry paste. When following recipes, unless you are using the brand that was used by the recipe writer, you cannot assume that you will get a result that is even close to what they got. So you have to use your judgment and be prepared to adjust as needed (which is something you should do whenever you cook anything anyway).

For my recipes, I'm either using Mae Ploy or Aroy-D in my tests, both of which are very similar. But it is always safe to be prepared to adjust and add more paste if needed.

How to "taste and adjust" when using a brand of curry paste for the first time

If you're working with a brand of curry paste for the first time, after all the liquid has been added, taste the sauce. At this point it should taste slightly too strong because you have not added the proteins and veggies.

If you feel like it needs to be stronger, you'll need to saute the extra curry paste for a few minutes in some oil, and then stir it into the curry sauce and allow the curry to simmer for 5 minutes so the additional paste has time to infuse into the liquid.

Do not wait until the curry is done before you taste, because if you need to simmer the curry longer to infuse the added paste, you will overcook the veg/protein.

Recipes That Use Green Curry Pastes

Now that you know which curry paste to use, here are some recipes to try!

Ingredients and Notes

Here are ingredients you'll need for an authentic Thai green curry and important notes about them. For amounts, see the full recipe card below. The bamboo shoots are a common vegetable used for green curry, but feel free to change it up. And if you are DIY-minded and have time, here's my homemade green curry paste recipe.

• Thai basil
• Bamboo shoots, canned. You can use the strips of sliced version. If you don't like bamboo shoots, you can also substitute Thai eggplant, cut into thin wedges, or winter melon, cut into 1-inch chunks. But you will need to allow more cooking time and adjust accordingly: Thai eggplant needs 3-4 minutes, and wintermelon about 10 minutes. If using chicken breast the eggplant/wintermelon will have to go in before the chicken.
• Red bell pepper, or any kind of red pepper. This is added just for colour.
• Green curry paste, store bought or homemade. If using store bought I recommend Maeploy, Aroy-D, or Namjai brands. Do not use Thai Kitchen brand as it is very weak, or if you must, you'll need at last double the amount called for. See my curry paste review for details.
  If using my recipe for the homemade green curry paste, you can put the entire batch of paste into this curry recipe, unless you're afraid it might be too spicy, then you can hold back a bit. Don't use the amount provided for store bought paste because the above-recommended brands tend to be more concentrated than homemade ones.
• Makrut lime leaves
• Full fat coconut milk, I recommend Aroy-D in paper carton.
• Fish sauce
• Palm sugar, or sub granulated or light brown sugar.
• Boneless skinless chicken thighs. Chicken thighs do make the best tasting green curry, but if you must use chicken breast, the method is a little different and I've provided the details in the recipe card.
• Chicken stock, unsalted. Store bought is fine but you can also use my Thai style chicken stock recipe.

How to Make Thai Green Curry

Green curry uses our basic curry making methods that you'll see in many different coconut-milk-based curry recipes. Once you know how to make a green curry, for example, you basically know how to make a red curry! Here's a bird's eye view of the process, but to ensure success, I highly recommend watching the video tutorial!

1. Optional step: Pound green curry paste and Thai basil leaves for an extra vibrant colour.
2. Get the paste as fine as possible.
3. Reduce the coconut milk until very thick
4. Add the curry paste and saute for a few minutes.

5. Toss chicken with the curry paste.
6. Add coconut milk
7. Add chicken stock
8. Add makrut lime leaves.

9. Add fish sauce and palm sugar.
10. Simmer for 10-15 minutes until the chicken is fork tender.
11. Add bamboo shoots and cook for a minute until the curry comes back to a boil.
12. Stir in red bell pepper and turn off the heat.

13. Add Thai basil and stir just until wilted.
14. The green curry is now ready to serve with jasmine rice! Note: The makrut lime leaves are for infusion purposes only; they are not meant to be eaten when left in large pieces.

How to Make Green Curry Vegan

With a dish so flavourful, making it a vegan is very easy. Here are modifications I suggest below, but I also have a vegan green curry recipe that I have optimized for maximum umami you should check out!

• Use any vegan protein of your choice, and if using tofu I recommend medium-firm tofu, or fried tofu made for soup which I use in this laksa recipe.
• You can also do an all-veggie green curry without any protein. I recommend hearty vegetables such as Asian mushrooms and Japanese eggplant. Sauteing or roasting the vegetables first so that they are browne will make it more robust-tasting.
• Replace fish sauce with soy sauce, salt, or vegan fish sauce.
• Use vegetable broth instead of chicken stock. Or use dried shiitake soaking water as I do in my vegan red curry recipe.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Pad Prik King

Pad prik king is a stir fry of protein with red curry paste and makrut lime leaves (aka kaffir lime leaves). The flavour profile is salty and sweet, and it's usually medium to mild when it comes to heat. It's a dry stir fry, so all of the flavours are concentrated and coating all of the meat and vegetables, delivering an explosion of flavour with every bite. It really is one of my faves!

In Thai, pad means to stir fry, prik means chilies, and king means ginger, which is kind of odd because there is no ginger in this recipe! From what I could find, the most likely story behind this dish name is that it's supposed to be about as spicy as ginger, so not super hot like some other Thai dishes can be.

Ingredients and Notes

Here are all the ingredients you need and important notes about them. For amounts, see the recipe card below.

• Chicken breast or thigh, boneless skinless, cut into bite-sized pieces. I always prefer thighs, but in the video I did show you how to use chicken breast because it's important not to cut them too thin to prevent them from drying out too fast.
• Fish sauce, you'll need some for marinating chicken and another amount for the stir fry. How much you need for the stir fry will depend on how salty the curry paste is to start, so be sure to add just a teaspoon, then taste and add more as needed.
• Cooked salted duck egg, this is optional but it is often added to pad prik king and I think it works so well. The creamy saltiness contrasts the slightly sweet stir fry beautifully. You can buy salted duck eggs at any Chinese supermarket, but be sure to buy COOKED ones, not raw.
• Neutral flavored oil
• Red curry paste. Store bought is totally fine, but you can also make your own curry paste using my red curry paste recipe. Brands of Thai curry paste vary greatly, so I recommend Maeploy, Aroy-D, or Namjai for best flavours. If using Maesri in little tins or Thai Kitchen, they are much weaker and you will need to double the amount of paste to get the same flavour. 
• Palm sugar, finely chopped, packed, or sub light brown sugar
• Unsalted chicken stock or water
• Long beans, also known as string beans of Chinese long beans have a nuttier and firmer crunch than green beans, but if you cannot find them, you can use French green beans instead (the smaller, skinnier ones).
• Makrut lime leaves, this is a key ingredient for pad prik king, if you can't find fresh, check the frozen section as frozen ones work just as well!
• Jasmine rice, for serving.

How to Make Pad Prik King

Here's a bird's eye view of the steps involved, if it's your first time I highly recommend watching the video tutorial first to ensure success. Detailed steps are in the recipe card below.

1. Toss the chicken with fish sauce and let marinate while you prep other ingredients.
2. If using, cut the salted duck eggs right through the shell in half, then use a spoon to scoop the halves out. At this point you can either cut each half into chunks and toss them into the stir-fry, or serve it on the side.
3. Heat the oil over high heat until very hot and sear half the chicken without stirring until browned, about 1 minute. Once browned, stir the chicken briefly just to cook the surface of the other side, and then remove from the pan. Repeat with the remaining chicken.
4. With the heat OFF, add a little more oil and add stir in the curry paste until it's loosened, then turn the heat on to medium and cook for about 2 minutes until aromatic. Then stir in the palm sugar, fish sauce, and deglaze with a little chicken stock or water and stir until sugar is dissolved.

1. Add the torn makrut lime leaves and let them infuse into the sauce for about 30 seconds, stirring constantly. If the sauce looks thick by this point, add a little more stock or water to get it into an pourable consistency.
2. Add the chicken back in and toss just to coat in the sauce.
3. Add the long beans and cook until the chicken is fully cooked and the sauce is no longer pooling and the curry paste is coating the chicken and the beans. If you want to add the salted duck egg chunks into the stir-fry, toss them in at this point and toss just to mix.
4. Remove from heat and transfer to a plate. Garnish with finely julienned makrut lime leaves and if you didn't mix the duck eggs in, place the eggs on the side. Serve with jasmine rice. and enjoy!

Variations of Pad Prik King in Thailand

In Thailand, the most common version of pad prik king is actually made with deep fried catfish. Thai catfish are sliced into steaks, the bone-in steaks are then deep fried until the outside is crunchy, and then that gets stir fried with the curry paste.

This is typically done in restaurants because prepping and frying the catfish in this manner is pretty involved. For home cooking, we tend to use easier protein options such as chicken and pork (pork belly is very popular). A vegetarian version that use TVP (texturized vegetable protein) or deep fried tofu is also quite common during the vegan festival (chay festival) in Thailand.

Similar Recipes You Might Like

If you love pad prik king, there are a few other dishes you might also enjoy.

• Pad ped is also a red curry stir fry, but it is saucier, less sweet, and this version uses coconut milk.
• Cauliflower Yellow Curry Stir Fry. Once you get a hang of stir frying with curry paste, try this recipe as your next veggies for the meal!

What is Thai Yellow Curry?

"Yellow curry" as it is popularly known in English, is a rich, mildly spiced curry that is made usually with chicken or beef, and with potatoes and onions. The yellow colour comes from turmeric, which is added fresh to the curry paste, and also dried as part of the curry powder that is also in the paste.

It's called gaeng garee or kaeng karee in Thai which is an interesting name because gaeng means curry, and garee...well...also means curry! So it is...curry curry? Let me explain.

Gaeng means curry in the Thai sense. It refers to soupy Thai dishes that are flavoured with a paste of herbs and spices. Garee refers to the use of curry powder (an Indian influence on Thai cuisine), which is what makes yellow curry rather unique when compared to other Thai curries such as red curry or green curry, which don't have much dried spices in them. This is why when you eat gaeng garee it can feel reminiscent of an Indian curry!

In Thailand, gaeng garee is a specialty of Thai Muslims, which is why you'll only find yellow curry made with chicken, beef or even goat, and almost never pork!

Not To Be Confused With...The Other Yellow Curry

If you were in Thailand and you asked for a dish that is literally named "yellow curry" or gaeng leuang, you will end up with something very, very different!

Gaeng leuang is a sour water-based curry that comes from Southern Thailand, similar to this gaeng som recipe. The yellow also comes from the use of turmeric, but that is where similarities end. It is brothy as it has no coconut milk, the main flavour is sour, and it is extremely spicy.

This is important to know because my friend has accidentally bought the wrong curry paste and ended up with nearly inedibly spicy curry (for them) with all the wrong flavour! In the export market, Maesri brand sells "yellow sour curry paste" (pic above), and it is easy for your eyes to miss the "sour." The correct paste from Maesri is labelled as "karee curry paste" (as of today anyway, as packaging does change).

Watch The Full Video Tutorial!

All my recipes come with step-by-step video tutorials with extra tips not mentioned in the blog post, so make sure you watch the video below to ensure success - and if you enjoy the show, please consider subscribing to my YouTube channel. Thank you!

Ingredients and Notes

Here are all the ingredients you need and important notes about them. For amounts, see the full recipe card below.

• Yellow curry paste, store bought or homemade using this recipe. For store bought, I like Maeploy and Aroy-D brand, but Maesri is also a good choice. Note that Maesri labels their yellow curry paste as "Karee Curry Paste," and do NOT get the one labelled "yellow sour curry" as that's an entirely different dish.
• Bone-in chicken thighs. Chicken is the most common meat pairing for Thai yellow curry, but yellow curry with beef if also common. You can also use braise-friendly cuts or pork such as pork butt. Bone-in chicken thighs will result in the most flavourful sauce, but in a pinch, boneless chicken thighs will also work.
• Coconut milk. Not sure which is the best coconut milk to get? See my post here with everything you need to know about coconut milk including the best coconut milk to buy.
• Waxy potatoes such as new or red skin potatoes. Starchy potatoes such as russet will also taste great, but you have to be very careful not to overcook them as they disintegrate easily. Yellow sweet potatoes, such as Korean sweet potatoes, also work well in this dish.
• Yellow or white onion.
• Fish sauce. If you're new to fish sauce, see my post all about fish sauce and how to choose a good one!
• Palm sugar or light brown sugar. Learn more about palm sugar here.
• Tamarind paste, store bought or homemade using this homemade tamarind paste recipe.
• Cherry tomatoes or grape tomatoes. These are optional, but they do add a nice colour and a lovely tang to help balance the richness. If you don't have them you can also add some carrots to get the pop of colour.
• Fried shallots. Optional for garnish. You can buy them at Asian markets or make your own following these instructions.
• Jasmine rice for serving

How to Make Thai Yellow Curry

Here's a bird's eye view of the steps for making yellow curry. When you're ready to cook, refer to the full written recipe below, and watch the video tutorial to ensure success!

1. Bring ¾ cup of the coconut milk to a boil and add the curry paste.
2. Stir the curry paste mixture over medium heat until very thick and coconut oil starts to separate from the paste.
3. Add the remaining coconut milk, water and chicken and stir to mix.
4. Add the fish sauce, sugar and tamarind and simmer for 30 minutes.

5. Add potatoes and onion and simmer for another 15 minutes or until chicken is fork tender and the potatoes are fully cooked (in the pic I also added some carrots). While the curry cooks, pierce the cherry tomatoes (if using) with a paring knife to create a steam vent so they don't explode in your mouth.
6. Once curry is done, taste and adjust seasoning with more fish sauce, sugar or tamarind as needed. If using cherry tomatoes, turn off the heat and add them in now and let the residual heat of the cook the tomatoes for a few minutes.
7. If using store bought fried shallots, give them a quick toast in a dry skillet for a few minutes to refresh and crisp them up.
8. Serve with jasmine rice and sprinkle the fried shallots on top, if desired.

Storing Leftovers

Yellow curry keeps very well. It'll last at least a week in the fridge, and will taste even better the next day.

When reheating be careful not to overcook the potatoes and tomatoes. I find microwaving better for this, as the stove top takes longer to heat the inside through, making it more likely for the potatoes to be overcooked.

Recipe Card

Authentic Thai Yellow Curry with Chicken and Potatoes

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 5 from 10 reviews

• Author: Pailin Chongchitnant
• Prep Time: 20 mins
• Cook Time: 1 hour
• Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
• Yield: Serves 4

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Description

Tender braised chicken in rich and aromatic coconut curry sauce, loaded with spices, yellow curry is easy to make and always a crowd pleaser. It's mildly spiced and keeps well, perfect for meal prep!

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Ingredients

• 5-6 tablespoons (75-90 ml) store-bought yellow curry paste (note 1), or half of this yellow curry paste recipe
• 2 lb (900 g) bone-in chicken thighs
• 2 cups (480 ml) coconut milk
• 10.5 oz (300 g) waxy potatoes, cut in 1-inch chunks
• Half a medium onion, cut in 1 cm strips
• 1 cup (240 ml) water, or as needed
• 1-2 tablespoons (15-30 ml) fish sauce
• 1 ½ tablespoons (18 g) palm sugar, finely chopped, packed
• 1-2 tablespoons (15-20 ml) tamarind paste, store bought or homemade (note 2)
• 1 cup (100 g) cherry or grape tomatoes
• Optional garnish: fried shallots, store bought or homemade
• Jasmine rice for serving

Ingredients & Kitchen Tools I Use

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Instructions

1. In a medium pot, bring ¾ cup (180 ml) of the coconut milk to a boil over medium high heat. Add the curry paste and mix well, then turn the heat down to medium. Keep stirring until the mixture is very thick, and the coconut oil separates from the paste. (The oil may not separate depending on the coconut milk you're using. This is okay, just move on.)
2. Add the remaining coconut milk and stir to mix. Then add the chicken, 1 tablespoon of fish sauce, 1 tablespoon palm sugar, 1 tablespoon of tamarind, and just enough water to keep the chicken barely submerged. Bring to a simmer, and let the chicken simmer gently for 30 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, pierce the cherry tomatoes with the tip of a parting knife, making about a half-inch incision. This is to create a vent for hot tomato juice to exit, preventing them from exploding in your mouth!
4. Once the chicken is done, add the potatoes and onion and simmer for another 15 minutes or until chicken is fork tender and the potatoes are fully cooked. Top it up with more water as needed to keep the potatoes barely submerged.
5. Taste and adjust seasoning with the remaining fish sauce, sugar and tamarind as needed. Turn off the heat and immediately stir in the pierced cherry tomatoes and let the residual heat of the curry gently cook the tomatoes for a few minutes before serving.
6. Sprinkle with fried shallots, if desired. Serve with jasmine rice.

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Notes

1. For store bought I recommend Maeploy or Aroy-D brands. I don't recommend Thai Kitchen as it is very weak.
2. Tamarind paste is sometimes sold as "tamarind concentrate." Be sure the buy a product of Thailand or Vietnam, and it should be brown colour with a relatively loose consistency. Do not use the black, sticky Indian tamarind concentrate.