I adore the killer combo of hot, salty, sweet and sour flavours that make Thai food so enticing. I’ve been going there for years to learn about the cuisine and I picked up the recipe for this Penang Curry from a chef called Jitty. She told me that this was a Bangkok version of the curry, very heavy with black pepper and served with juicy prawns. I have slightly adapted the recipe to my taste, adding in a dollop of peanut butter as I think the nuttiness works so well with the other flavours. You can batch make the curry paste and keep in the fridge for a few weeks or bung it in the freezer for longer so you can max out the spices needed.
Method
- To make the curry paste, toast the star anise, peppercorns, cinnamon, coriander and cumin seeds for 1-2 minutes in a small frying pan over a low heat, shaking the pan continuously until fragrant. Remove from the heat and transfer to a spice grinder. Add the chilli flakes and sugar and grind until fine. Add the ginger, garlic, lemongrass, oil and 2 tbsp. of water and blend into a smooth paste. Add the peanut butter and blitz together.
- Heat the oil in a large wok over a medium heat and add the spice paste. Stir-fry for about a minute until dark in colour and very fragrant. Add the coconut cream, fish sauce and lime juice. Mix well and bring to the boil.
- Chuck in the prawns into the sauce and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5-6 minutes or until the cooked through and tender. Add the Thai basil, mix well and serve immediately with rice.
Ingredients
Serves 4
For the spice paste
1 star anise
1 tsp black peppercorns
1 inch cinnamon stick
1 tsp coriander seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
½ tsp dry chilli flakes
2 tsp sugar
1 tsp paprika
½ inch ginger, roughly chopped
3 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
1 lemongrass stalk, roughly chopped
2 tbsp. groundnut oil
1 tbsp peanut butter
For the curry
2 tbsp. groundnut oil
400ml coconut cream
2 tbsp fish sauce
Juice of a lime
500g raw peeled king prawns
A handful of Thai basil leaves
Rice to serve
