Recipe: Panang Curry

Panang Curry
alt.cooking/Relaena/1999

I got this recipe from a Thai cooking school I attended years back. I've often had Panang curry served with potatoes in the recipe, this recipe does not call for it, but you could substitute potatoes for tofu, as long as you added the potatoes right away and let them simmer to soften in the sauce (rather than adding at the end, like tofu)

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
3 garlic cloves, finely minced*
2 tablespoons coconut milk, divided
1/2 teaspoon panang curry paste**
2 or 3 kaffir lime leaves
3 tablespoons peanut butter
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon yellow curry powder
2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 cups water or chicken stock
2 stems Thai basil
1 cup broccoli florets
10 ounces tofu, cubed

Place oil, garlic, one tablespoon of the coconut milk, panang curry paste, and lime leaves in a pan or wok, and saute until light brown.

Add peanut butter, sugar, paprika, yellow curry powder, salt, and "enough water to reach the right consistency." Bring to a boil. Add tofu and broccoli, let simmer for two minutes. Stir in remaining coconut milk and basil, then let simmer for a few minutes. Serve with rice or over a bed of spinach.

* The chef said not to peel the garlic, as the skins provided extra flavor
**Available in ethnic grocery stores, the brand I like best is May Ploy.