This recipe comes form one of the Chefs Nikki and I love. Her name is Hetty Lui McKinnon in her book Tenderheart. It is a great book and one of our 10 tens. You should pick it up. This recipe we altered it a few ways. See below:

Main Dish

neutral oil
1 yellow onion, cut into thin wedges
one 13.5 ounce (400ml) can coconut milk
1 1/2 cups (360ml) vegetable stock
1 3/4 pounds (800g) sweet potatoes (we used half that)
4 teaspoon soy sauce or tamari
1/4 cup (45g) brown sugar
sea salt
juice of 1 lime, plus wedges for serving
7 ounces (200g) ounces corn (we added these)
5 ounces (150g) green beans or sugar snap peas (we added these)
7-10 ounces mushrooms (we added these)
handful of roasted peanuts, chopped
handful of cilantro leaves
rice or noodles, to serve (we used rice)

Panang Curry Paste ingredients (makes 1 1/2 cups):

4-8 red chilies (we used 3-4 Fresnos)
3 lemongrass stalks tender white parts only roughly chopped (we used the squeeze bottle)
1 inch (2.5 cm) piece of ginger or galangal peeled and roughly chopped
4 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
3 shallots, roughly chopped
6 makrut lime leaves, roughly sliced
1/2 bunch (1 packed cup) cilantro
1 teaspoon coriander seeds or 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 cup (40g) roasted peanuts
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 cup (60ml) neutral oil

Directions:

STEP 1: To make the panang curry paste, first soak the chilies in hot water for at least 15 minutes. Drain the chiles and place them in a blender or food processor. Add the remaining ingredients, except the oil, and blend or process until you have a chunky paste. Drizzle in the oil and blend again until mostly smooth.

STEP 2: Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1-2 tablespoons of oil and the onion, then reduce the heat to medium and saute for 4-5 minutes, until soft. Add half the curry paste (see note) and fry for 2 minutes, until aromatic. Add the coconut milk, vegetable stock and sweet potato, cover with a lid and cook 20 minutes. Add the soy sauce or tamari, brown sugar, 2 teaspoons of sea salt and the lime juice and stir. Add the corn, beans, and mushrooms and stir to combined. Turn off the heat immediately. Taste again and season with more sea salt, sugar or lime if needed.

STEP 3: To serve, scatter the curry with the peanuts and cilantro leaves and serve with a wedge of lime, alongside rice or noodles.

Note: If we are going to the trouble of getting our blender or food processor out, let’s go bulk. This paste recipe makes enough for two curries; Keep this unused portion in an airtight container or zip-seal bag in the freezer for up to 3 months (thaw before using).