This is an authentic Indian curried beef mince recipe called Qeema (or keema or kheema). It’s a gem of a find because it tastes incredible but unlike many Indian dishes, there are no hard-to-find spices in the ingredients. And it’s super fast – on the table in 20 minutes! 

Qeema – Quick & Easy Indian Curried Beef Mince

This recipe is an excellent way to get an Indian food fix without having to hunt down hard-to-find Indian spices.

It’s also an excellent way to change up your usual rotation of beef mince recipes. Spag Bol, we love you, but sometimes it’s nice to try something new!!

And new this is. You probably haven’t seen Qeema on Indian restaurant menus because it’s a home cooking meal. But blimey, it’s a great find! 100% legit Indian flavours, 7 minute prep, 13 minute cook. Get all the spices from regular grocery stores – turmeric, garam masala, cumin, coriander and cayenne pepper.

What you need for Qeema

The key to achieving the bold, authentic Indian curried beef flavour in this quick ‘n easy recipe is a good amount of fresh garlic and ginger, and a generous amount of ground spices.

Here’s what you need:

• Beef mince – That’s ground beef to those of you in the States! I’m using lean today, but regular is fine (fattier – juicier). I also made this recipe a few years ago using chicken mince which was terrific.

• Fresh garlic and ginger – Key to flavour in this otherwise simple Indian dish, so don’t skip these.

• Spices – Garam masala, cumin, coriander, turmeric and cayenne pepper. You can get all these at regular grocery stores here in Australia. Garam masala is an Indian spice mix which I tell people is the “better curry powder” because it tastes more legit, whereas the curry powders you get at regular grocery stores are very Westernised.

• Fresh coriander/cilantro for garnish. (Skip if you’re not a coriander fan).

• Green cayenne pepper (optional garnish) – This is for garnish, and it adds fresh chilli flavour without much spiciness because cayenne peppers are not that spicy. But it’s entirely optional, so feel free to omit!

How to make Qeema

1. Sauté – Heat oil in a skillet over high heat. Add ginger and garlic and saute for 30 seconds until golden, don’t let it burn! Add onion and cook for 1 minute until it is starting to turn translucent.

2. Add beef and cook, breaking it up as you go, until it changes from pink to light brown. Add remaining ingredients EXCEPT water. Cook for a further 2 minutes to let the spices bloom.

3. Cook 10 minutes – Add water, give it a stir, then put a lid on (or cover with a baking tray if you don’t have a lid for your pan). Turn heat down to medium and let it simmer for 10 minutes or until most of the water has evaporated, but still a bit juicy.

4. Serve over with basmati rice or plain white rice, garnished with extra chilli and coriander/cilantro, and lots of Mint Yogurt. Naan or flatbreads would make it even better, though if time is not your friend, try frozen roti (pictured in post, more on this below the photo).

What to serve with Qeema

Serve over basmati rice and mint yogurt or plain yogurt (recipe below for mint yogurt). Then mix up the beef into the rice so it flavours the rice, then dig in!

It’s also pictured above with flaky, buttery roti which I stuffed with the Qeema and rice. Not homemade. I always have a stash of frozen ones which you can get at regular grocery stores. I love them because they can be cooked from frozen in a few minutes – how good is that! Ideal to use for any and all Indian / South East Asian saucy foods, like curries.

Though, if I have the time (or foresight to plan in advance), you can’t beat homemade naan. 😊

For vegetable sides, try one of these:

• Indian Tomato Salad with Mint Raita Dressing

• South Indian Carrot & Cabbage Salad with Coconut is fresh and popping with flavours – love the coconut flavour in this!

• Give this Everyday Cabbage Salad an Indian spin by sautéing garlic and cumin seeds in oil before mixing up with other Dressing ingredients.

Indian Tomato Salad with Mint Dressing

Cabbage & Carrot Thoran-style Indian Salad

Everyday Cabbage Salad

I really hope you try this Qeema recipe, the flavour is so authentic! Something a little different to make with that packet of beef mince you threw in your shopping trolley on the weekend. – Nagi x

Watch how to make it

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Qeema Indian Curried Beef

An authentic Indian spiced ground (minced) beef recipe known as Qeema (or keema or kheema). This is a gem of a recipe because it tastes incredible but unlike many Indian dishes, there are no hard-to-find spices in the ingredients. And it's super fast – on the table in 20 minutes!

Serve over basmati rice. Great with plain yogurt, even better with Mint Yogurt.

Course Dinner

Cuisine Indian

Keyword beef mince curry, curried beef, queema

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes minutes

Total Time 20 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Calories 255cal

Author Nagi | RecipeTin Eats

Ingredients

• 3 tbsp vegetable or canola oil , or other neutral oil
• 4 tsp ginger , finely mince
• 5 large garlic cloves , minced (about 4 tsp)
• 1 large onion , finely diced
• 500g / 1 lb beef mince (ground beef)
• 3/4 tsp cooking salt / kosher salt
• 1 tsp cayenne pepper or chilli powder (pure, not US chili powder spice mix), omit for not spicy
• 1 1/4 tsp garam masala (Note 1)
• 1 1/4 tsp cumin powder
• 1 1/4 tsp coriander powder
• 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
• 1 cup water

Garnish

• 1 green cayenne pepper , deseeded, finely sliced
• Cilantro/coriander leaves
• Plain yogurt or Mint yogurt (below)

Mint yogurt (optional, pictured in post)

• 3/4 cup plain yogurt
• 1/2 cup (lightly packed) mint leaves
• 1/4 tsp cooking salt / kosher salt

Instructions

• Sauté – Heat oil in a skillet over high heat. Add ginger and garlic and saute for 30 seconds until golden, don't let it burn! Add onion and cook for 1 minute until it is starting to turn translucent.
• Add beef and cook, breaking it up as you go, until it changes from pink to light brown. Add remaining ingredients EXCEPT water. Cook for a further 2 minutes to let the spices bloom.
• Cook 10 minutes – Add water, give it a stir, then put a lid on (or cover with a baking tray). Turn heat down to medium and let it simmer for 10 minutes or until most of the water has evaporated.
• Serve over with basmati rice or plain white rice, garnished with extra chilli and coriander/cilantro, and lots of Mint Yogurt. Naan or flatbreads would make it even better, though if time is not your friend, try frozen roti (pictured in post, Note 3).

Mint yogurt

• Blitz then stir – Put just 1/4 cup of the yogurt with the mint leaves and salt in a jug just big enough to fit the head of a stick blender. Blitz until mint is very finely chopped. Then stir in remaining yogurt. (Note 4) Refrigerate until required.

Notes

Recipe credit – very slightly adapted from this Indian Queema Minced Beef by Scrambled Chefs.

---

1. American “Chili Powder” is not pure ground chilli, it contains other spices like paprika and is not very spicy. This recipe calls for pure ground chilli for spiciness, or cayenne pepper.

2. Garam Masala – Spice mix used in Indian cooking, a more legit curry powder. Sold at regular grocery stores in Australia -> Coles, Woolworths, Harris Farms.

3. Roti – Flaky Indian round flatbread that’s sold in the freezer section of large grocery stores these days. Love them because they’re so handy – cook from frozen on the stove in just a couple of minutes. Cheap, tasty, if you’ve never tried it, it’s a game changer! 🙂

4. Mint yogurt – Blitzing makes yogurt watery. So just blitz the minimum to puree the mint, then stir the rest in which thickens the sauce up again.

5. Leftovers keep for 3 – 4 days in the fridge, or freezer for 3 months.

Nutrition for beef only, not including rice or yogurt sauce.

Nutrition

Serving: 172g | Calories: 255cal | Carbohydrates: 4g | Protein: 28g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Trans Fat: 0.5g | Cholesterol: 78mg | Sodium: 525mg | Potassium: 517mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 217IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 31mg | Iron: 4mg

First published April 2016. Republished 7 years later with sparkling new photos, brand new recipe video (couldn’t make them back then!) and of course added a Life of Dozer section!

My easiest Indian recipes

More easy Indian recipes!

Butter Chicken

One-pan Baked Butter Chicken

Oven Baked Tandoori Chicken

Naan recipe – chewy & fluffy!

Chicken Tikka Masala

Beef Biryani

Chickpea Curry with Potato (Chana Aloo Curry)

Indian Recipes

Life of Dozer

He doesn’t realise it’s a vegetable platter. (Yet).

The post Qeema – Easy Indian Curried Beef Mince appeared first on RecipeTin Eats.

Are you ready to discover the world’s easiest curry?? As in, a real one, made from scratch. Introducing – Kuku Paka! This chicken curry in a tomato coconut spiced sauce tastes like an Indian curry. Except it’s African. And you can get everything from regular grocery stores!

African chicken curry – Kuku Paka

Kuku Paka is an African-Indian coconut chicken curry that’s popular with Indian communities in East African countries such as Kenya and Tanzania. Kuku means chicken in Swahili and Paka means delicious in Punjabi. Fun to say. Delicious to eat!

This is a recipe that’s going to make curry lovers extremely happy because it tastes like a legit Indian curry but it’s much easier to make. No hunting down unusual spices! Just regular pantry ones – cumin, coriander, turmeric, chilli – combined with ginger, garlic, coconut milk and canned tomato.

Curry connoisseurs will be dubious. How can it taste legit if you don’t have to run all over town trying to find an obscure spice to make it?? Answer: because millions of Africans can’t be wrong!

Ingredients in Kuku Paka – African chicken curry

Just swing by your regular grocery store and you’ll find everything you need!

The chicken

The sauce gets a lot of flavour from the chicken because it doesn’t use chicken stock. So I really urge you to use bone-in, skin-on chicken pieces as they are fattier and juicier so they add more flavour into the sauce. I like to use a mix of thighs and drumsticks, but you could just use one or the other.

However, you can use boneless thighs and breast, though my caveat is that the sauce won’t be quite as flavourful. Directions in recipe notes!

Kuku paka sauce

And here’s everything else you need:

• Spices – Cumin, coriander and turmeric for flavour. Chilli or cayenne pepper for spiciness! It’s not a super spicy curry but if you’re concerned about the amount of chilli, reduce or omit then you can add it in at the end, bit by bit.

• Onion, ginger and garlic – Aromatic flavour base. I really urge you to use fresh ginger and garlic, but if you’re out and you are determined to still make this, then substitute with 1 teaspoon of powder instead (add with the other spices). I get it, I’ve been there!

• Coconut milk – Not all coconut milks are created equal! Economical ones are more water and less coconut. I use Ayam (89% coconut). Low fat coconut milk will work but sauce will be thinner and not as good coconut flavour. You can thicken with a teaspoon of cornflour mixed with splash of water, add with coconut.

• Canned tomato – Use crushed or finely diced to ensure it breaks down in the simmer time for this recipe. Also, if you know the brand you use is quite sour (economical brands can tend to be) add a smidge of sugar.

• Coriander / cilantro – Some for stirring in, some for garnish. If you’re a coriander hater, substitute with baby spinach or parsley.

• Fresh lemon juice – Just a bit, stirred in at the end, to brighten up the sauce a bit. If you don’t have lemon on hand, you can substitute with apple cider vinegar.

How to make Kuku Paka (African chicken curry)

Traditionally, the chicken is char grilled before simmering in the sauce which adds extra flavour. To keep this Monday-night friendly, I’ve opted to pan sear. If you fire up your grill for the chicken, I’ll be impressed!!

1. Season and sear – Sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper, sear to brown the skin, then remove onto a tray. The skin side of the thighs will take around 4 to 5 minutes, then just cook the flesh side for 1 minute to seal the surface. As for the drumsticks, just do the best you can! I brown 3 sides, about 2 minutes on each side.

   The chicken will still be raw of the inside which is fine because they finish cooking in the sauce.

2. Sauté aromatics and spices – Next, give the onion a head start on the sautéing before adding the ginger and garlic. Once the onion is softened, add the spices and cook them for 30 seconds. This steps makes the flavour in the spices bloom!

3. Sauce – Add the coconut milk, tomato and salt, then stir.

4. Return chicken into the pot, including any juices on the tray. Arrange the chicken so it is submerged as best as possible, though if some is poking out that’s ok as it will steam-cook. Also, the chicken will shrink a bit as it cooks so they will fit better.

5. Simmer for 10 minutes with the lid on, then 20 minutes with the lid off which will allow the sauce to reduce and thicken. Give it a stir every now and then to ensure the base isn’t catching.

6. Finish & serve – Just before serving, stir in the fresh lemon juice and half the coriander leaves. Serve over rice, garnished with the remaining coriander leaves!

How to serve Kuku Paka

A sauce this good demands rice for soaking! Basmati rice is recommended, though you can use any plain rice, faux rice or even garlic rice (IMAGINE THAT!!).

Then to take it over the top, add a side of flatbreads for dunking / mopping. Homemade would be great. But I’ve opted for frozen store bought that’s actually Malaysian roti, not African. But that flaky buttery flatbread is 100% at home here, as it was with the Thai Coconut Pumpkin Soup (this roti is going global!)

It too comes from regular grocery stores and I love that it’s cooked from frozen in a pan. And flakes = extra sauce mopping abilities.

Roti or not, I really hope you try this recipe. It’s astoundingly good! – Nagi x

Watch how to make it

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African coconut chicken curry – Kuku Paka

Recipe video above. Are you ready to discover the world's easiest curry?? As in, a real one, made from scratch. Introducing – Kuku Paka! This chicken curry in a tomato coconut spiced sauce tastes like an Indian curry. Except it's African, and you can get everything you need from your regular grocery store.

For a strictly traditional version, sear the chicken over charcoal for chargrilled flavour before adding into the sauce. To make this Monday-night-friendly, I've just pan-seared. Serves 4 hearty appetites or 5 to 6 regular servings.

Course Main

Cuisine african

Keyword african curry, Chicken Curry, Coconut Curry

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 45 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour

Servings 4 – 6

Calories 631cal

Author Nagi

Ingredients

Seasoned chicken:

• 4 chicken thigh fillets , skin-on and bone-in (~250g/8oz each) (Note 2)
• 4 chicken drumsticks (~150g / 5oz each) (Note 2)
• 3/4 tsp cooking / kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper

The curry:

• 2 tbsp coconut oil (or vegetable, canola or other plain oil) (Note 1)
• 1 onion , finely diced
• 3 garlic cloves , finely minced
• 2 tsp ginger , finely minced
• 1 tbsp coriander powder
• 1/2 tbsp cumin powder
• 1/2 tbsp turmeric powder
• 1 tsp pure chilli powder or cayenne pepper , reduce or omit to taste (Note 3)
• 400g / 14 oz coconut milk , full-fat (Note 4)
• 400g / 14 oz crushed canned tomato
• 1 1/4 tsp cooking / kosher salt
• 2 tbsp lemon juice (sub apple cider vinegar)
• 1/2 cup (lightly packed) coriander/cilantro leaves (sub parsley or baby spinach, or omit)

Serving:

• Basmati rice or other rice, and/or flatbreads or roti (pictured, Note 5)

Instructions

• Season chicken – Pat chicken dry using paper towels then sprinkle with the salt and pepper.
• Brown chicken – Heat oil in a large heavy based pot over high heat. Add the thighs, skin-side down, and cook for 4-5 minutes until golden brown. Turn and cook the other side for 1 minute. Transfer to a plate (it will still be raw inside). Then brown the drumsticks as best you can. I do 3 sides, 2 minutes each side. Transfer to the plate.
• Sauté aromatics – Turn heat down to medium high. Add the onion and cook for 1 minute until softened. Add garlic and ginger, cook for 30 seconds. Add the coriander, cumin, turmeric and chilli. Stir for 30 seconds.
• Sauce – Add coconut milk, tomato and salt. Stir, then return chicken into the pot (including juices on the plate). Submerge chicken as best you can.
• Simmer 30 min – Once the sauce comes to a simmer, reduce the heat so it’s bubbling gently. Cover and cook for 10 minutes. Remove the lid and simmer for a further 20 minutes, stirring occasionally to ensure the base doesn't catch.
• Finish & serve – Stir in lemon and half of the coriander. Lade into bowls and serve garnished with the rest of the coriander!

Notes

1. Coconut oil will give this extra coconut flavour, but you can use regular oil.

2. Chicken thighs and drumsticks are best because they stay juicy in the sauce simmer time required. Boneless thighs and breast will work but sauce flavour won’t be as good (see Ingredients section in post), but you can use them. Whole boneless thighs – sear per recipe then add back in for last 10 min of sauce simmer time. Breast – cut into bite size pieces, simmer only 5 min.

3. Pure chilli powder – not to be confused with US chili powder which is a spice mix. Pure chilli powder is spicy!
Control spiciness – just leave the cayenne / chilli out and stir in bit by bit at the end.

4. Coconut milk – Not all coconut milks are created equal! Economical ones are more water and less coconut. I use Ayam (89% coconut). Low fat coconut milk will work but sauce will be thinner and not as good coconut flavour. You can thicken with a teaspoon of cornflour mixed with splash of water, add with coconut.

5. Roti – I am a little obsessed with store bought frozen rotis, the flaky flatbreads that can be cooked from frozen! Readily available at regular grocery stores these days.

6. Leftovers will keep for 3 to 4 days in the fridge.

Nutrition per serving, assuming 6 servings, excluding roti, rice etc.

Nutrition

Calories: 631cal | Carbohydrates: 12g | Protein: 38g | Fat: 49g | Saturated Fat: 25g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 7g | Monounsaturated Fat: 13g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 200mg | Sodium: 1062mg | Potassium: 963mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 1624IU | Vitamin C: 16mg | Calcium: 87mg | Iron: 6mg

For fellow curry lovers

Chickpea Curry with Potato (Chana Aloo Curry)

Chicken Tikka Masala

Thai Yellow Curry

Butter Chicken

Beef Rendang

Massaman Curry

Rogan Josh

Curries

Life of Dozer

Extreme warm weather over the weekend! So Dozer spent most of Sunday afternoon in this position:

Then he turned around and that was it, he was done for the day. 😂

The post African Chicken Curry – Kuku Paka appeared first on RecipeTin Eats.

This Golden Coconut Chicken Curry blows me away every time I make it – and I’ve been making it a lot lately! Such a beautiful spice blend, with turmeric making the coconut curry sauce a warm yellow colour. Thai vibes. Easy. Swoon-worthy!

A really great but easy coconut chicken curry

Regular readers know I love my curries. Especially Thai and Indian ones – though the good ole’ retro chicken curry and curried sausages will always have a place in my heart!

But on days when I have a hankering for a really good from-scratch curry but don’t have the time for blitzing fresh curry pastes, this is what I’m making on repeat. It’s got Thai vibes with a hint of Indian undertones, like a less shrimpy version of Thai Yellow Curry with a whisper of Massaman Curry.

It’s very, very good. And though not a traditional Thai curry recipe (as far as I know), it tastes very authentic. (You know what I mean!)

-> If you’re after something similar (ie. still easy) but with more Indian vibes, head straight to my Easy Pumpkin Lentil Coconut Curry!

Ingredients in Golden Coconut Chicken Curry

Don’t skip the star anise and cinnamon stick, and really try to use fresh turmeric rather than dried – for maximum flavour.

aromatics and spices

First up, the sauce flavourings:

• Turmeric – Been a bit of a trendy ingredient in recent years, revered for its nutritional benefits, most notably arthritis relief. It looks like and has the same texture as ginger but is bright orange inside. When cooked, it turns things bright yellow! Stains like buggery so don’t wear white when using it, and grate onto non-porous things (like a plate).

  Turmeric powder – While fresh turmeric will give the best flavour and colour, dried can be used as an easier alternative. I’ve made it with dried turmeric and it’s still delicious!

• Ginger and garlic – Fresh is the only way! The jarred stuff is sour and tastes nothing like the real thing. As with the turmeric, we finely grate them, for maximum flavour extraction.

• Garam masala – Indian spice mix that’s common these days, in the spice aisle of normal grocery stores. It’s got more flavour than basic curry powders. But – your everyday curry powder will be an adequate substitute!

• Fennel powder – I know this one isn’t a staple so don’t make a special trip if you don’t have it. Just use more garam masala!

• Cumin and coriander – Staple spices!

Add-ins and sauce

• Chicken – Thigh is best because it stays juicy. Breast and tenderloin will work but won’t be quite as juicy. Prawns/shrimp and fish pieces are GREAT in this curry – plonk them in in the last 3 minutes.

• Broccoli – Cut them into little florets so they are spoon-eating-size. You can also use the stem – just peel and dice.

• Coconut cream is thicker so makes the sauce thicker. Also has stronger coconut flavour. Both good things! If using coconut milk, suggest thickening the sauce slightly. Mix 2 teaspoons cornflour/cornstarch with a small splash of water, then mix in towards the end.

• Chicken stock/broth – Gives the sauce more flavour. If using just water, it’s just a little lacking.

• Onion – For sautéing at the beginning.

Garnishes

I just realised, the coriander / cilantro is not just a garnish. A good handful is mixed into the sauce. Great finishing touch.

• Coriander / cilantro – As mentioned above, a good handful to mix into the sauce plus extra for sprinkling on top.

  If you’re in the I Hate Coriander club, feel free to skip this. I’d just sprinkle with green onion slices instead.

• Crispy Shallots – Crispy, salty, oily pops of goodness. Find them in the Asian aisle, cheaper at Asian stores. I love them so much and use them so frequently I even wrote about them here.

How to make it

OK! The making part. Nice and straightforward. Just a specific order in which things are toasted / sautéed / simmered / added into the pot. There’s reasons!

1. Toast the cinnamon stick and star anise for 2 minutes. This really brings out lovely flavour that is then imparted into the sauce, so don’t skip this step!

2. Cook chicken – Next, sauté the onion for 2 minutes to soften, then add the chicken. Cook for 3 minutes or until the outside turns white and you can no longer see pink. The inside will still be raw which is what we want – this ensures the chicken is not overcooked by the time the sauce is finished simmering.

3. Toast spices – Add the grated garlic, ginger and turmeric, and stir for 1 minute. Then add the spice mix and stir for 30 seconds. Toasting the fresh and dried spices is a key step, like with the star anise and cinnamon, to bring out and improve the flavour. So much more flavoursome than just dumpling spices into liquid!

4. Simmer 12 minutes – Stir in the coconut cream and chicken stock/broth, then simmer for 12 minutes. Simmer energetically, not a slow simmer like when making stocks and stew, because we want the sauce to reduce to concentrate the flavour and thicken slightly. And we want this to happen quick – before the chicken is overcooked!

5. Broccoli 3 minutes – Next, stir in the broccoli and cook for 3 minutes. That’s all it will take to soften, because you cut the florets into small spoon-size, just as the recipe asks you to do. Right?!

6. Finish the coconut curry off by stirring in the fresh coriander. Let it cool for 5 minutes or so – there will be a LOT of heat in that pot! Cooling slightly also allows the sauce to thicken a bit.

   Now, the best step – EATING time!

How to serve this curry

Serve over rice with a sprinkle of my favourite crispy fried shallots and some more fresh coriander/cilantro. Jasmine or basmati rice are on point. Otherwise, any other plain rice of choice. Or even cauliflower rice for the low-carbers out there!

Love to know what you think if you make this. Curious to see if it’s just Team RecipeTin that’s madly obsessed with this coconut curry, or if it’s a universal thing. I’m banking on the latter, obviously, which is why I’m sharing this recipe!! – Nagi x

Watch how to make it

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Golden coconut chicken curry

Recipe video above. This Golden Coconut Chicken Curry blows me away every time I make it – and I've been making it a lot lately! Such a beautiful spice blend, Thai vibes with a whisper of Indian, like a less shrimpy version of Thai Yellow Curry with a hint of Massaman.

Don't skip the star anise and cinnamon stick, and really try to use fresh turmeric rather than dried, for max flavour and yellow colour. All credit to JB for this one, his invention.

*UPDATE: If you skip fresh turmeric and sub other spices and you're using rather old spices (which lose flavour), the recipe won't be as good as the rave reviews below and will make me sad*

Course Mains

Cuisine Asian, Indian

Keyword Coconut Curry, turmeric recipe

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Total Time 30 minutes minutes

Servings 4 – 5 people

Calories 517cal

Author Nagi

Ingredients

• 3 tbsp coconut oil , vegetable or canola oil (Note 1)
• 3 star anise
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 onion , finely diced
• 500g / 1lb chicken thigh fillets , cut into small 1cm / 1/3" slices (Note 2 options!)
• 1 tsp garlic , finely grated
• 1 tsp ginger , finely grated
• 3 tsp turmeric , finely grated (sub 1 1/2 tsp powder, Note 3)
• 2 cups chicken stock/broth , low sodium
• 400g / 14 oz coconut cream , unsweetened (sub coconut milk, Note 4)
• 1 large head broccoli , florets cut small (can use stem too – peel & dice), or other veg (4 heaped cups)
• 1 cup coriander/cilantro leaves , lightly packed, plus extra for garnish (I'd still make without this)

Spice mix:

• 1 1/2 tsp cooking/kosher salt
• 1 1/2 tsp garam masala (Note 5)
• 1 1/2 tsp coriander powder
• 1/2 tsp cumin powder
• 1/2 tsp fennel powder (sub more garam masala)

Serving

• Crispy fried shallots , store bought, for garnish (Note 6)
• Rice – jasmine or basmati recommended, or other plain rice

Cups – Metric

Instructions

• Spice mix – Mix the spices in a small bowl.
• Toast – Heat the oil in a large heavy based pot over medium high heat. Toast the star anise and cinnamon for 2 minutes.
• Add onion, cook for 2 minutes.
• Add chicken, cook for 3 minutes or it's no longer pink on the outside (still raw inside).
• Add aromatics – Add garlic, ginger and turmeric. Cook for 1 minute.
• Add spice mix and stir for 30 seconds.
• Simmer 12 minutes – Add stock and coconut cream. Stir and bring to an energetic simmer. Cook for 12 minutes (no need to stir) so the sauce thickens slightly.
• Add broccoli florets. Bring back to a simmer and cook for 3 minutes or until softened.
• Serve – Cool for 5 minutes, this will allow the sauce to thicken slightly. Then stir in coriander and serve with rice (basmati or jasmine especially nice). Garnish with extra coriander and crispy fried shallots.

Notes

1. Coconut oil (the unrefined one that is firm like butter) will add extra coconut flavour into the sauce, if you have it. Recommended! I was out so I didn’t use it in the video.

2. Chicken – Thigh is best because it stays juicy. Breast and tenderloin will work but won’t be quite as juicy. Prawns/shrimp and fish pieces are GREAT in this curry – plonk them in in the last 3 minutes.

3. Turmeric looks like ginger but is bright orange inside, and when cooked it turns things bright yellow. Stains like buggery so don’t wear white when using it, and grate onto non-porous things (like a plate).

4. Coconut cream is thicker so makes the sauce thicker. Also has stronger coconut flavour. Both good things! If using milk, suggest thickening slightly. Mix 2 tsp cornflour/cornstarch with a small splash of water, mix in towards the end.

5. Garam masala – Indian spice mix that’s common these days, in the spice aisle of normal grocery stores. It’s got more flavour than basic curry powders. But – your everyday curry powder will be an adequate substitute!

6. Crispy Shallots – Crispy, salty, oily pops of goodness. Find them in the Asian aisle, cheaper at Asian stores. I love them so much and use them so frequently I even wrote about them here.

7. Leftovers will keep for 3 days in the fridge, or freezer for 3 months.

Nutrition per serving, assuming 5 servings, curry only (not rice).

Nutrition

Calories: 517cal | Carbohydrates: 16g | Protein: 27g | Fat: 42g | Saturated Fat: 33g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 0.02g | Cholesterol: 95mg | Sodium: 846mg | Potassium: 919mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 686IU | Vitamin C: 68mg | Calcium: 85mg | Iron: 5mg

Life of Dozer

Look who was in the paper on the weekend! And they stuck me in it too. 😂 In case you want to read it, the online version of the article is here.

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This is a real Panang Curry recipe for curry connoisseurs who adore authentic Thai food! It’s made using a homemade Panang Curry paste which is easy to make but will likely call for a trip to the Asian store. But if you truly want the best, it’s worth it. You can’t get good Panang curry in jars!

Make this creamy coconut Panang curry with either prawns/shrimp or chicken. Both are great!

I only make Panang curry from scratch

This is a recipe for Thai Panang curry that is entirely made from scratch, including a homemade Panang curry paste. While I’ll happily make Thai Red and Green curry using my favourite curry paste from a jar, nothing compares to a Panang Curry paste when you make it yourself from fresh ingredients!

Even the Panang curry paste by my favourite Maesri brand falls too short compared to homemade. Well, maybe that’s going too far. It makes a tasty enough curry. But not a real deal Panang curry!

What Panang curry tastes like

Panang Curry tastes like a more intense version of Thai Red Curry. While it has similar ingredients, Panang curry is a bit stronger, richer, sweeter and thicker than Red Curry, as well as slightly nutty thanks to the addition of ground peanuts in the paste.

Panang curry is spicy. Deal with it!

Panang curry is spicy. But unlike most other curry recipes, you cannot reduce the spiciness without losing flavour because chillies are the key ingredient for Penang curry sauce.

How spicy, you ask? Thais would class this Panang curry as medium or “not so spicy”. For Westerners, it’s probably getting up towards hot. But not volcanic. General consensus amongst my team is that it’s a 7 out of 10 on the spicy scale. The only other curry on my website that hits this level of spiciness is Vindaloo, if that’s a useful comparable for you.

So if you can’t handle spicy food, I suggest you give Panang Curry a miss and make a milder Thai Yellow Curry or Massaman Curry instead!

* Spiciness testing: My team and I worked on this Panang curry recipe a LOT. We did so many variations to stress test the spiciness and we are all in agreement that if you reduce the chillis to reduce spiciness, you lose flavour and it’s not Panang curry. We ended up creating a recipe using milder Chinese chillies rather than spicy Thai ones, to get enough sauce flavour without blowing our heads off.

OK, due warning on the topic of spiciness given. On to the recipe!

Panang curry ingredients

First, I’ll run through the beautiful fresh ingredients for the homemade Panang curry paste. Then all the good stuff that goes in the curry!

Panang curry paste ingredients

There’s a fair few Asian specific ingredients here, but familiar ingredients to those who have made other homemade Thai curries. In particular, Thai Red Curry – because the ingredients are virtually the same!

It will require a trip to the Asian store, though you can actually get everything at Harris Farms and the larger grocery stores in Australia, with the exception of shrimp paste (but there’s a substitute for that).

• Dried chilli – Key ingredient, so discussed below. Don’t get this wrong – you will regret it! 🔥

• Lemongrass – Fresh is best but if you can’t get it, use 1 tablespoon of lemongrass paste instead.

• Galangal – looks like ginger but is more citrusy and harder. It’s pretty tough so best to grate to ensure your curry paste is smooth, otherwise you risk lumps in your sauce. You can find it in Asian stores + some grocery stores in Australia (Harris Farms and some Woolworths sell it). Substitute: use the same amount of ginger + 1/4 tsp lime zest.

• Shrimp paste in bean oil – I use Por Kwan Shrimp Paste in Bean Oil, pictured below, the most popular one sold at Asian grocery stores here in Australia. Substitute with 1 1/2 tsp belacan dried shrimp paste, roughly chopped (even sold at Woolies in Australia!) + 1 tsp oil + 1 tsp fish sauce + 1 garlic clove + 1 tsp miso, if you can – any type). Use in place of shrimp paste in recipe.

• Kaffir lime leaves – Earthy lime flavour unlike anything else! Sold at Asian stores, Harris Farms & large grocery stores in Australia. Freezes 100% perfectly – used in Thai red curry, coconut rice, Thai meatballs.

• Eschalot (US: Shallot) – Also known as French onions and called “shallots” in the US. They are like baby onions, but with purple-skinned flesh. Not to be confused with what some people in Australia call “shallots”, ie. the long green onions. Substitute with half a red onion.

• Garlic – 5 whole cloves!

• Peanuts – This is what gives the Panang curry the signature peanut-y flavour. Beats using a scoop of peanut butter any day!

• Dried spices – Cumin, coriander and nutmeg.

Dried chilli for Panang curry paste

Dried chilli is the key ingredient in Panang curry, for both sauce flavour and colour. It is also what makes Panang curry spicy. But if you reduce the chilli, you will lose sauce flavour. So as recommended above, if you can’t handle spicy food, it is best to give this a miss.

Chilli type matters!! Use Chinese dried chillies, not Thai or Indian! I know it sounds strange to tell you not to use Thai dried chillies but they are SUPER spicy and unlike Chinese chillis, they don’t reduce in spiciness much when cooked. Same with some Indian chillies, like kashmiri. Let’s just say my team and I put our bodies on the line to figure this out!!

* Check label for country of origin.* You want chillies from China. And even though the spiciness of Chinese chilli types and brands will vary, we found that the cooking process in this curry reduces the spiciness of the chillies so they end up being the same level of spiciness – even using Chinese chillies labelled hot and extra hot.

The brand I use is pictured above. It’s a very common brand here in Australia and not that expensive (~$3), sold in Asian stores and even some large grocery stores.

Amount to use – We need 1/2 cup chillies once chopped, so start with about 2/3 cup whole chillies. Dried chillies vary in length so the number you need will vary, from (say) 12 very large ones to 40 small ones. Get large ones if you can because we need to deseed them and it’s much faster to deal with 12 large ones than 40 small ones.

Be sure to deseed thoroughly – the seeds are where most of the spiciness is!

The protein – chicken or prawns/shrimp

The base recipe calls for fresh, whole prawns/shrimp. This is because I like to add my own touch by repurposing the heads to make an easy prawn stock for use in the sauce. This underlines the sweet, prawn-y flavours of this curry and catapults it into wow territory. However, we’ve also made it with chicken and it’s extremely good too!

If you can’t get / don’t have / really can’t bear the thought of peeling your own prawns, it’s ok, you can use peeled prawns and skip making the prawn stock.

Chicken stock? Yes! Store bought fish/seafood stock is really not good. But chicken stock is much better, and gets infused with prawn flavour from the prawn heads (which is where most of the prawn flavour is!).

Panang curry sauce

Here’s what you need for the sauce and other add-ins for the curry.

• Coconut cream – More intense coconut flavour than using coconut milk, and thickens the sauce too. Full fat essential! No point using low-fat because fat is where all the flavour is.

• Fish sauce – Provides most of the salt in the curry, but with more savoury flavour. We do add some salt too because if we only use fish sauce, it gets a bit too…well, fishy.

• Sugar – Just a touch, because Thai food is all about balancing the sweet-salty-savoury!

• Thai basil leaves – Fresh herb used in Thai cooking that tastes like Italian basil with a slight aniseed flavour. Substitute with Italian basil.

How to make Panang Curry

The making part is very straight forward and quite quick actually. The step that takes the longest is soaking the dried chillies!

Make prawn stock – if using prawns/shrimp

If you’re making Panang curry with prawns/shrimp, get the prawn stock going first. If you’re using chicken, you can skip this step.

1. 15 minute simmer – Place chicken stock, prawn heads and shells in a saucepan. Simmer for 15 minutes, crushing the heads every now and then with a potato masher to extract as much flavour as you can.

2. Strain the stock and discard the prawn heads. We started with 1 1/2 cups of stock, you should end up with around 1 1/4 cups. Top up if you are short.

   Then set the stock aside for 5 minutes to let the sediment settle to the bottom. We will avoid pouring that bottom layer into our sauce.

Curry paste

1. De-seed chillis – Cut the chillis in half then twist / tap / use chopsticks to remove all the seeds. Be thorough here – the seeds is where most of the spiciness is! I got slack one day and let’s just say I seriously regretted it.

2. Soak 30 minutes – Roughly chop the chillis then soak in boiling water for 30 minutes.

3. Drain and reserve the chilli soaking liquid. We will be using some for the curry paste.

4. Blitz – Put the peanuts into a jug just large enough to fit the head of a stick blender. Cover the jar with your hand to stop the peanuts from flying everywhere and blitz into a rough paste. Then add all the remaining curry paste ingredients and blitz until smooth. It only takes around 20 seconds or so.

   Note: You can also use a small food processor. You’ll struggle to make this in a large food processor as there is not enough curry paste.

Making Panang curry

This part is nice and quick – about 10 minutes from start to finish!

1. Sauté curry paste – Cook the Panang Curry paste for around 5 minutes until it darkens in colour and is not wet and sloppy. This intensifies the flavour.

2. Sauce – Add the prawn stock, being careful to pour off just the clearer liquid and leaving the sediment behind. If using chicken as your protein, just add plain chicken stock/broth.

3. Add coconut cream, sugar, fish sauce and salt.

4. Add the beans then simmer for 2 minutes until the beans are half cooked.

5. Add prawns, stir, then simmer for another 2 minutes until the prawns are cooked. They cook quickly – and will keep cooking as we finish it!

6. Serve – Then finally, stir in the Thai basil leaves. Serve over jasmine rice garnished with chopped peanuts, chilli and more Thai basil leaves!

So, with the big blue box of thanks done, I hope those of you on the fence about trying this can have the confidence to make it knowing it’s been subject to extra thorough testing! We really do think this is an exceptional Panang Curry. You’d be hard pressed to find one as good other than at the really top tier Thai restaurants. In Sydney, I’d only recommend Long Chim and Spice I Am.

Remember – be brave with the chillies! Go on, you can do it! 😉 – Nagi x

Watch how to make it

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Panang Curry – real, from scratch

Recipe video above. This is a stunning Panang Curry made entirely from scratch. It's for people who adore real Thai food, can handle the heat and understand that you just can't replicate the fresh flavour of a real Penang Curry using paste from a jar! Not even using my favourite Maesri curry paste that I'll happily use for Thai Red and Green Curry.

It calls for a trip to the Asian store but once you have the ingredients, it's straightforward to make. See SPICINESS note in notes section below – yep, it's spicy, and it can't be avoided!

Course curries, Main

Cuisine Thai

Keyword panang curry, thai curry

Prep Time 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes minutes

Dried chilli soaking 30 minutes minutes

Servings 4 – 5

Author Nagi

Ingredients

Protein – choose ONE:

• 700g/ 1.4 lb whole raw prawns/shrimp (ie shell on), medium ~8cm / 3″long – Note 1
• 350g / 12 oz boneless, skinless chicken thighs , cut into 7mm/ 1/3" slices

For prawn stock (shrimp):

• 1 1/2 cups chicken stock/broth , low-sodium (not fish/seafood – Note 2)

Curry paste:

• 2/3 cup dried Chinese chillies (not Thai!) (24 x 6cm/2.5" long, 1/2 cup (15g) once deseeded chopped) – Note 3
• 3 tbsp roasted peanuts unsalted
• 2 lemongrass stems , finely grated (2 x 20cm/8" lengths) – Note 4
• 2 eschalots , roughly chopped (1/2 cup)
• 1 tbsp galangal, finely grated (~1.5cm / 0.6" piece) – Note 5
• 5 garlic cloves , finely minced
• 1 1/2 tbsp shrimp paste in bean oil – Note 6
• 1/2 tsp each ground coriander, cumin, nutmeg
• 1 tbsp (packed) finely sliced kaffir lime leaves (~ 6 leaves) – Note 7

Curry:

• 3 tbsp canola oil
• 1 1/4 cups coconut cream , full-fat (standard Aus 270ml small can ok)
• 3 1/2 tsp white sugar
• 4 1/2 tsp fish sauce
• 1/4 tsp cooking/kosher salt
• 200g/7oz green beans , trimmed, cut in half (~1 1/2 cups)
• 12 Thai basil leaves – Note 8

SERVING and GARNISHES

• Jasmin rice
• 2 tbsp unsalted peanuts , finely chopped
• Red cayenne peppers , finely sliced (optional)
• Thai basil leaves , 3 leaves per serving – Note 8

Cups – Metric

Instructions

Prawn stock:

• Simmer – Peel and devein prawns, reserving heads and shells. Bring chicken stock to a simmer in a small pot on high heat. Add prawn heads & shells, bring back to a simmer, then reduce to low heat. Simmer uncovered for 15 minutes, periodically crushing the heads lightly with a potato masher and skimming off any orange scum.
• Strain into a jug, discarding heads. You should have just over 300 ml (1 1/4 cups) of stock. Leave undisturbed to let the sediment settle (~ 5min+).

Curry paste:

• Cut chillies in half then tap / squeeze out seeds (use a chopstick if needed for stubborn seeds). Discard seeds (spicy!). Chop chilli.
• Soak dried chillis in 2 cups of boiling water for 30 minutes. Drain in a colander, reserve soaking liquid.
• Peanuts – Put peanuts in a tall jar that comfortably fits the head of a stick blender (or use a small blender). Cover the jar opening with your hand and pulse until finely ground.
• Blitz paste – Add drained chillis and remaining Curry Paste ingredients, along with 1/4 cup of the reserved chilli soaking liquid. Blend, scraping down the sides as you go, for about 30 seconds until smooth, using extra chilli water only if needed to help blend.

Cooking:

• Cook curry paste – Heat oil in a large deep frying pan over medium-low heat. Cook curry paste for 5 minutes, stirring constantly. The paste should be drier, darker, smelling aromatic and no longer raw.
• Sauce – Add 1 cup (250 ml) prawn stock, being careful to pour off just the clearer liquid and leaving the sediment behind. Stir in the coconut cream, sugar, fish sauce and salt. Mix in the green beans.
• Simmer for 2 minutes until the sauce thickens and the beans are half cooked.
• Add prawns, stir, then simmer for another 2 minutes until the prawns are cooked. Stir in the Thai basil leaves. The final taste should lean mostly savoury and sweet, and medium spiciness.
• Serve over jasmine rice garnished with chopped peanuts, chilli and more Thai basil leaves!

Notes

SPICE NOTE! This is an authentic Panang curry, so it’s spicy. Thai’s would class it as medium or “not so spicy”. For Westerners, it’s probably getting up towards hot. But not volcanic. Because the sauce relies on the chilli for colour and flavour, if you can’t handle spicy food, give this one a miss and make Thai Yellow Curry or Massaman Curry instead!

---

1. Proteins – I think juicy prawns go particularly well with panang curry, plus you get to re-purpose the heads to get free, bonus flavour into the stock which makes this really special. If using pre-peeled prawns, using 350g/12 oz and skip the stock making steps.

Chicken – Recipe works perfectly with chicken too! Use 350g/12oz, thinly sliced. Skip the stock making steps, cook chicken as per recipe does with prawns.

2. Chicken stock? Yes! Store bought fish/seafood stock is really not good. But chicken stock is much better, and gets infused with prawn flavour from the prawn heads (which is where most of the prawn flavour is!).

3. Use Chinese dried chillies, not Thai or Indian! I know it sounds strange to tell you to avoid Thai dried chillies but they are SUPER spicy and don’t reduce in spiciness much when cooked. Same with some Indian ones are too (like kashmiri). My team and I did a lot of testing around chilli types for this curry re: excessive spiciness.

Check label for country of origin, use Chinese chillies. Though the spiciness of Chinese chilli types and brands will vary, I found that the cooking process in this curry reduces the spiciness of the chillies so they end up being the same level of spiciness. Be brave! Try not to reduce the chilli too much because they are also a key flavouring for the sauce. If you can’t handle spicy food, I suggest skipping this recipe!

Quantity – Dried chillies vary in length so the number you need will vary, from (say) 12 very large ones to 40 small ones for 2/3 cup when whole (20g, with seeds in). You need enough so you have 1/2 cup (15 g) chillies once chopped / deseeded. Be sure to deseed thoroughly – the seeds are where most of the spiciness is!

4. Lemongrass prep – cut the reedy end off, we’re only using the white and pale green part, around the bottom 20cm/8″. Trim root off, peel off reedy outer layer. Then grate using a microplane, discard stringy bits left. Sub: Fresh is best here but if you can’t get it, use 1 tablespoon of lemongrass paste instead.

5. Galangal – looks like ginger but is more citrusy and harder. It’s pretty tough so best to grate to ensure your curry paste is smooth. You can find it in Asian stores + some grocery stores in Australia (Harris Farms and some Woolworths sell it). Sub: use the same amount of ginger + 1/4 tsp lime zest.

6. Shrimp paste in bean oil – I use Por Kwan Shrimp Paste in Bean Oil, the most popular one sold at Asian grocery stores here in Australia. Substitute with 1 1/2 tsp belacan dried shrimp paste, roughly chopped (even sold at Woolies in Australia!) + 1 tsp oil + 1 tsp fish sauce + 1 garlic clove + 1 tsp miso, if you can – any type). Use in place of shrimp paste in recipe.

7. Kaffir lime leaves – Earthy lime flavour unlike anything else! Sold at Asian stores, Harris Farms & large grocery stores in Australia. Freezes 100% perfectly – used in Thai red curry, coconut rice, Thai meatballs.

8. Thai basil leaves – Fresh herb used in Thai cooking that tastes like Italian basil with a slight aniseed flavour. Sub with Italian basil.

9. Leftovers will keep for 3 days in the fridge or 3 months in the freezer. Keep basil separate – it degrades once stirred in.

Nutrition per serving assuming 5 servings, excluding rice.

I adore Thai curries

See?

Thai Red Curry with Chicken

Thai Green Curry

Massaman Curry

Lamb Shanks Massaman Curry

Thai Yellow Curry

Jasmine Rice

Thai Recipes

Life of Dozer

Getting fitted for a special reader dinner coming up next week at the Four Seasons hotel in Sydney! YES, Dozer will be waddling around a ballroom in his tux. 😂 There’s still some tickets available – see below for information!

Tickets here for a dinner hosted by Dymocks book store at the Four Seasons Hotel in Sydney on Thursday 10th August. Ticket price includes a 3 course meal developed with the Chef at the hotel in collaboration with our very own Chef JB, as well as all beverages!

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