Panang Curry

 

 

The Dong Van plateau lies tucked in the clouds, nestled high in the border mountains between northern Vietnam and southern China.  Hardly flat, it is marked by limestone mountains, ridges and pinnacles carved away by rain over the eons.  Accessible through mountain passes with names like Heaven’s Gate, its remoteness protects ethnic minorities not yet overrun by the masses.  Described by the New York Times in this weekend’s travel section, ethnic Hmong women under vivid pink and green headdresses come down from the mountains to sell their vegetables in the local market.  There you can buy black bean paste wrapped in tobacco leaves for your hunger or a homemade ginseng tonic for your ailments. 

  

I will never visit such a place, not least because of the 8 hour bus ride required from the nearest airport.  Still, descriptions of exotic locales like this fuel my passion to travel off beaten paths, to places and cuisines out of the ordinary.  Take curry for example.  Green Thai curry is the most common, made from green chillies, shallots, garlic, galangal and shrimp paste. Yellow curry is my favorite with its cumin and coriander, along with mace and cinnamon.  But one can go even farther afield with curries such as panang curry, a less spicy curry made with red chili peppers, cumin, coriander, and lemongrass.  My mood for something different was met by this panang curry recipe, served with traditional beef and peanuts.  It may not have come wrapped in a tobacco leaf, nor was it sold by a Hmong woman in a pink and green headdress, but it was a way for me, at least on one evening, to take my taste buds to a different place, experience something new and exotic, and do so without a 20 hour plane ride and an 8 hour bus ride.  Serves 2.

   

Ingredients:

1 tbsp vegetable oil

2 tbsp panang curry paste

½ lb beef, cut into thin strips

1 can coconut milk

1 tbsp fish sauce

1 tbsp palm (or brown) sugar

¼ cup roasted peanuts, finely chopped

½ cup peas

1 cup cooked rice

    

Directions:

Heat the oil in a wok or large pan over medium-high heat.  Stir in the curry paste and fry for 3 minutes.  Add the beef, stir and fry 3 more minutes.  Stir in the milk, fish sauce, sugar and peanuts.  Reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes.  Add the peas and simmer a few more minutes.  Season with salt to taste.  Serve over rice.