Panang Curry with Portobello Mushrooms and Eggplant

June 27, 2010

Panang Curry with Portobello Mushrooms and Eggplant © kvalifood.com

A vegan take on panang curry, one of the thicker Thai curries. Unlike most Thai curries that are soupy, panang is “kluk klik” - just enough sauce to coat the ingredients. This version swaps the usual sliced meat for roasted portobello mushrooms and eggplant, which hold up well against the rich coconut curry sauce. Soy sauce replaces fish sauce for both salt and umami. Serves 3, about 30 minutes plus 30 minutes if making the curry paste from scratch.

Ingredients

Serves 3

Curry

Vegetable oil, as needed
250 g Chinese (or Japanese eggplant), cut into 1 ½ cm pieces on a sharp bias
A pinch of salt
200 g portobello mushrooms
3 ½-7 dl coconut milk
1 recipe vegan panang curry paste (below), (or 4 Tbsp store-bought paste)
1 Tbsp palm sugar, finely chopped, packed
2-3 tsp soy sauce
4 kaffir lime leaves, very thinly julienned

For serving

2 Tbsp thick part of coconut milk for garnish (optional)
Spur chili (or red bell pepper), julienned, for garnish
Jasmine rice

Vegan panang curry paste

10 large dried chilies, seeded
1 1/2 tsp coriander seeds
3/4 tsp cumin seeds
1/4 tsp white peppercorns
12 roasted peanuts (for nut allergies, use 1 1/2 Tbsp cooked mung beans)
1 tsp salt
2 Tbsp lemongrass, finely chopped
1 Tbsp galangal, finely chopped
1 tsp kaffir lime zest, finely chopped
1 tsp cilantro roots, finely chopped (or 1 Tbsp cilantro stems, finely chopped)
3 Tbsp shallots, finely chopped
1 Tbsp garlic, finely chopped

Directions

Make the curry paste (skip if using store-bought)

Grind the dried chilies into a powder using a spice or coffee grinder, or soak them in water for at least an hour to soften.

Toast the coriander seeds in a small dry pan over medium-high heat, stirring constantly, until aromatic and slightly darkened, about 4 minutes. Remove and cool on a plate. Repeat with the cumin seeds.

Grind the toasted coriander, cumin, and white peppercorns into a fine powder using a mortar and pestle or spice grinder. Set aside. Grind the roasted peanuts until mealy and set aside separately.

If using ground dried chilies: In a mortar, combine the salt, lemongrass, galangal, kaffir lime zest, and cilantro roots. Pound into a fine paste. Add the ground spices, ground chilies, shallots, and garlic. Pound into a fine paste. Add the ground peanuts and pound to combine.

If using soaked chilies: Drain and pat dry. Cut into small pieces. Pound the chilies and salt in the mortar into a rough paste. Add the ground spices to absorb the liquid and keep pounding to a fine paste. Add the lemongrass, galangal, kaffir lime zest, and cilantro roots; pound to a fine paste. Add the shallots and garlic; pound to a fine paste. Add the ground peanuts and pound to combine.

Roast the vegetables

Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment and brush with oil. Lay the eggplant slices on the sheet, brush the tops with oil, season with a pinch of salt, and roast for 15-20 minutes until tender.

Brush both sides of the portobello mushrooms with oil and season with a pinch of salt. Roast stem side down for 12-15 minutes until cooked through. When done, cut into 1/2-inch slices.

Make the curry sauce

While the vegetables roast, reduce 1/2 cup of the coconut milk in a small pot over medium heat until very thick and the clear oil starts to separate from the white portion, about 10 minutes. If the oil doesn’t separate, just proceed once it’s thick.

Add the curry paste and cook over medium-low heat for 3-4 minutes, stirring constantly, until very thick. Add the palm sugar, 2 tsp soy sauce, 3/4 cup coconut milk, and half the kaffir lime leaves. Stir for another 2 minutes. The sauce should be thick but still pour easily - add more coconut milk if needed.

Remove from heat and taste. Add the remaining soy sauce if needed. The sauce should taste quite strong on its own, since the vegetables and rice will mellow it.

Assemble

Pour the curry sauce onto a deep plate. Arrange the roasted mushrooms and eggplant on top. Drizzle with the thick coconut milk (if using) and garnish with the remaining kaffir lime leaves and julienned chili. Serve with jasmine rice.

Notes

The thick coconut milk garnish is traditional for panang. Skim the fatty layer from the top of a refrigerated can of coconut milk.
The vegetables can be swapped freely - butternut squash and fennel work well. Grilling instead of roasting is even better if the weather allows.
The curry paste and sauce can be made 1-2 days ahead and refrigerated.