Salmon Panang Curry

Okay, here’s the next installment on the Thai recipes.  It has been awhile, hasn’t it?  All well here, just stuff going on.  Like ants trying to re-invade the house….

Okay, when the instructor told us we were making salmon that day, several of us turned up our noses, because we had never had salmon that we liked.  About 3 or 4 of us in the class. Not sure why, because we all liked other fish, but it’s something about salmon.

Well, no more.  Everyone who had never liked salmon before couldn’t say that again after this dish.  It was quite surprising to me. 

 

Salmon Pa-nang Curry

Serves 2-3.  Prep time: 20 minutes once things are chopped.

Read all directions and notes before starting.  A large skillet (wide & deep) works well, or a wok.  Large sauce pan/skillet would probably be best.

 

Ingredients

1 lb salmon filet

2 – 2.5 tbsp fish sauce (see notes)

1 – 1.5 tsp palm sugar (see notes)

2 – 3 tsp tamarind concentrate (see notes)

1 – 1.5 tbsp vegetable oil

10 – 12 oz coconut milk

2 – 4 oz panang curry (see notes)

4- 5 oz fresh thai basil leaves (see notes)

4 – 5 kaffir lime leaves, shredded (see notes)

2 – 3 fresh green/red bird chilis, sliced into strips (see notes)

 

Directions

1.  Have everything out, all ingredients that need chopping/cutting all ready.  This dish goes quickly.

2. Heat the vegetable oil and stir-fry the curry paste until aromatic.  (3-4 minutes, med. high heat).  Believe me, you’ll smell it, and you’ll also notice a slight darkening in color (or maybe you won’t, depends on you I guess).

3. Add coconut milk and bring to a boil (not quite a full can) – simmer 10-12 min. 
(Low fat option – Use 10 oz. soy milk, add 1-2 tbsp powdered coconut milk (it comes in an envelope, thai markets).

4. Season with fish sauce, palm sugar, and tamarind concentrate.

5. Bring to a boil, and when the mixture is well blended, add the salmon, skin side down.

6. Continue to boil until cooked.  The bottom (skin side) should start to brown, char, about 5 min. at med. high to high heat.  Flip salmon, 5 more min, then flip one more time and then give it a 2-3 more minutes.

7. Add kaffir lime leaves, stir.

8. Remove from heat, add basil leaves and fresh green chilis.  Serve immediately. 

 Serve with jasmine rice.

Notes

Panang curry: There are several canned curries available in thai and oriental markets.  Small cans, 4 oz. each.  They come in different flavors – green, panang (red), and masuman are 3 of the flavors. 

Fish sauce:  Thai markets, some other oriental markets.  If you are vegetarian, there is a vegetarian mushroom sauce available from thaimarket.com that works.

Palm sugar:  great stuff, substitute brown sugar if desired.

Chili peppers:  Thais use several kinds of hot peppers, available at thai markets.  There are the long peppers (green, about 5-6” long), and the bird peppers (green/yellow/red, about 1 ½ “ long.  Bird peppers are much hotter.  Cut on long diagonals, so that they can be seen easily in the dish when served.

Tamarind concentrate: Tamarind is a fruit, its juice is concentrated down.  A very tangy, almost sour flavor, this is one of the secret ingredients to several thai dishes.

Thai basil leaves:  Thai markets.  Another secret ingredient you’ve never heard of.  It’s very different than regular basil. DO NOT SUBSTITUTE REGULAR BASIL!

Kaffir lime leaves: Thai markets again. 

Usually in the freezers, in very small packages.  You never need a lot, but their flavor is very unique and another secret ingredient.  DO NOT SUBSTITUTE REGULAR LIME JUICE!!  They don’t taste the same at all. Kaffir leaves are very different.