Thai sauces?

Question

What is the difference btwn red curry and penang curry? They taste very similar.

mahalo

Answer 1

My friend is a local Thai chef and he says Panang Curry always contains peanuts and spices like cloves, cumin, cinnamon, nutmeg..... it has Malay, Indonesian influences.

Answer 2

I believe penang curry is richer in both texture and taste. Whenever I order penang curry, it's always thick and rich of taste. but as far as spiciness, they both are close.

Answer 3

the herbs put in probably

Answer 4

I write here recipes so you can judge alone

Thai Red Curry Paste

Ingredients

6 ea Dried red chilies

1 ea Fresh lemon grass

OR

1 ts Dried lemon grass

5 ea Garlic cloves, peeled

3 md Shallots, peeled

1 ts Kaffir lime zest OR Lemon zest

1 ts Galanga, fresh or dried*

Directions

Cut the chili peppers into small pieces & soak them in a cup of cold water for 15 minutes. Separate the seeds & discard them.

Place the prepared chilies into a mortar or food processor. Add the remaining ingredients & blend well until a thick paste, like peanut butter is formed. If the ingredients are too dry, add a few drops of cold water. Put the curry paste in a tightly covered container in the refrigerator until ready to use.

* If using dried galanga, soak in cold water for 15 minutes.

Penang Curry Paste

Description

Penang is a dry curry, probably originating in Malaysia.

Ingredients

25-30 dried red chillis: shake them to discard the excess seeds.

2 tablespoons hom daeng (shallots/purple onions), chopped

2 tablespoons kratiem (garlic), chopped

2 tablespoons of takhrai (lemon grass), very finely sliced

2 tablespoons of chopped coriander/cilantro root

2 tablespoons of chopped freshly roasted peanuts.

1 tablespoon grated kha (galangal - use ginger if you can't find galangal)

1 teaspoon of toasted coriander seeds

1 tablespoon kapi (shrimp paste)

Method

Mix together to a fine paste in a food processor.

It is better to make it milder than use less than 2 tablespoons of paste in a curry, but I do not recomend using less than 10 chilis.

Shelf life

You can keep this paste in a well stoppered bottle in a cool place for 3-4 weeks. Alternatively it can be frozen and kept for 3-4 months. I recomend freezing it in an ice-cube tray to form known quantities for subsequent use.

Answer 5

Red Curry and Panang curry are the same, the difference is that Panang curry is a "dry" curry and doesn't have as much coconut milk as red.  This makes red curry more of a soup, whereas panang is not. Ground peanuts are also sometimes added to the Panang curry paste.