It’s not nice to miss out on something really good. But that was the plight of hundreds (was it thousands?) of people who attended the Thai New Year Festival in Hollywood.
What they missed was a taste of Chef Jet Tila’s silky, sumptuous chicken panang curry. Tila prepared a massive amount in a giant pan, but it still wasn’t enough to provide samples for more than a handful of those who watched his cooking demonstration.
Tila’s panang combines the key elements (sweet, salty, sour and spicy) involved in the taste sensation that Thais call yum and we call yummy, plus the fresh herbal flavors of kaffir lime leaves and Thai basil.
Luckily, there is still a way to taste Tila’s panang, and that is to make it yourself, with his recipe. It’s an easy dish, once you’ve accumulated the ingredients. Shop for them at Asian or Thai markets (I found everything at the Bangkok Market, 4757 Melrose Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90029).
The photo shows the panang dished up at the festival. Instead of chicken, you can make it with shrimp or tofu, Tila says. The outcome will be the same—yummy.
JET TILA'S PANANG CHICKEN CURRY
2 (13.5-ounce) cans coconut milk
4 whole kaffir lime leaves
2 to 3 tablespoons panang curry paste (depending upon how spicy you like it)
1½ teaspoons tamarind paste
1 teaspoon fish sauce
½ teaspoon sugar
1 pound boneless chicken breast, thinly sliced
¾ pound kabocha squash, cut into 1-inch pieces (the squash does not have to be peeled)
½ cup sliced bamboo shoots
¼ cup thinly sliced onion
¼ cup Thai basil, including stems
Sliced red bell pepper for garnish
Open one of the cans of coconut milk without shaking. Spoon out 1 1/2 tablespoons of the thick milk at the top and set aside. Measure enough additional milk from the cans to make 3 cups. Reserve the remaining milk.
Stack the lime leaves and roll them up tightly, then cut the roll crosswise into very fine shreds. Set aside.
Heat the 1 1/2 tablespoons thick coconut milk in a large saucepan or Dutch oven. Stir in the curry paste and shredded lime leaves. Cook and stir for 30 seconds to 1 minute, or until the paste starts to brown.
Stir in the remaining measured coconut milk and bring to a boil. Boil gently, uncovered, until slightly reduced and thickened, 8 to 10 minutes.
Reduce the heat and stir in the tamarind paste, fish sauce and sugar. Add the chicken, kabocha squash, bamboo shoots and onion. Tear the basil into the pan.
Simmer, stirring often, until the chicken is cooked through and the squash is slightly tender, about 15 minutes. The sauce should be thick but still fuid. If it has thickened too much, thin with some of the reserved coconut milk.
To serve, garnish with sliced bell pepper and accompany with steamed jasmine rice.
Makes 4 servings.
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