Beef Panang Curry
Rich, creamy, and packed with bold flavors—Beef Panang Curry is definitely a Thai style comfort food. This dish features tender beef in a luscious coconut curry. It is a perfect blend of sweetness, spice, and umami.

Panang VS Massaman Curry
Massman and Panang curries are both rich and creamy Thai curries, but they have distinct flavors and origins. Panang curry is a thicker, drier curry with a bold, slightly sweet, and nutty flavor. In fact, the Panang curry paste is basically red curry paste blends with peanuts. It has a pronounced red curry paste base with hints of kaffir lime, making it more aromatic and slightly spicier than Massaman. On the other hand, Massaman curry has Persian and Indian influences, giving it a milder, more complex flavor with warming spices like cinnamon, cardamom, and star anise. It is often made with beef or chicken and includes potatoes and peanuts, making it heartier and more stew-like compared to the thicker, more concentrated Panang curry.
What is Panang Curry Made of?
Similar to other Thai curries, Panang curry is made with a rich coconut milk base, aromatic herbs, and a flavorful curry paste. For this recipe, I use Aroy-D brand Panang curry paste, which has a well-balanced blend of dried red chilies, lemongrass, galangal, and kaffir lime. However, Maesri and Mae Ploy are also excellent and reputable brands that work just as well. The curry is slightly thicker than traditional Thai red curry, with a nutty undertone from ground peanuts and a hint of sweetness. It pairs beautifully with beef, chicken, or tofu and is best served with steamed jasmine rice to soak up the creamy, flavorful sauce.
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How do Thai Restaurants Make Curry So Creamy?
If you’ve made beef Panang curry and found it too runny instead of creamy, the extra liquid from the beef is likely the reason. To achieve a rich and creamy texture, cook the beef with a small amount of coconut milk until it’s about 70% done, then set it aside. Prepare the curry sauce separately, then add the beef back in along with bell peppers or sweet peppers. Finish with Makrut lime leaves and serve. Not only this method give you creamy curry, the beef will also stay tender. Over cooking beef can result in tough texture!
How to Get Your Curry to be Colorful?
Take an extra five to ten minutes to stir-fry the thick part of the coconut milk with the curry paste until vibrant oil starts to separate. Some restaurants first stir-fry the curry paste with coconut or vegetable oil for a few minutes before adding coconut milk and continuing to cook. Then add the remaining coconut milk. As you do so, you will notice the contrast of the white coconut milk and colorful oil from the curry paste.
More Curry Recipes
- Authentic Thai Massaman Chicken Curry
- Easy Slow Cooker Beef Massaman Curry
- Shrimp Pineapple Curry
- Chicken Red Curry
- Mee Ka Tee – Thai Red Curry Noodle Soup
- Red Curry Wonton Soup
- Instant Pot Khao Soi Recipe
- Thai Green Curry Chicken
- Pad Prik King with Chicken (Stir Fry Red Curry)
Beef Panang Curry
Equipment
- 1 pot (or skillet)
Ingredients
- 1 lb beef (preferably chuck roast, skirt or flank steak, but any cut will work.)
- 400 mL coconut milk (1 small can)
- 2 tbsp Panang curry paste (See the link)
- ¼ cup water (to clean the can and make thinner coconut milk)
- 1½ (one and half tablespoon) coconut sugar (or palm sugar or brown or regular sugar) (Use granulated monk fruit to make it Keto friendly.)
- 2 tbsp fish sauce
- 7 Makrut lime leaves (Kaffir lime leaves)
- 1 red bell pepper (or 2-3 sweet red pepper for garnish)
Instructions
Preparing Ingredients
- Thinly slice the beef and set a side.
- julienne the bell or red sweet peppers and set them aside.
- Devein and tear or julienne the Makrut lime leaves and set them aside.
Cooking and Assemble
- Cook the beef with ¼ cup of coconut milk over medium heat until it is about 60–70% done. This helps evaporate excess liquid and prevents overcooking later. Set it aside.
- Add about ½ cup of the thicker part of the coconut milk to the pan. Stir constantly to reduce and render some coconut oil. If no fat separates after 5 minutes, proceed with adding the curry paste.
- Stir-fry the curry paste with the coconut milk for another 5 minutes until you see a layer of vibrant red oil form. If the mixture gets too dry, add a little more coconut milk as needed.
- Add the remaining coconut milk. Also, add about ¼ to the empty coconut milk can to wash the can and make a thin coconut milk. Then season the curry sauce with sugar and fish sauce.
- Pour half of the beef juices from the bowl into the curry to enhance the flavor. Let it simmer for a few minutes to reduce the liquid.
- Add the beef back into the pan and cook for another minute.
- Add the Makrut lime leaves and red pepper, stirring to combine. Turn off the heat and serve this delicious, creamy Beef Panang Curry with steamed rice. Enjoy!