I live my life in search of a good Panang beef curry. Actually, I am in pursuit of a magnificent Mussamun Curry, but Panang is a close second. After a disappointing trial with a prepared Mussamun curry paste (too cardamom-y, not enough peanuts), and one too many mediocre Thai meals eaten out, I’ve decided to make the paste myself.

With an assemblage of ingredients typically Thai: galanga, lemon grass, chilies, shrimp paste, to name a few, and help from the mortar and pestle to grind the spices, and a Cuisanart (because I’m a weakling) to bring the ingredients into a potent, spicy paste, in less than an hour I have homemade curry paste.

So what is this obsession all about? There is a little Thai restaurant, near where I grew up, that has the most delicious Mussamun Beef Curry. It’s a little hole in the wall, that has been there forever, with a forgettable name, and an even more forgettable decor. However, what this place lacks in ambiance, it more than makes up for in down-home, authentic Thai cuisine. But since my parents have moved from the Peninsula, and San Mateo is no longer my sister’s stomping ground, I really have no reason to frequent Nippa-Pon– except for that damn Mussamun Curry. Sometimes the craving gets too great, and I convince Brian to take me for my fix. We hop in the car, brave the traffic on the bridge, and in about one hour’s time, we arrive with our bellies gurgling.

Now there are plenty of good Thai restaurants in the East Bay, but none that I have found with even a passable Mussamun. And so I have resigned myself to Mussamun’s sister Panang. But sometimes I so crave that Mussamun Curry, with its deep brown, coconut infused sauce, and gentle heat hitting me in the back of the throat, I salivate at the thought. Now I know that a craving for good Mussamun is something to be endured until I can no longer wait, and I must make my way to the peninsula. But until then, I have my Panang curry to satiate my inner Thai desires.

The paste is very potent and concentrated, so you only need about 6 tablespoons per batch of Panang Curry. Simply store the reserved in the fridge until next time you have a hankering.

Panang Curry Paste
from Comfort Food

8-10 large dried chilies
6 shallots, chopped
6 garlic cloves, chopped
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon white pepper
2 lemongrass stalks, white part only, sliced and bruised
1 tablespoon chopped galangal
6 cilantro sprigs
2 teaspoons shrimp paste
2 tablespoons roasted peanuts

Soak chilies in boiling water for 15 minutes to reconstitute. Remove the seeds and chop. Place in food processor with rest of the ingredients, and process until smooth. Add a little water if paste is too thick, and is not coming together.