“One reason phanaeng curry is one of the most beloved in Thailand is that, when traditionally made, it’s thicker and more concentrated (with more flavor, not more heat) than most other curries,” writes Leela Punyaratabandhu in Flavors of the Southeast Asian Grill: Classic Recipes for Seafood and Meats Cooked Over Charcoal. “Like those other curries, phanaeng is served in a bowl with rice—which is why my entire extended family was amazed when a caterer at my grandfather’s 72nd birthday party threaded phanaeng marinated beef and large cubes of pumpkin onto skewers and grilled them. We loved it so much, we reverse-engineered it, and have made it at every family reunion ever since.
You can serve the skewers with cooked jasmine rice; just season the sauce with a heavier hand. Be sure to use a well-marbled, quick-cooking cut of beef, such as rib eye or sirloin steak, and a dense, low-moisture pumpkin or winter squash—kabocha, Buttercup, Musquée de Provence (aka Fairy Tale pumpkin), and Potimarron squash (aka Red Kuri) are my absolute favorites, but common butternut squash works. Look for Nittaya or Mae Ploy brand phanaeng (also spelled panang) curry paste sold in tubs.”
Reprinted with permission from ‘Flavors of the Southeast Asian Grill: Classic Recipes for Seafood and Meats Cooked Over Charcoal’ by Leela Punyaratabandhu. Copyright © 2020 shesimmers.com. Published by Ten Speed Press, an imprint of Penguin Random House.