Carol Ann Taylor’s New Cookbook Is Here!
Those who follow this blog know I share a lot of Carol’s recipes, as well as her terrific “A – Z Of World Cuisine” series. So when she announced her new cookbook release, I had to buy it, then make something to share with all of you – so what did I choose?
“Thai Penang Chicken Curry!”
Carol describes the dish this way:
“Phanaeng, also spelt Phoning, panning, and other variants is a type of red This curry that is thick, salty, and sweet, with a nutty peanut flavor.”
This sounded terrific, as I don’t have a lot of experience cooking Thai, so let’s make this together! First, your ingredients:
1-1/2 to 2 (14 oz.) cans of coconut milk
2-4 tsp. panning curry paste
1 tsp. creamy peanut butter
500 gm (about a pound) of boneless skinless chicken breast – thinly slices
1-2 tsp. fish sauce
2 tbsp. brown sugar
1 tsp tamarind paste concentrate
1 shallot thinly slices (or 1/2 red onion)
1 red bell pepper thinly sliced
3 kaffir lime leaves, optional
1/4 cup Thai basil leaves
Carol advises to skim off two tsp of the coconut cream without shaking the can, and add it to a sauce pan set over medium high heat. Add the panang curry paste and peanut butter and cook for one minute.
Next up? The chicken! Take a look:
As you saw, I just added the sliced chicken and stirred it to coat the meat. Cook for 1-2 minutes. Add a couple of tablespoons of water to the pan if the sauces sticks at all.
Stir in the remaining coconut milk.
Add the kaffir lime leaves, fish sauce, brown sugar sliced onion and red bell pepper.
Note: I didn’t have the lime leaves, so just added a bit of lime juice so I’d get that essence in there. I also didn’t not use the brown sugar or red bell pepper, but being me, I added garlic!
Let the curry come to a simmer, lower the heat, and simmer 2-3 minutes or until the chicken cooks through. Here is a look at how it was bubbling away on the stove – and boy did it smell great!
Taste and adjust with additional coconut milk, sugar, tamarind or fish sauce. Remove from the heat and add the basil. As you can see, I had to use dried but it was OK…just couldn’t find fresh basil in New York today!
I served mine over some rice, which also had garlic in it…hey, I am who I am!
Verdict? Delicious of course! I love peanut butter so I used a bit more, and the coconut milk gives it a velvety smoothness. I found the curry, tamarind and fish sauce to add a nice zing without being too overpowering, and chicken loves enhanced flavors like this so it was a big winner!
Here’s a video of the entire process:
Bravo Carol on the publication. of your new cookbook!
For anyone who hasn’t purchased it yet, click here to be taken to Amazon and grab a copy!
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DMM1Y94Y
As Carol says:
“The recipes are all tried and tested in my kitchen and on my family who are my harshest critics…many are recipes that my mother and grandmother used to bake and they hold more meaning for me now my mother has passed on…it makes me a little sad that she didn’t see her recipes in print…and know how many people loved her recipes…”
And since Christmas is closing in, Carol also has “My Homemade Christmas” for sale as well – filled with traditional British recipes that she makes every Christmas…
I already own this one and will be cooking from it this week as well…see more about the cookbook here!
As for Carol, “Recipes from Carol’s Kitchen” are now in print as well – I am cooking from it this week to share as well…check out CarolCooks2.com for all of her great stuff!
As for Carol’s “A – Z Of World Cuisine” – here’s one of them I shared that celebrated Jamaican cuisine!
I am sharing and storing all of these recipes here!
It’s your site for all things food – if you like what you see, please click on my link and follow this blog as well!
Bravo Carol – so happy for your success!
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Categories: Bite Eat Swallow, Bite! Eat! Repeat!, Chef memoirs, Cookbooks, Eat This!, Food, Food Travel, Food Writing, Recipes, Travel, Wacky Food, World's Wildest Food
Bite! Eat! Repeat! 
this sounds so good
Thank you, Beth, John’s version of my Penang Curry looks and sounds delicous 🙂
Loved this post!
Thank you, Dorothy 🙂
A beautiful looking dish!
Hi Susanne I agree John’s curry looks delicious 🙂
Hi John, I also fancied this recipe. Yours looks amazing.
It’s so easy but so delicious. I don’t use Thai ingredients like these much so it was a fun way to explore their unique flavors!
Hi Robbie I agree John’s Penang Curry looks and sounds delicious 🙂
Hi John thank you so much for cooking the Penang Curry and promoting my cookbook..I love how you have made it your own and that is what I believe is the essence of a cookbook it is but a guide…I’m sure adding garlic, lime juice amd dried herbs made the Penang Curry your own..it looks delicious…Thank you again, John a fabulous writeup of the Penang Curry and promotion of my cookbook 🙂
Thanks Carol! Some of those recipes changes were caused by a lack of fresh ingredients…even here in New York there was no fresh basil! I am cooking from the christmas book next – can’t wait!
Looking forward to seeing what you choose to cook…
Well done, John. I am sure it was delicious!
Best wishes, Pete.
Hi John,
This is similar to a dish I used to order where I lived before retiring to Mexico. We don’t have any Thai restaurants in our town now. I would leave out the fish sauce if I cooked this. We have a lime tree in the yard but I don’t know if it’s a keffir or not. I also never knew lime leaves were edible. As for the coconut milk and curry paste, I’ll look for them on my next trip to the “big city.” Tamarind trees are everywhere here but not paste. Maybe I could crush a seed. Fresh basil is available and definitely red peppers. I love to read Carol’s recipes on her blog!
Thanks for the note – that is always an issue when replicating someone’s recipe – if they utilize local ingredients, many will be hard to find – although I live in New York so they are somewhere, I just need to find the specialty store that has them! Thanks for the comment!
I signed up for your blog so I’ll be seeing more of your recipes. Thanks, John
Just followed your as well!
Hello from hot, hot, hot eastern Australia! Found this inviting recipe first and then you! Live on Australasian food and curries attendant but do not know enough about Malaysian offerings. This has to be tried . . . Thai basil is hard to get outside city markets . . .
Thanks!
Looks tasty!