Beef tendon panang is my go-to order at my favorite Thai restaurant. It’s spicy, a little sweet, and a lovely, rich curry. I decided to turn the curry into a soup, and replaced the beef tendons with cubes of beef (I used ribeye, but use whatever you like). It’s perfect on a cold night, and especially delicious if you have a cold or sinuses that need clearing. Feel free to add your favorite vegetables too. Enjoy!

INGREDIENTS:

1/3 cup large dried chilies, soaked until soft with seeds removed

1 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons galangal (or ginger), cut into matchsticks

2 tablespoons lemongrass, cut into thin rounds

1 tablespoon chopped cilantro root

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1 teaspoon ground cumin

2 tablespoons garlic

2 tablespoons shallots

1 tablespoon roasted peanuts

2 cans coconut milk

1 pound cubed beef

1 quart broth

1 pound pad thai noodles

DIRECTIONS:

First we’ll make the curry paste. Start by soaking the chilies in warm water until they’re soft, about 20 minutes. When they’re soft, cut them open to remove the guts & seeds.

Toast the cumin, coriander and peanuts separately in a pan over medium heat. Roast each until fragrant, about 3-5 minutes, and set aside.

In a food processor, combine all ingredients from the chilies through the roasted peanuts. Chop to the

Heat up a saucepan first on medium-high heat, then add 1/2 cup of the coconut cream. It should sizzle right away and boil. Add all the paste and mix well.

Fry the paste. Keep adding a little bit of coconut milk when it gets too dry, maybe about 1/4 cup every minute or two. Keep stirring so it doesn’t burn.

Keep adding coconut cream about 1/4 cup at a time, every minute or two. You should start to see a lot of oil coming to the top of the curry. It’s supposed to do that! After doing this for about 5-10 minutes, add the beef, and turn the heat to low. Add the broth. Cook, covered, for about 90 minutes, until the beef is very tender. Add noodles and serve when al dente with with fresh cilantro.