Panang Vs Red Curry — What’s The Difference?
Quick Answer
Panang curry is nutty and sweet, made with peanuts and has a thick consistency. Red curry, on the other hand, is very spicy and saucy, made primarily with red chilis. The key difference lies in their predominant flavors and texture.
Read on for more detail
There are hundreds of different curries out there. It’s almost impossible to keep up with!
Two curries that are especially tricky to figure out are panang and red curry. They look very similar and contain many of the same ingredients, but trust us: choosing the wrong one could just ruin your night!
So, what exactly are the differences between panang and red curry? Panang is a predominantly nutty (thanks to peanuts, the main ingredient) and sweet curry with a mild spice level and a very thick, creamy consistency. Red curry, on the other hand, is very saucy and spicy thanks to its use of red chilis — if you can’t handle a lot of spice, this one is not for you!
Today, we will take a close-up look at both of these curries. We will compare the ingredients used to make them, their spiciness levels, their color, consistency, and overall flavor.
In the end, you will be able to effortlessly discern between the two and choose exactly what curry works best for you!
What Is Panang Curry?
Panang curry is one of the top five most famous and popular Thai curries. If you have a Thai restaurant in your town, they will almost surely serve it.
This curry originated in Thailand from the island of Penang, hence the name.
Naturally, there are traditional versions of this dish and more modern variations. And, regionally you will find that every cook adds their own twist to it as well.
However, what makes panang a panang curry remains the same across the board. It’s like lasagna — even though there are hundreds and thousands of lasagna recipes, the core of its composition remains the same.
A panang curry is extremely flavorful. Almost all of this flavor comes from the panang sauce!
If you ever choose to make panang at home, do not buy a premade sauce — make it from scratch instead. It will give you control over the final flavor and it will just be made from higher quality ingredients, giving it an overall better flavor!
So, let’s break down this dish.
Ingredients Used To Make Panang
The main flavors in a panang curry come from the sauce. The sauce includes ingredients like galangal, lemongrass, coriander, shrimp paste, soy sauce, and coconut cream. All of these are must-have ingredients.
Then, many sauces also contain onions, garlic, almonds, and a variety of spices.
Some noticeable spices that appear in most panang recipes include turmeric, paprika, coriander, nutmeg, cinnamon, and chili flakes.
However, the hero ingredient that makes panang unique is peanuts. This dish can make use of either peanut butter or fresh whole peanuts — or both! It makes it instantly recognizable and stands out above other types of Thai curry.
The peanuts not only add a delicious nutty and earthy flavor, but also a ton of texture.
Other than the sauce base and peanuts, you can also include some vegetables and meat. Here you can play around with add-ins.
Traditionally, panang will contain bell peppers, tomatoes, chicken, or beef. But again, the recipes differ from family to family.
The flavor comes from the sauce. And as long as the must-have ingredients are there, the curry will be considered a panang curry.
Flavor
Panang curry has an overwhelming peanut flavor. You cannot substitute them for any other nut, even though you can add more nuts.
The peanuts create an earthy, nutty, and slightly sweet flavor. This is accompanied by a heavily spiced flavor profile that tastes like, well, curry.
You will also be able to instantly pick up some lemongrass and ginger (galangal). The rest of the ingredients don’t add an overpowering flavor (depending on how much you add to them).
If you add meat, you’ll naturally have a meatier and more umami curry. But you can make a vegan panang using tofu as well.
This curry is quite spicy in most cases. Usually, it’s chili powder or flakes that are added and not fresh chilies. Nevertheless, the exact amount of spiciness is adjustable.
Texture And Consistency
Panang curry is quite thick thanks to the coconut cream, peanuts or peanut butter, and added veggies. It isn’t nearly as saucy as many other types of curry.
Personally, we love it this way. A saucy curry can be very difficult to eat and not nearly as filling. Panang is extremely hearty and packed with ingredients and different textures.
The peanuts alone add a delicious crunch to your meal that make sit overall more appealing.
How Panang Is Served
Panang curry is mainly served with rice like most other curries are. This can either be sticky rice or jasmine rice.
We also like to sometimes serve it with some Asian flatbread. While this isn’t an Indian dish, we love it with naan, roti, or chapati.
For garnish, this curry is often paired with some lemon or lime slices, fresh basil, fresh chili slices, and lime leaves. You can even add a generous spoonful of coconut cream.
What Is Red Curry?
Something that differentiates one curry from another in Thai cuisine is the color. This color is added using a couple of set-in-stone ingredients.
So, for example, to make a green Thai curry, you add herbs like Thai basil, lime leaves, cilantro, or kaffir leaves.
Red curry is the same. To make a red Thai curry, you always add chili in the form of flakes, powder, or paste.
Now, it’s important to understand that “red curry” is a very broad category when it comes to recipes. If the only determining factor to make a red curry is adding red chilies, you can imagine the extremely broad flavor profiles out there!
So, how do you know if it’s truly a red curry then? There isn’t really a wrong answer for that. If it has red chilis and bright red color, it can be classified as red curry.
Ingredients Used To Make Red Curry
As we have already mentioned, all red curries have to contain some form of red chili. That can be red chili powder, red chili flakes, or red curry paste.
Other ingredients that commonly accompany a red curry include coconut milk, shrimp paste, soy sauce, tomato paste or fresh tomatoes, and galangal (ginger).
Chicken is probably the most popular meat that is added to this curry. You can also use other types of meat and even seafood.
And in terms of vegetables, while you can add some, it isn’t very common. At the most, many Thai chefs only add aromatics like garlic and onion. But, it is an opportunity to play around with texture and flavor.
Flavor
Red curry is predominantly spicy. It contains a ton of chili that almost overwhelms any other flavor.
It isn’t very sweet, doesn’t have any nutty flavor, and only has subtle undertones of umami meatiness. If you add vegetables, you may be able to pick up some of their flavors.
As with panang curry (and all curries), this dish is very flavorful and does contain a ton of spices.
Texture And Consistency
This type of curry is very saucy. It doesn’t contain a lot of ingredients that give it a thick texture. So, it is great to serve with accompaniments that can absorb the sauces.
It also doesn’t have a ton of texture. If you add vegetables, they can help with that. But again, overall, it’s just a bright red sauce dish.
How Red Curry Is Served
Red curry is served like most others as well. Traditionally, you will get it with a bowl of rice or some flatbread.
In this case, we prefer flatbread because you can easily scoop up the sauces.
For garnish, you can use coconut cream, more fresh chopped chilis, or fresh basil leaves. You don’t serve this curry with citrus because of how spicy it already is. Those flavors don’t pair well.
Panang Vs Red Curry — Similarities And Differences
So, let’s get down to it: what are the actual differences and similarities between panang and red curry?
Both of these are classic Thai curries. Many of their ingredients are the same and they are even served in the same way. However, there are three main differences between them.
1. Flavor And Spiciness
Visually, it may be difficult to tell them apart. But the different flavors will give them away instantly.
Panang is slightly spicy and has an overwhelming nutty, earthy, and umami flavor from the peanuts and meat.
Red curry, on the other hand, is almost just spicy. It is far less sweet than panang, and it isn’t nearly as complex in flavor because it contains fewer ingredients.
2. Color
The second is the color of the curries. If you place them side-by-side, you will be able to more easily tell which is which. But, at a street vendor or on a menu without dish names, it can be a challenge.
Both have a reddish color to them. But red curry is a lot richer and deeper in color than panang. It contains mainly chills whereas panang only contains a dash of it.
3. Consistency
And finally, as we’ve said, panang is a much thicker type of curry in comparison to red curry.
It has more texture from accompanying vegetables, has a crunchy element from the peanuts, and has a thick consistency from the coconut cream and peanut butter.
Red curry is very saucey and has to be scooped up with flatbread.
Panang Vs Red Curry — Comparison Chart
Here’s a chart that further breaks down the differences between these two delicious curries:
| Panang Curry | Red Curry | |
|---|---|---|
| Hero Ingredient | Peanuts or peanut butter | Red chilis (in any form) |
| Other Must-Have Ingredients | Coconut cream, galangal (ginger), lemongrass, shrimp paste, soy sauce, coriander | Coconut cream, galangal (ginger), shrimp paste, soy sauce, tomato paste or fresh tomatoes |
| Main Meat Used | Chicken, beef, pork (not very common) | Chicken, beef, pork, seafood |
| Optional Additions | Onions, garlic, almonds, curry spices, bell pepper, tomatoes | Onions, garlic, curry spices |
| Spiciness | Varying levels of low to medium spiciness | Very spicy |
| Flavor | Predominantly nutty and sweet, hints of spicy and umami flavors, can pick up some lemongrass and ginger. | Overwhelmingly spicy, doesn’t contain much sweetness, no nuttiness, very few umami flavors. |
| Color | Light red | Bright, rich red |
| Texture And Consistency | Thick consistency with loads of texture | Very saucy curry with little texture |
| Served With | Jasmine or sticky rice, flatbread is also acceptable | Flatbread is best, jasmine or sticky rice |
