Originally I was going to post tofu scramble chilaquiles, but I always struggle with making mole here because tomatillos are so hard to come by. Also… while I love tofu, scrambled tofu just isn’t really it for me.
Rosa’s Thai Café – The Vegetarian Cookbook by Saiphin Moore
Then I was reading Rosa’s Thai Café – The Vegetarian Cookbook and spotted this recipe for vegan gaeng penang tua lima (lima or butter bean panang, I refuse to use the word ‘curry’ for all Asian stews) and I knew I had to have it. Because out of all the beans, the butter bean is my favorite.
Hot & Bothered serendipity
I was however (and will probably always be) still hung up on chilaquiles. Because nachos. Pondering these decisions during one of my morning walks, I started thinking of chilaquiles mash-ups: laksa chilaquiles, mohinga chilaquiles and finally gaeng penang tua lima chilaquiles. But I let it go because it seemed like maybe this was too much of a stretch.
Later in the day my friend in Thailand contacted me. And as we were talking, we serendipitously shouted: “PANANG CHILAQUILES” at each other across the globe (no lie). And so I decided, this is okay. Though of course you can have this butter bean panang with rice as well. I don’t know why Asian and Latin American food fuse so well. From now classic Japanese-Peruvian Nikkei cuisine, to my beloved Mexican-Korean mash-up from LA, but it does. So here we are.
Ko Thai to the rescue
I was very happy to find an accidentally vegan panang-paste by Ko Thai at our biggest supermarket chain, if you choose to go with a ready-made paste, but be sure to check the contents extensively. As my friends of the Hot & Bothered newsletter started their project in the first place because vegan ready-made pastes can be very hard to find.
The Rosa’s Thai Café recipe below also includes instructions on how to make your own panang-paste. I made my panang with cashews, as you can see in the pictures, but the original recipe calls for peanuts and I suggest that unless you have an intense dislike for peanuts like I do, you follow Saiphin’s lead.
Gaeng Penang Tua Lima (Vegan Butter Bean Panang)
Equipment
- Small bowl (for soaking chilies, if making paste from scratch)
- Pestle and mortar or small food processor (if making paste from scratch)
- Wok or large frying pan (x2 if making chilaquiles)
- Kitchen towel (if making chilaquiles)
Ingredients
To make the panang-paste (ready-made also works, but double-check to ensure it's vegan)
- 6 dried chilies deseeded and soaked for 30 mins
- 1/2 t - 2.5 g salt
- 4 stalks lemongrass white core thinly sliced
- 1" - 2.5 cm galengal* finely grated
- 1 makrut lime leaf finely sliced
- 4 cloves garlic
- 1 small bunch coriander root or stalks
- 5 shallots sliced
- 6 black peppercorns
To make panang chilaquiles (or have with white rice)
- 4 T - 60 ml neutral oil I use sunflower
- 3 corn tortillas** cut into nacho-shaped triangles
- pinch salt
To make the gaeng penang tua lima
- 2 T - 30 ml neutral oil I use sunflower
- 1 T - 20 g panang-paste heaped, home-made or store-bought
- 1 1/4 c - 300 ml coconut milk
- 1 T - 15 g palm sugar I use gula jawa
- 2 T - 30 ml soy sauce light is preferred if you have it
- 2 T - 30 g peanuts roasted and crushed, or use cashews
- 1" - 2.5 cm galengal* thinly sliced
- 3 makrut lime leaves thinly sliced
- 8 1/4 oz - 235 g butter beans this is roughly one can, drained and rinsed
To serve
- 1 red chili thinly sliced
- a few makrut lime or sweet basil leaves*** thinly sliced
- 1 T - 15 g peanuts roasted and crushed, or use cashews
Instructions
Make the panang-paste (or use store-bought)
- Finely grind together 6 dried chilies that you've deseeded and soaked for 30 minutes and then drained with 1/2 t - 2.5 g of salt using a pestle and mortar or a small food processor.
- Add the thinly sliced white core of 4 stalks of lemon grass, 1"- 2.5 cm of sliced galengal root, 1 finely sliced makrut leaf, 4 cloves of garlic, 1 small bunch of finely sliced coriander root or stalks, 5 sliced shallots and 6 black peppercorns and grind or blend to a fine paste.
If making chilaquiles
- Heat 4 T - 60 ml of oil in a frying pan and fry 3 corn tortillas cut into triangles until golden and crisp. Drain on some kitchen towels and sprinkle enthusiastically with salt, before setting aside.
Make gaeng penang tua lima (butter bean panang)
- Heat 2 T - 30 ml of oil in a wok or frying pan.
- Once the oil is hot, add 1 heaped T of panang-paste and stir until fragrant. This should take 30 seconds or so.
- Keep stirring while pouring in 1 1/4 c - 300 ml of coconut milk.
- Once the coconut milk and paste have properly mixed, add in 2 T - 30 ml or g of soy sauce, palm sugar and roasted and crushed peanuts each with 1 T - 15 g of thinly sliced galengal. Keep stirring for 2 minutes or so, until the sugar has dissolved.
- Stir in 3 finely sliced makrut lime leaves and finally add 8 1/4 oz - 235 g of drained and rinsed butterbeans.
- Let everything bubble away gently for 5 minutes or so until the sauce has thickened and serve with white rice, thinly sliced chili and makrut or sweet basil leaves and 1 T - 15 g of roasted and crushed peanuts.
Make the chilaquiles
- First off: make sure you are very ready to eat because you want to eat this while the nachos are crisp and only starting to soak up the liquids from the panang.
- Quickly but gently scoop your nachos through the gaeng penang tua lima, so everything is evenly coated. Top with the thinly sliced chili and makrut or sweet basil leaves and 1 T - 15 g of roasted and crushed peanuts and serve immediately
Notes
