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Gaeng Penang Tua Lima (Vegan Butter Bean Panang)

Dorothy Porker
This recipe for gaeng penang tua lima (vegan butter bean panang) from Rosa's Thai Café is quick, easy and incredibly moorish. Turn them into chilaquiles for an exciting nacho-twist or have it with rice like a normal.
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 7 minutes
Soaking the chilies (when making panang-paste from scratch) 30 minutes
Course Breakfast, Main course
Cuisine Mexican, Thai, Vegan
Servings 1 - 2 people

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

Home-made panang-paste will keep in the fridge in a sealed container for roughly 2 weeks. 
As long as you have not made chilaquiles with them gaeng penang tua lima will keep and reheat well the next day. 
* Saiphin uses greater galengal in the panang-paste and lesser galangel in the gaeng penang tua lima, as far as I am aware they only sell one type of galengal here so that's what I used
** I find chilaquiles do not work with store-bought nachos, but this may be due to the quality of ready-made nachos we have available in the Netherlands (it's Doritos)
*** In the photo I've used coriander because both fresh makrut lime leaves and sweet basil are hard to come by here 
Keyword butter beans, lima beans, panang, rosa's thai, rosa's thai cafe, thai food, vegan thai