Thai Panang Curry Noodles with Meat Sauce

Ingredients

1½ tablespoons panang curry
4 ounces ground beef
8 ounces rice noodles
5 makrut (kaffir lime leaves, frozen)
1 ounce palm sugar
1 medium shallot (finely sliced)
5 garlic cloves (minced)
20 grams ginger (coarsely minced)
5.6 fluid ounces coconut milk (small can)
1 teaspoon sugar (for meat marinade)
2 tablespoons fish sauce
3 dried Thai chilies
1½ teaspoons light soy sauce
1 teaspoon dark soy sauce
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 cup water
salt (to taste)
white pepper (to taste)
scallion (green part only for garnish, thinly sliced)

Directions

Soak rice noodles in a bowl of hot tap water to soften for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, marinate the ground beef in 1/2 teaspoon of the light soy sauce, 1/4 teaspoon of the dark soy sauce, 1/2 teaspoon of the fish sauce, a teaspoon of sugar and a dash of salt and white pepper.

After the noodles have soaked for 20 minutes, preheat carbon steel wok until smoking and coat with a small amount of the oil. Remove from heat and turn the fire to medium.

Place the wok back over the flame and add the rest of the oil. Once the oil is shimmering, add the ground beef and cook until just brown.

After the meat has browned, add the shallots, garlic and ginger. Cook until soft, about two minutes.

After the mirepoix has softened, add the panang curry, the dried chilies and the makrut (kafir) lime leaves. Cook until fragrant, about two minutes.

Add the remainder of the fish sauce, light soy sauce, dark soy sauce and oyster sauce. Cook for about one minute.
Add the palm sugar.

Immediately after adding the palm sugar, add the coconut milk and 1 cup of water. Bring the mixture to a steady simmer.
Drain the noodles in the sink by tilting the water from the bowl. You don’t have to entirely drain the noodles.

Add the noodles to the pot, along with the small amount of remaining liquid, and cook the mixture until the noodles are soft. Add more water if the mixture becomes too thick and the noodles begin to stick to the bottom of the pan.

The dish is done when the noodles are soft and the sauce reaches a thick yet viscous consistency.

Transfer the finished noodles to a serving bowl, garnish with thinly sliced scallion greens and serve with a lime wedge.