Panang curry with braised pork neck – creamy and full of flavour.

Panang curry with braised pork neck – a wonderfully creamy, flavourful curry with large pieces of pork that simmer directly in the sauce until they are melt-in-the-mouth tender. The sauce is rich and aromatic with coconut milk, Panang curry paste, kaffir lime leaves, fish sauce and lime, and at the end I add crisp vegetables that make a lovely contrast to the tender meat.

I love using pork neck (also sold as pork collar) in this Panang curry. It is a cut of pork that is particularly well suited to braising and slow cooking, and after a few hours in the spiced coconut sauce it becomes wonderfully tender and juicy.

I cut the pork neck into really large pieces – almost portion-sized – so that there is roughly one large piece of meat per person when serving. I think it looks beautiful on the plate, and you get the feeling of a proper piece of braised meat rather than small cubes in the sauce.

Plenty of flavour in the Panang sauce

I start by browning the meat well in a deep frying pan or casserole. Take the time to give it a proper colour – a good seared crust builds flavour right from the start.

The meat comes out, and in the same pan I fry onion wedges for a couple of minutes. Then I add Panang curry paste and finely chopped garlic and let them heat through properly before adding the stock and the thick, creamy layer from the top of the coconut milk.

This step really makes a difference. When the curry paste is allowed to fry and is then heated with the rich coconut cream, the flavour becomes more intense, rounded and full. It gives the sauce real depth and is one of those small things that makes a big difference to the finished Panang curry.

The meat goes back into the pan with the kaffir lime leaves, and from here time does most of the work. Let the pork neck braise gently under a lid for about 2 1/2-3 hours, until the meat is completely tender.

Finally I take the lid off and let the sauce simmer for a further 20-30 minutes. This lets it reduce a little and brings the flavours together even more.

Crisp vegetables and just the right consistency

Once the meat is tender, I carefully lift it out of the pan while I finish the sauce. I season it with fish sauce, fresh lime and a little sugar so the balance of salty, sour, sweet and spicy is spot on.

I then thicken the sauce with a little cornflour mixed with cold water. Add it a little at a time – the sauce just needs a lovely, lightly creamy consistency that will coat the meat. It should never become heavy or gloopy.

The vegetables go in right at the end. I use baby corn, sugar snap peas and red chilli, which get just 3-4 minutes in the hot sauce. They should keep plenty of bite – it adds freshness, crunch and colour to an otherwise rich dish.
You can of course use whichever vegetables you like. Broccoli, peppers, green beans or other crisp vegetables would also work well, so use the recipe as a starting point and adapt it to what is in your fridge.

Finally I return the large pieces of braised pork neck to the Panang sauce and top with Thai basil, which I gently press down into the hot sauce.

Serve with steaming hot rice or noodles – and dinner is as good as it gets.

Best of all is perhaps how easy this dish is. There is a little work at the start, and then it more or less looks after itself while the pork neck braises to melting tenderness. That makes it perfect for both family dinners and entertaining – and it is the kind of dish that fills the house with an incredible aroma long before it reaches the table.