Well here's the deal.... I LOVE to cook. Here's the thing, I HATE cooking for just myself. So with Taylor home for an entire week, I decided it was time to pull out my chef hat again, and try my hand at some dishes. Earlier this week was alfredo, tonight is fajitas, tomorrow is my french toast (recipe via years and years of watching Sula Bearden flip an entire loaf of bread to feed my hungry siblings and myself- mostly on fast Sunday- my favorite!!) but last night- last night I tried something different. Red coconut Thai curry, the name alone seems intimidating. But let me tell you, this recipe was easy, quick, and had a fantastic result. Inasmuch, I feel I should share this with everyone because it's a meal I would do again in a heart beat (and I'm sure my fella would be just as happy to eat again). So here's the jist (from my memory of what I did last night):
Ingredients:
1 Tablespoon red curry paste (found at speciality Asian market--- don't skimp out on a grocery store version, you want the real deal)
1 can coconut milk (again, real deal this stuff, if you want to save calories, go with a lite version)
1/3 cup chicken stock
2-3 Tablespoon brown sugar
3 Tablespoon fish sauce (found at specialty Asian market-- stinky stinky stuff, however this is found in MOST Thai recipes and it is needed to add that Thai taste and depth)
1/4 cup FRESH basil (that being said, i couldn't find fresh basil, so I just used a couple teaspoons of dried basil- it sufficed however I'm positive the fresh basil would have kicked this to the next level)
1/4 cup mushroom (your favorite kind, I love me some shitake, however normal mushrooms work too)
1/2 green pepper
1/2 yellow pepper
1/2 red pepper
1/2 onion (yellow or white)
2 chicken breasts (optional, or can substitute your meat of choice)
Directions:
1. In a medium sauce pan, simmer 1 can coconut milk and 1/2-1 tablespoon red curry paste (if you like it spicy, do a full tablespoon, more mild do 1/2 etc). Simmer for 5 minutes
2. Add 1/4 cup basil, 1/3 chicken stock, 3 tablespoons fish sauce, 2-3 tablespoons brown sugar, 1/4 cup mushroom and let simmer for 10-15 minutes for the flavors to develop
3. While curry is simmering, chop peppers, 1 inch to 2 inch squares or strips however you prefer, saute peppers and onions with a little olive oil in a wok or non-stick pan until done (onions see-through).
4. Add the peppers and onions into the curry mixture.
5. In wok or non-stick then add chicken/meat of choice and cook until done (I add a few more spices, garlic salt, chicken stock)
6. Throw everything together, and dish over rice, potatoes, or just eat as a curry :)
You can keep everything separate so if serving multiple guests, they can add the amount of veggies, meat, curry, etc etc. We put this over brown rice, and went with a whole tablespoon of curry paste (Taylor likes it spicy) and spicy it was, but oh so delicious
This meal takes as long as it takes to cook a pot of rice and is so delicious! I hope you enjoy as much as I have!
