One of my favorite 'go-to' recipes is this Yellow Chicken Curry. We decided to take it a step further and have Thai iced tea with dinner... and then tried our hand at Mango with Sticky Rice for dessert.
The curry is a pretty straightforward stir-fry like recipe... the ingredients list is pretty long, but it is not complicated to make. Most of the ingredients can be found at a regular grocery store, but if you have a hard time finding fish sauce or curry paste, look for an asian grocery in your area.
1 medium onion
1 large carrot
1 green and 1 red bell pepper
2 medium tomatoes
1 zucchini
[you can add/substitute almost any vegetable, but the bell peppers and onions are essential]
1 Tbsp. vegetable oil
1 Tbsp. grated fresh ginger
3 Tbsp. yellow curry paste [NOT curry powder!]
1 x 13.5oz can of coconut milk
3/4 c. chicken broth
2 Tbsp. fish sauce
1 Tbsp. sugar
2 medium chicken breasts, sliced thinly
pineapple, to taste
handful Thai basil (optional)
Slice the vegetables into large-ish chunks. Heat the vegetable oil in a large, heavy pot (we use a 5.5 qt Le Creuset) over medium heat. Sautee the onion, peppers and carrots about 3 minutes, until onions are almost translucent. Add the finely grated fresh ginger [we freeze our knobs of ginger, which helps them keep longer and also makes them easier to peel and grate] and yellow curry paste; stir and cook 2 minutes. Pour in coconut milk, chicken broth, fish sauce and sugar, stir together. Add the chicken to the pot and cover with liquid. Cook 5-15 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through and the sauce has thickened a bit. Serve over rice or another grain of your choice.
As for the Thai Iced Tea, you can purchase it like any other flavored loose-leaf tea. Brew strong, pour over ice, and add plenty of sugar and cream. If you can't find the tea, you can try to make your own with black tea and spices.
Sticky rice is prepared a little bit differently than the normal rice. Soak 1 c. of short grain rice in about 1 1/2 c. of water for one hour. Drain onto a clean tea towel set in a colander. Steam the rice 20 minutes. While the rice is steaming, combine 2 Tbsp. sugar, 1 c. coconut milk and a pinch of salt; heat together (in 15 second intervals in the microwave) until the sugar is entirely dissolved. Remove the rice to a bowl - it will be pretty dry - and pour about 3/4 c. of the coconut milk mixture over the rice. Allow the liquid to soak in (about 5 minutes). Spoon onto the serving plate (makes about 3-4 servings) and top with the remaining coconut milk. Serve with mango on the side. The rice texture is a little hard, so if you prefer your rice softer, you might make a little more coconut milk/sugar and a larger volume soak in.
Tuesday, August 15, 2006
Thai night
Sunday, July 23, 2006
Superfast "Cuban" dinner
It's been too hot to do much cooking lately, but this is one dish we have all the time that doesn't take too much effort or slaving over a hot stove. No, it's not fancy, but it is tasty and filling.
The components are pretty simple - one can of Trader Joe's Cuban Style Black Beans (you could use any type of black beans, or, if you want to work a little harder, make your own), rice, and pan-fried bananas with a little brown sugar and cinnamon.
Start with the rice. Bring 1/2 c. rice and 1 c. water to a boil, turn the heat down and simmer 10-30 minutes (depending on the type of rice) until the water has been absorbed and the rice is fluffy. While the rice is cooking, heat up the beans, either in a saucepan or, even easier, in the microwave.
To make the bananas, melt about 1 Tbsp. butter in a frying pan on medium heat. Slice up two bananas, first cut in half, then cut each half lengthwise. [I find it easiest to keep the bananas whole if you leave the peel on, then remove it after the bananas have been sliced.] Fry the bananas in the butter, about 3-5 minutes each side, until golden brown spots appear and the banana is a little soft. Be careful when flipping the bananas as they will be a bit mushy - use a firm spatula (not tongs!) and just tip the banana slice upside down.
Transfer the bananas to your serving plate and sprinkle with [These bananas would also be great for dessert, with vanilla ice cream or something similar] Serve the beans over the rice (or mixed with the rice) with the bananas on the side.
