I was making a batch of chicken curry the other evening. I make this dish often. It looked so lovely simmering on the stovetop, I felt compelled to take a photo. Foolishly, I posted the photo to my Facebook site.
“What’s in it?”
“Ingredient list, Please!”
“So where’s the recipe?”
Very well, Friends and Neighbors, let me bare my soul and expose the recipe that I have been tinkering with for two years. Not only will this curry get you laid, it will make you a hero in your neighborhood. So share it around, be generous. Live large and spicy.
But first, a few cautions and clarifications. This is not a recipe for home-made curry paste; not even sorta-kinda. I hate to be the one to break the news, but even in Thailand, most folks don’t make their own curry paste. Hell, the majority of working folks don’t cook at all. It is far easier (and cheaper) to park one’s scooter at the local market stall and pick up a plastic bag of the whatever. The old Thai ladies that hawk curry paste are the good witches and sorcerers of the spice universe. I’m not trespassing into that universe because I don’t want to get turned into a newt. For this recipe, I get my curry paste at Prosi, an amazing Ethnic Food Shop in Vienna.
There are some interesting ingredients on the list below. Finding these ingredients is half the fun of making this dish. Search out your local Ethnic market. Better yet, find a nice old Thai woman at one of the Farmer’s Markets. The thing is, you really do need all the odd ingredients on the list. One thing compliments another. If you have ever been at a steaming hot noodle stand in Bangkok, you will have seen the four little tubs of condiments on the rickety plastic table: Fish Sauce, Vinegar Chilies, Powdered Chilies, and Sugar. Yes, sugar. The sugar compliments and mellows the Fish Sauce. The Thai folks very much believe in adding all four to their breakfast of Boat Noodles. Think of these flavors as the four compass points. Ditto the Kafir Lime leaves. Without them, you don’t have Thai curry; you have coconut milk soup.
Ready? Okay here we go! I am going to lay out the basic curry recipe. After that, I am going to throw a few variations at you; things you can try after you master the base curry. You can serve this curry over good Asian noodles or rice, your choice.
Ingredients: (Yes, you REALLY need all of these!)
Two medium potatoes
Three-Four cloves fresh garlic
High Heat Oil — 1 Tbsp (15 ml)
Quality Thai Red Curry Paste — 2-5 Tbsp (30-75 ml)
Coconut Milk - 12 oz Can (400 ml)
Castor or Powdered Sugar — 1 Tsp (5 ml)
Thai Fish Sauce — 2 Tsp (10 ml)
Dried Kafir Lime Leaves — 3-4 leaves
Protein: (More details on this as we go)
Chicken, Pork, or Tofu — 1 Lb (450 grams)
Bamboo Sprouts — About half a small jar
Vege — Your choice, fresh or frozen, more on this as we go.
Fresh Basil — 1 small bunch of leaves
Preparation:
Cube the potatoes into 1/2” pieces and simmer them until tender to the fork. Peel on, peel off, your choice. While the spuds are simmering you can move on to other prep. The potatoes are the secret weapon for preventing your curry from separating. Once they are tender, drain the spuds and set them aside.
De-germ and mince the garlic fine. De-vein the Kafir lime leaves. This means pull out the hard stem. You will find that your thumbnail is a great tool for this. Chop the lime leaves fine.
Hint: The lime leaves are going to splinter and jump all over the place when you try to cut them. Use a chef’s knife and a rolling motion. Use your free hand like a tent over the back of the knife blade. This will contain the flying leaf bits to a degree. Mind your meaty bits!
Measure out the curry paste and have it ready. I would say that three tablespoons is a good starting point. This is going to be pretty spicy, about what you would reckon a three-star heat level at your local Thai joint. You’re just going to have to experiment with this. I use more. Truth be told, I just spoon the paste into a small dish and eyeball it. Shake the can of coconut milk vigorously, open it, and have it ready at hand.
Okay, now that you have the garlic, lime leaves, and curry paste handy, it’s time to cook. Use a big wok or the deepest sauté pan you have. Bigger is better. I highly recommend a big wok. Get the pan hot, but not so hot that it smokes the oil. Add the oil to the hot pan. Toss in the garlic. You are going to be moving fast for a few minutes, so be ready. The garlic is going to cook really quickly. You don’t want to brown it to a crisp. Thirty-seconds or so is about right. Toss in the curry paste and stir it around in the hot oil and garlic. This spreads the flavor about. One minute is probably enough. Stirring, stirring, we are always stirring.
Pour in about 1/3 of the coconut milk. Keep stirring, moving the bubbling mixture about. Now would be a good time to drop the heat one notch. You want to break up all of the blobs of curry paste. Add another third of the coconut milk. Keep stirring. Add the last of it. When it is all nicely mixed and gently bubbling, you are ready to move on.
Add the sugar, the fish sauce, and the Kafir lime leaves. Stir everything together. Now comes the time for our secret weapon. If you have one of those spiffy hand blenders, that is the trick. If not, a regular blender will work. Throw the cooked potatoes into the blender cup. Pour in enough of the hot curry to cover the potatoes.
Hint: I usually take the wok off the heat while I’m doing the step.
Blend the mixture smooth, but don’t overdo it. Mind the hot splatters! Pour the blended mixture back into the wok and put the wok back on the burner. Lower the heat to a gentle simmer.
Hint: The potatoes work to bind the curry and keep the coconut milk from separating. It is also important at this point not to overheat the curry mixture. Do NOT cover the curry at any time during the cooking process. Squash will also work as a dandy binder, as we will discuss in the variations (below).
On to the Protein!
For the vege-heads amongst us, this is where you add the fresh tofu. A pound is about the right amount (450 grams). Cube the tofu into bite-sized pieces, then throw the fresh tofu into the curry and keep simmering. Simple, no?
My personal preference for this dish is chicken. I use fillets of thigh meat. Thigh meat is juicy, stays tender, and it’s cheap. Again, a pound is about the right amount (450 grams). Cut the meat into bit-sized pieces and add it to the curry. If you are using chicken, this is the time to let the mixture simmer at least 25 minutes. Go clean up the kitchen while the meat is cooking.
Pork also works well with this dish. This is one of those dishes where you can use lean pork cutlet without worrying about it being all dried out when you serve it. The prep and cooking are the same as for the chicken (above).
Hint: Now would be about the time to start your rice or lay out your noodles.
The Vege and Garnish:
Lots of different vege will work with this curry. Fresh zucchini is great. Quarter one zucchini, slice it bite-sized, and add it to the mixture. A hand-full of brightly colored vege makes the curry pretty. I often use a frozen mix that has broccoli, cauliflower, carrots and beans. Fresh green beans or string beans also work well. Play around with it. Once you have your vege stirred into the curry, add about a half jar of bamboo shoots. Simmer this mixture for another fifteen minutes or so.
Our basil is the last ingredient and the magic garnish. Chopping basil tends to make a mushy green mess. After I wash the leaves, I hold them by the stems and trim off strips with my handy kitchen scissors. Whatever works for you. Set aside enough basil to garnish the serving bowls, then add the bulk of the basil to the curry.
Hint: The basil only needs to cook for about ten minutes. You want the basil bits to still look like basil, not like mushy seaweed.
Ta-Da!! You have curry! I usually serve this to the table in individual dishes. Lay a bed of noodles or rice in your serving dishes. Ladle the hot curry over the rice or noodles. Garnish with the fresh basil leaves and get ready for the oooohs and aaaahs.
Variations:
This curry also works very well with a potato and squash mixture. For this variation, use a few more potatoes and add about a quarter-pound (225 grams) of firm squash. Butternut is good; acorn is not. It is a good idea to partially steam the squash and potatoes before adding them to the curry. This will be a really hearty curry, good for those chilly winter nights.
For the real vege lovers, I recommend a combo of zucchini, long beans, and squash. This makes for a very colorful dish and works really well with the tofu option.
The Wrap:
That’s about it, folks. Remember, this is curry. It is very much like stews or soups in that it will probably never turn out exactly the same. Therein lies the beauty of the thing. Feel free to experiment with this recipe; I certainly have. Here are a few key things to remember:
Don’t burn the garlic! It will be bitter.
Don’t cover the curry while you are cooking it. The coconut milk will separate.
Please don’t poison your guests! Simmer the meat for at least 25 minutes.
Do experiment and enjoy this recipe. Share it with others. Food is meant to be shared!
From Vienna, Huge Love to everyone!
Marco
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