i was the first to arrive last night. N picked me up from the airport and we went back to her place and made dinner. we had thai green curry and it was amazing. seriously, better than your average curry. N had to go to a specialty asian store just to get the right stuff. she just got this fantastic “quick and easy thai” cookbook with “70 everyday recipes” by nancie mcdermott. this is my kind of cookbook – easy recipes and lots of pictures. i love pictures. for some reason, i really like to know what the dish is supposed to look like. i guess it really is true that you eat with all your senses. first one is sight.
ok, back to the curry. the recipe is green curry chicken with zucchini, but we used asian eggplant and had bok choy to go with it that was also amazing.
so, we tweaked the recipe a bit because we decided three things. (1)we liked the eggplant (could use zucchini if eggplant isn’t you thang), (2) it needed more chicken, and (3) it has to be served over jasmine rice to absorb all the wonderful sauce and flavor.
sliced bok choy
chopped eggplant
coconut milk and green curry paste - simmering away
sauteed bok choy
finished product - chicken, eggplant, and coconut green curry
Green Curry Chicken with Eggplant
(serves 4)
2 long purple asian eggplant
1 ½ c unsweetened coconut milk (divided)
3 tbs green curry paste
2 large chicken breasts cut into big bite-sized pieces
1 ½ c chicken broth
2 tbs fish sauce
1 tbs plam sugar, sucanat, or brown sugar
7 wild lime leaves, torn or cut in half (the original recipe says this is optional, but after tasting it, its obvious that it adds a wonderful lime flavor. it’s worth the extra time to try and find them!)
1 ½ c rice (we used jasmine)
cook rice according to package.
meanwhile, cut eggplant in half lengthwise and crosswise into 1-inch chunks. in medium saucepan, bring ¾ c coconut milk to a gentle boil over medium-high heat. boil for 2-3 minutes, until it begins to thicken. add curry paste and cook 2-3 minutes stirring to dissolve it into milk. add chicken and cook 2 minutes stirring to coat with the sauce and separate.
add remaining ¾ c coconut milk, chicken broth, eggplant, fish sauce, sugar, and half of the lime leaves. bring to a gentle boil, reducing heat if necessary to keep it at a simmer, stirring occasionally until chicken has cooked through and eggplant is tender but firm (8-10 minutes). serve over cooked rice and garnish with remaining lime leaves.
Sauteed Bok Choy
(serves 2)
2 heads bok choy, leaves rinsed and separated
2 tbs coconut oil
1 tbs soy sauce
cut bok choy leaves into thin strips (chiffonade) and set aside (it seems like a lot, but it really cooks down like spinach does). Heat coconut oil in large skillet on medium high heat. add bok choy and sautee until crispy (2-4 minutes).
remove from heat and add soy sauce, stirring to combine. serve immediately.
N, washing up and looking cute
after dinner, catching up, some wine (and a nice calf massage from N with her roll bar – my calves are crazy tight today after G made me do literally hundreds of calf raises tuesday), we had some haagan dazs reserve fleur de sel caramal ice cream. Oh. My. Goodness. you HAVE to try this stuff. If you like caramel (I know my mother-in-law does! M, you must try this;), you will love this ice cream. expensive, yes, but very rich and decadant – all you need is a little but. it is a nice caramel ice cream with ribbons of thick caramel and chunks of chocolate covered caramel swirled together with a little fleur de sel (a french sea salt) that just makes all the flavors pop in your mouth. it is truly wonderful!
don't forget we drank a bottle of Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc! -N
ReplyDeleteoh, that's right! that was good wine too. goes well with slightly spicy food.
ReplyDeletethanks N:)