Thai Red Curry With Chicken

One of my favorite meals, smells amazing cooking up on my stove! I've heard this version referred to as 'jungle curry'- it has more ingredients than a traditional red curry might, and is creamier. Ryan cooked this up last night for me- what a guy!

Vegetables:
green beans or snap peas
red pepper
squash/zucchini/eggplant
Several cloves garlic
1-2 tblsp red curry paste- We use Thai Kitchen, pictured above- or you can make your own (This too, coming soon...)
1/4-1/2 yellow onion
2 cans coconut milk (We like Thai kitchen or Taste of Thai)
fish sauce
1/2 lime or kaffir leaves
thai sweet basil/ regular basil
bamboo shoots/ water chestnuts/ baby corn
pinch sea salt
pinch sugar
handfuls fresh cilantro
(chicken breasts)
2 teaspoons olive oil/peanut oil
thumb size piece of grated ginger/ galangal
1- 1 1/2 cups vegetable or chicken stock

1. If cooking with chicken, cook the chicken first in butter and cilantro and reserve.
2. In large saucepan, pour in one can coconut milk and 1-2 tblsp red curry paste, depending on your tolerance for spice. Bring to a boil, then simmer for about 20 minutes.
3. Add vegetables, spices and seasonings, then second can of coconut milk and continue to simmer another 15 minutes.
4. Add chicken, stir frequently, adjust seasonings to taste.

Serve over jasmine rice!

Yellow Curry with Vegetables (& Chicken...)

This is a delicious recipe I got from my dad. I've made it more veggie-full and cut back on the salt. He uses 'cream of coconut' instead of coconut milk to give the curry a touch of sweet- just go easy with it and taste as you add it in. You have been warned on that one.

-1/4 lb green beans
- 2 red peppers, sliced thin
- zucchini, cut in thin slices
- small red or creamer potatoes
-cilantro
-chicken (if you like that sorta thing, lol)
-olive oil
- 1 large sweet onion
-6 cloves garlic, minced
-1/2 inch of ginger
-1/8 cup cream of coconut (cocktail mix)- to taste
- 3-4 tsp curry powder- to taste
-3 cups chicken stock
-salt, to taste


1. Saute onion and garlic in the olive oil in a deep pan.
2. In a separate pan, saute the chicken with a handful of cilantro.
3. Once chicken is cooked, combine with onion & garlic, add in ginger and saute.
4. After a few minutes add in chicken stock, curry powder, and cream of coconut, tasting to adjust flavors of spice and sweet.
5. Allow to simmer as long as desired to deepen flavors
6. Add in potatoes while simmering, and then about 10 minutes before serving, toss in green beans, pepper, and zucchini to keep the vegetables a little crisp. Salt to taste.

Serve over jasmine rice!

Cheers! (vs. SEA)

Cheers is our local thai spot. The decor leaves a bit to be desired, though they do have a backyard... We opt for take-out. The food is phenomenal. Now, a lot of folks come all the way to Williamsburg to check out SEA, our other thai restaurant- but for me, Cheers beats SEA hands down, though I do occasionally venture to SEA, too. A play-by-play:





Decor:
Cheers: ugly.
SEA: Super chic, but looking a little worn?

Scene:
Cheers: no wait, 10-15 minutes for food
SEA: 1 to 2 hours on popular nights, total madhouse, we prefer lunchtime!

Apps:
Cheers: the spring rolls are amazing. They are always fresh, lightly fried, and super tasty. Love the plum sauce.
SEA: the spring rolls are tasty here too! I also like their version of Thom Ka Khai- a coconut soup with galangal and cilantro.

Entrees:
Cheers: Favorite for Ryan- Chicken Panang Curry. A red creamy, spicy coconut curry with red pepper. Me: Green vegetable curry with tofu- spicy coconut curry with eggplant, zucchini, green beans, and carrots.

SEA: I love one of their specials, "Rama the King". A mixture of red curry and peanut sauce! SO yummy.

With a cup of jasmine tea, I'm in heaven!

August Dining....

Here are some quick reviews of the eating & drinking I've been doing over the past month...

Barolo- 8/16-This restaurant looked old and outdated. The SoHo location and backyard- which has previously been described as "transporting" and "romantic"- looked more like a concrete patio than ever. This photo must have been taken much earlier in its life. The Italian food was bland, bland, bland, and the fish gave my husband food poisoning. Never Again.

Kittichai- Awesome

atmosphere, awesome food. This Thai-inspired restaurant had some killer dishes. I had an appetizer of tuna tartar, and my husband had a seabass tempura that was insanely good. The other members of our party were equally pleased with all the dishes. For my entree I had the steak, which was well-flavored and spicy. My uncle had a fish curry that was presented with the whole fish wrapped around the dish. After dinner, we had drinks on the rooftop bar A60, which is labeled as "members and guests" only- but we had no issue getting up there. The view is killer- including the Empire & Chrysler buildings- and it wasn't overly crowded for a Friday night. I'll be back.