Home Style Chicken Curry and The Secret Recipe Club

I read about a secret recipe club over on Amanda's blog and it immediately intrigued me.  How it works is, each month you are assigned a different participating food blogger and without telling them, you make one of their recipes of your choosing.  Then on a specified date everyone who is participating that month posts their recreation or version of the recipe they made.  I thought, what a great way to find some new food bloggers and try out some different recipes while also forcing encouraging me to post more to my own cooking blog, so I signed up.  So, I’m hoping that this will be my kick in the tush motivation to post more often to my cooking blog.

This is my first month participating and I was assigned Rachel’s Tangerine Kitchen and was beyond excited because Rachel is blogging from India and her blog is overflowing with wonderful international recipes.  I must have spent hours scrolling through all of her recipes and drooling over all the possible things I could make.  I narrowed my selection down to about seventeen dishes…can you tell that I liked Rachel’s blog a lot!!  In the end what really helped me choose was when she wrote about being brought up on the dishes typical of Kerala cuisine and how those were her comfort foods.  I knew right off the bat that we would love Kerala cuisine as the spices that are used in most of the dishes fall right into the flavor profile that Eammon and I love.  In the end I chose her home style chicken curry and when putting together my shopping list I found it quite interesting that the only thing I had to purchase besides the chicken, were the fresh curry leaves and coconut oil as all the required spices are just staples in my pantry.  If that wasn’t telling that we’d love this dish, I don’t know what was. 

Okay I’ll admit that curry isn’t very photogenic being multiple shades of brown but the taste, well that’s a different story as it was wonderfully delicious.  I’ve never cooked with curry leaves and as soon as I started cooking them with the shallots they filled the house with an interesting yet wonderful aroma. 

I found that I adore munching on the slightly crisp curry leaves once they’ve been sautéed with the shallots or onions and it’s good that I liked the curry leaves and that they weigh close to nothing because they are pricy at $30 per pound.

I thought that the curry would be very spicy hot with the chili powder and all the chilies but it just had a mild kick to it.  The recipe made a large amount and we enjoyed it over a few days and Eammon enjoyed it most served over Basmati rice with a mango lassi on the side.

Rachel’s recipe was simple to follow and I made just a few changes (marked in parenthesis).

Home Style Chicken Curry  (adapted from here)

2 TBS coconut oil
6 shallots, peeled and sliced
Curry leaves (I used 12)
1 c. grated coconut
1 tsp. turmeric powder
1 TBS.chili powder
2 TBS. coriander powder
(I added 2 tsp. garam masala)
(I added 1 tsp. fennel seeds)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
2 TBS coconut oil
4 onions, chopped
5 green chilies, stems removed and slit (I used small green Thai chilies)
1 tsp. garlic paste (I used 1.5 tsp. finely minced garlic)
1 tsp. ginger paste-1t  (I used 1.5 tsp. finely grated fresh ginger)
3 tomatoes, chopped
(I added 2 med. potatoes, diced)
2.5 lbs chicken (I used boneless, skinless breasts)
Salt to taste
For tempering
Coconut oil-1T
Shallots-3 peeled, sliced
Curry Leaves

Heat 2 TBS oil in a very large pan. Add the 6 sliced shallots and the curry leaves. When the shallots turn soft and a golden brown, add in the coconut scrapes. Fry until the coconut turns golden brown. Add in the spices and sauté for a few minutes. Take off the heat and set aside to cool. Once cool, blend the mixture with a little water into a thick paste.

Into the now empty pan add 2 TBS coconut oil, add in sliced onions and the slit green chilies. Sauté until soft and add the ginger, garlic and tomatoes.  Cover and cook until the tomatoes are very soft and start breaking down.  Add in the ground paste and add a few cups of water.  Add the potatoes and cook until they are soft, adding water if necessary.  Add the chicken and cook until the chicken is cooked adding water to make the sauce your desired consistency.  Add salt to taste.
In a small sauté pan, heat oil for tempering. Add in the sliced shallots and the curry leaves. Sauté until the shallots are golden brown. Pour this into the chicken curry.

Enjoy!!

Shrimp & Vegetable Madras Curry for Daniel

Through my blogs I have met many wonderful bloggers, some in real life but most, just though cyberspace.  It’s amazing though because even the bloggers who you only know via what they write on their blog or by comments they leave for you, you form a bond with them and you look forward to what they write on their blog and what they have to say about what you’ve written on yours.  In my almost 8 years of blogging I have mainly been involved in two online communities, the International adoption community with my Moments with Maisie blog and the foodie community with this, my Cook Lisa Cook blog.  In both online communities I’ve found that most bloggers and those who may not have a blog, but comment on mine, are wonderful, supportive and kind people.  One of those people whom I’ve only met through cyberspace and really because of my participation in The Secret Recipe Club was Daniel Saraga of The Haggis and the Herring.  I’ve loved reading Daniel’s blog as he seemed to have a warm and gracious spirit, his passion for cooking and food shone through in his words and his taste in foods ran right along the same diverse, ethnic and adventurous lines that ours do.  When commenting on my blog, Daniel always made kind, thoughtful and often humorous comments that always warmed my heart and made me smile.  So it was with great sadness that I read of his sudden passing about two weeks back.  Daniel left behind his wife, two sons and third child on the way as well as a large extended family and many friends.  I had tears in my eyes reading Meredith’s words for the loss of her beloved husband, you could tell how much he was loved. 

Daniel was also loved in the online foodie community and that is why today, numerous Secret Recipe Club bloggers are coming together in a tribute day to Daniel by recreating and posting a recipe from The Haggis and the Herring.  

From my reading of The Haggis and the Herring, Daniel seemed to have a special passion for Indian curries, posting numerous delicious versions including Aloo Mutter Butter Paneer, Baked Aloo Kofta Curry, Channa Korma Curry, Channa Masala, Chicken Curry, Butter Chicken, Chicken Madras, Chicken Vindaloo and Chicken Tikka Masala.  So with that in mind I decided to recreate one of his curry dishes.  Unfortunately when I went to make my chosen recipe of Chicken Madras, I realized that I had everything in the house but chicken so knowing how versatile curries are I used what I had on hand for protein, shrimp.  I also decided to bulk up the shrimp with some added veggies as that morning I had picked some gorgeous red, orange, yellow and green peppers as well as some tomatoes from our garden and I also had a package of mushrooms that begged to be used.

I sautéed the veggies which smelled delicious on their own.

Then I added the shrimp which had been marinating in the curry sauce along with some crushed tomatoes and a delicious curry came together.  I hope to try many more of Daniel’s curries and other recipes.  He, his posts, recipes and kind words will all be missed.

Shrimp & Vegetable Madras Curry

• 1 TBS. garam masala
• 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1 rounded TBS. curry powder
• 1 tsp. ground black pepper
• 1/2 tsp. sea salt 
• 1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
• 2 TBS. Whey Low Gold or brown sugar
• 4 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 rounded TBS. fresh grated ginger
• 1/3 cup lemon juice
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1 pound peeled and deveined shrimp (I used medium/small shrimp but any size would work)
• 2 TBS. olive oil
• 3-4 sweet peppers, mixed red, orange, yellow & green
• 8 oz. mushrooms, sliced
• 3 medium tomatoes, cut in 8ths
• 1 - 14.5 oz. can crushed tomatoes

In a large bowl, whisk together the garam masala, cinnamon, curry powder, black pepper, salt, cayenne, brown sugar, garlic, ginger, lemon juice and 1/2 cup olive oil.  Stir in the shrimp, cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.

In a deep pan heat 2 TBS. olive oil on high and add the peppers & mushrooms.  Allow the peppers & mushrooms to brown slightly then stir in the fresh tomatoes and cook for an additional 2-3 minutes until the tomatoes start to soften.  Add the shrimp curry mixture and cook for 2 minutes stirring continuously. Add the tomatoes, stir and let simmer on medium-low for 30 minutes.  Serve with rice.

Enjoy!

 

 

Lamb Curry

I have a couple of recipes that I refer to as “spice dump recipes” because I literally take all the ingredients and dump them into a large oven roaster or my slow cooker, give them a stir and let them cook into wonderfully flavorful meals.  This lamb curry is one of those spice dump recipes and though it comes out exactly the same whether cooked in the slow cooker or the oven, I tend to make it in the oven as I generally double the recipe so that I can freeze the curry in both family size portions and lunch size portions for Eammon.  It freezes beautifully and when I need a quick dinner I thaw the curry at half power in the microwave then heat it at full power, make some rice and dinner is on the table  This curry is not spicy or spicy hot and the yogurt gives a nice creamy smoothness to the dish.  We enjoy the curry with Jasmine rice and garnished with avocado and cilantro…but today it was sans cilantro because it’s raining cats & dogs outside and I’m too lazy and can’t be bothered to grab the umbrella and put on shoes to go out to the garden and pick the cilantro so just picture a pretty little sprinkling of cilantro on top of the avocado.

Lamb Curry

3 lbs boneless lamb stew meat or chunks of leg meat
2 large onions, thinly sliced
4 beef bullion cubes
4 cups water
1 lb mushrooms, sliced or quartered
5 TBS curry powder
2 TBS fresh rosemary, minced
8 cloves garlic, minced
2 TBS butter
2 TBS olive oil
3 TBS Garam Masala
3 TBS minced fresh ginger
1 tsp salt
1 tsp dried fennel
2 TBS dried oregano
4 large baking potatoes, cubed
2 small cans tomato paste
2 bunches fresh cilantro, chopped
1 cup plain Greek yogurt (I use fat-free)

Cilantro and/or avocado for garnish

Oven method: Pre-heat oven to 325F; Add all the ingredients with the exception of the yogurt to an oven safe roaster and stir to mix well. Cook covered 4-6 hours until the meat and potatoes are nice and tender. Once ready, remove from the oven and stir in the yogurt.

Slow cooker method:  Add everything with the exception of the yogurt to your slow cooker. Cook on low for 4-6 hours or on high for 3-5 hours. Once the meat and potatoes are nice and tender, turn off the cooker and stir the yogurt into the curry.

I serve the curry over Jasmine or Basmati rice and garnish with avocado slices and cilantro.

Enjoy!!

Red Curry Chicken

We love red curry and my Red Curry Soup is a favorite in our home so when I saw a recipe for red curry chicken wings on Peggy’s My Fiancé! Loves it, So it MUST Be Good, I knew that I had to make it, especially as I had all the necessary ingredients in the house.  Peggy used chicken wings but I decided to use a whole cut up fryer because, well that’s what I had in my freezer.  The marinade was simple to mix together and I did it early one morning planning to bake and serve the chicken that night but Eammon got tied up at work and then the next night he had dinner plans so my pieces of chicken ended up marinating for 2 1/2 days!  I don’t know if marinating the chicken that long added to the flavor or not but the chicken came out flavorful and perfect so nice to know that when I make this again (and I will) I can prepare it well in advance of when I’ll need to use it so I’m thinking, perfect for a party!  Eammon especially enjoyed this preparation and I’m going to give it a try on some wings one of these days, I know that too will be a big hit.

Red Curry Chicken with Long Beans with Walnuts and Aloo Gobi.

Red Curry Chicken (adapted from here)

1 can coconut milk (I used lite)
3 TBS fish sauce 
2 TBS dark brown sugar
2 TBS red curry paste
1 TBS peanut oil
1 bunch cilantro, chopped
1 whole fryer chicken, cut in pieces, skin left on

In a medium bowl combine coconut milk, fish sauce, brown sugar, red curry paste & oil.  Mix until sugar is dissolved and curry paste is mixed through.  Stir in the cilantro.  In a very large zipper bag add the cut up chicken pieces and the marinade.  Seal the bag and massage to coat all the chicken pieces well.  Place the bag in a large bowl in the refrigerator and marinate for 6 hours to three days turning once or twice to redistribute the marinade.

When ready to cook, preheat oven to 450F.  Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.  Remove chicken from the marinade, shaking off any excess.  Place chicken skin side up on baking sheet and bake for about 25-30 minutes until juices run clear and skin is crispy. 

Enjoy!!

Slow Cooker Chicken Curry

The other day I was really craving Chicken Curry and rather than spending 45 minutes in the car round-trip, going to my favorite Thai place to pick some up, I decided to make it myself.  Last week I made a batch of Tom Yam Ghoong (Spicy Thai Shrimp Soup) so I figured that I had all the necessary ingredients in the house.  I knew the flavor that I was going for so I put on my chefs hat and used all my creative juices and made this recipe up as I went along.  Something unusual for me though, I decided to use a slow cooker which I generally don’t like using but it worked perfectly, the chicken was tender and the sauce, well it was absolutely divine with a perfect balance of spicy, hot, creamy, sweet and sour.  I’m glad that I kept track of the measurements as I went along because I will be making this curry again…and in the crockpot because it was sooooo easy!  

Slow Cooker Chicken Curry

• 6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, sliced in thumb sized strips
• 2 TBS peanut oil (or oil of your choice) 
• 2 large onions, minced
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 4 fresh Thai red chili peppers, left whole
• 2 TBS grated fresh ginger root
• 6 TBS Jamaican curry powder
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 2 tsp paprika 
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 1 tsp cayenne pepper (more or less to your taste)
• 4 bay leaves 
• 12 Kaffir lime leaves 
• 2 TBS Thai fish sauce
• 3 oz. tomato paste
• 3 TBS palm sugar 
• 2 – 14 oz. cans lite coconut milk
• 1 large lime, juiced
• 1 cup plain Greek yogurt (I used fat-free)

In a large skillet heat the oil until hot and then add the minced onion.  Sauté until the onion is caramelized.  Add the chicken, caramelized onion, minced garlic, Thai chili peppers, grated ginger, curry powder, cinnamon, paprika, turmeric, cayenne pepper, bay leaves, Kaffir lime leaves, fish sauce, tomato paste, palm sugar and coconut milk to a slow cooker and stir to mix well.  Cook on low for five hours.   Once the curry has finished cooking, stir in the lime juice and the yogurt. 

Enjoy!

Paradise Mango Curried Shrimp

It’s Secret Recipe Club time again and after missing last month because we were away for a few weeks on a transatlantic cruise, it’s great to be back!  This month I was assigned the Chef & the Lucky Wife’s blog, The Saturday Evening Pot.  As always I was excited to get my assignment and as usual, it was terribly difficult to pick a recipe to make and feature.  In the end it came down to Maisie and my wanting to make a meal that she would eat and love.  Maisie adores shrimp and rice so the Chef’s Paradise Shrimp over Jasmine Rice had all the makings of a meal that we all would enjoy and it was Maisie “safe”, no wheat, egg or dairy. 

I did of course make a few little changes to the Chef’s recipe because when do I ever make a recipe as written?  First off I changed the rice from Jasmine Rice to Saffron rice, just because that’s what Maisie requested.  In the Chef’s recipe he uses mango juice and mandarin oranges but I had some fresh mangoes in the house so I skipped the mandarin oranges and just used the fresh mango in its place.  I also decided to add a bit more spice to the recipe by upping the allspice and adding some hot Jamaican curry powder.  My final little ingredient change was that I used cilantro instead of parsley, because that’s what I had in the house, and I added a bit of toasted unsweetened coconut as a garnish. 

The meal was loved by all of us and even using the hot Jamaican curry powder, there was just the slightest kick, not too spicy for even Maisie.  For something even less spicy use regular Jamaican curry powder or, check out the original recipe over on the Chef & Lucky Wife’s blog.

Paradise Mango Curried Shrimp (adapted from here) 

• 1 1/2 pounds large shrimp, raw, peeled and de-veined
• 2 TBS. olive oil 
• 1/8 cup finely minced onion
• 1 14-ounce can lite coconut milk 
• 1 1/2 cups 100% pure mango juice
• 1/2 tsp. allspice 
• 1 tsp. hot Jamaican curry powder (can substitute mild but use Jamaican curry powder)
• 1/8 tsp. fresh ground black pepper 
• sea salt to taste
• 1 package Saffron rice, uncooked
• 2 TBS. unsweetened coconut, toasted
• 1 mango, diced
• (to garnish) cilantro, chopped

Cook rice according to package directions and set aside.

Peel and de-vein (if necessary) shrimp, keep cool, and set aside.   Heat a 10-inch covered, deep skillet over medium heat.   Add the olive oil. Once the oil is hot, add the onion and sauté lightly, until the onion is softened but not browned.  Add the allspice & curry powder and continue cooking for approximately one minute, stirring continuously, until fragrant.  Turn heat to low and add the coconut milk, mango juice, pepper & salt.  Stir to blend well and bring the poaching mixture to a simmer.  

Add the raw shrimp to the poaching liquid, cover tightly and immediately remove from the heat.  Allow the shrimp to poach for 15 minutes, until cooked through.  Once the shrimp is cooked, remove the shrimp from the poaching liquid, cover and set aside.  Turn the heat to high and allow the poaching liquid to reach a boil.  Stirring constantly, reduce the poaching liquid until it thickly covers the back of a spoon.  Add the shrimp back into the thickened poaching liquid and quickly toss to coat the shrimp. 

Portion the rice onto 4 plates and top with the shrimp.  Add the thickened poaching liquid, diced mango, cilantro & toasted coconut.

Enjoy!

My previous Secret Recipe Club Recipe Posts: 

Laura Goodenough’s Apple Coffee Cake 
Loaded Potato Soup
Lemon Almond Biscotti 
Creamy Mints 
Thai Peanut Noodles with Chicken 
Baked Buffalo Chicken Wings 
Fried Green Tomatoes 
Chicken Satay Noodle Salad 
Double Chocolate Mousse Cake 
Candied Popcorn
Fruit, Nut & Poppy Seed Chicken Salad 
Broiled Sushi 
Health(ier) Peanut Brittle 
Crunchy Fudgy Heart Bites 
Texas Chicken with Lime Butter 
Pork Belly Soup with Collard Greens 
Thin Mint Irish Coffee 
Levain Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookies 
Welsh Cakes 
Nutella Crêpes 
Cilantro Lime Chicken 
Holy Guacamole 
and
Home Style Chicken Curry

Red Chinese Long Bean with Peppers & Red Curry

Recently one of my neighbors visited a local farmer’s market and came home with a big bunch of Red Chinese Long Beans but when their college aged boys laid eyes on them and saw the color they said no way to eating them.  Well their loss was our gain as a big part of the beans made their way to my kitchen. 

Look at the gorgeous color in these beans, how could anyone say no way??

After a quick check of my pantry I decided to do a little Thai red curry stir fry with mini-orange peppers and basil (fresh from my garden).

Red Chinese Long Beans with Peppers & Red Curry

1 lb. Red Chinese Long Beans, cut into 3-inch lengths
8 mini orange sweet peppers, julienned
2 TBS. peanut oil (or oil of your choice)
1 TBS. Red Curry Paste 
1/2 cup water
1 packet stevia, or 1 tsp sugar
1 TBS fish sauce 
juice of 1 lime
1/2 cup packed fresh basil leaves

Heat the oil in a wok on high heat. While the oil is heating, stir together the Red Curry Paste, water, stevia and fish sauce and set aside.  Once the oil is hot add in the beans and stir a few times a minute for about 3 minutes.  Add the sweet peppers and continue cooking for an additional 3 minutes stirring a few times per minute.  Add the Red Curry mix and stir to coat the beans well and cook for an additional minute or two until the beans are cooked to the degree of tenderness desired.  Add the basil leaves and stir them in so that they quickly wilt and soften.

Enjoy!

Red Curry Soup

Tonight I made this soup which was simple to make and absolutely delish! Eammon just couldn't get enough of it and as he was eating his first bowl, asked if I could make it again and soon, so definitely a hit!!

Red Curry Soup

2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
4 large cloves of garlic, minced
2 jalapenos, seeded and minced
1/2 cup cilantro, finely chopped
1 can lite coconut milk
5 cups low sodium chicken stock
2 Tablespoons red curry paste 
1 lime, zest and juice
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
8 oz. mushrooms, thinly sliced
1 red pepper, thinly sliced
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, thinly sliced
2 scallions, chopped
1 avocado, diced

In a large pot heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onions and allow to lightly caramelize. Add the garlic and jalapenos and cook for another two minutes until jalapenos are soft. Add cilantro and cook until fragrant, 2-3 minutes. Add the coconut milk and chicken stock and bring to a simmer. Add the red curry paste, lime juice and zest and ground pepper. Stir until the curry paste dissolves. Taste the broth at this point to make sure that the salt/pepper/heat from jalapeno & curry paste and sourness from the lime are in balance and adjust as needed.

Add the mushrooms and red pepper and simmer for 5 minutes or until the mushrooms and peppers are tender. Turn off heat and stir in the chicken and scallions. Allow the chicken to poach in the broth for approx. five minutes or until cooked and opaque.

Place some diced avocado in the bottom of each bowl and ladle soup on top.

Enjoy!

Thai Massaman Curry for the Year of the Snake 新年快樂

I don’t know what it is this year, holidays are sneaking up on me before I realize but between being busy with Maisie and my not seeming to be able to get my act together, they are passing by without much fanfare here in the Cook Lisa Cook house.  This year for Chinese New Year, the Year of the Snake, we did…well nothing special.  Instead of going to one of the big celebrations Maisie chose to spend the day doing what she loves best, playing and doing gymnastics with one of her besties.  Since we were home, and it was a holiday, a delicious dinner was a must.  As it worked out I was contacted by Foodie Blogroll and Thai Kitchen and asked to make a dish using some of  the Thai Kitchen’s products.  If you follow this blog at all, you know that we’re huge curry lovers so that’s the direction I chose to go and thanks to the package from Thai Kitchen and my stocked pantry I had everything I needed in the house.

Though there seem to be a lot of ingredients in my Massaman Curry, it’s simple to prepare and came out creamy delicious with a nice bit of heat, a perfect Chinese New Year or any day comfort food meal.   

新年快樂 , Gōng Xǐ Fā Cái!

From Thai Kitchen:

“Thai Kitchen and Simply Asia offer a complete line of Asian ingredients and convenience items, including sauces, curry pastes, rice noodles, fish sauce, coconut milk, noodle bowls, and more. Most items are free of gluten, artificial colors/flavors and MSG – more reason to celebrate a New Year, and new you! Our ingredients and recipes offer simple solutions to spice up any celebration - and what better time to “thai” new dishes than Chinese New Year? The traditional 15-day celebration kicks off February 10, 2013, and is a perfect reason to gather a group of friends and try tasty Asian cuisine.”  Check out Thai Kitchen and explore their amazing Asian cuisine ingredients!  Follow Thai Kitchen on Twitter at @Thai_Kitchen

Thai Massaman Curry

• 1/2 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into thin bite-sized pieces 
• 2 medium potatoes, cut into chunks
• 2 medium carrots, roll cut into chunks
• 2 TBS. coconut oil, or oil of your choice
• 1 medium onion, sliced
• 4 TBS fresh grated ginger
• 6 cloves garlic, minced 
• 2 Thai red chilis, sliced, use more or less depending on your heat tolerance  
• 1/2 cup Cheaters Chicken Soup or low sodium chicken stock  
• 1  TBS. lemongrass powder 
• 1 tsp. turmeric 
• 1/4 cup ground, unsalted dry-roasted cashews
• 1 tsp. ground coriander 
• 1 tsp. ground cumin 
• 1/2 tsp. ground white pepper  
• 1/8 tsp. cardamom  
• 1 tsp. tamarind paste  
• 3/4 tsp. shrimp paste (available by the jar at Asian stores)
• 2 TBS. Thai Kitchen fish sauce 
• 1 TBS. coconut palm sugar, Whey Low Gold or brown sugar 
• 3 bay leaves 
• 2 14 ounce cans Thai Kitchen coconut milk
• 3-4 mini baby bell peppers, mix of red, yellow & orange, thinly sliced
• 2 medium plum tomatoes, sliced lengthwise into 8 wedges each
• 1/3 cup whole unsalted dry roasted cashews
• fresh cilantro

Heat a large soup pot over medium-high heat. Add the coconut oil and then the onion, ginger, garlic and chili. Stir-fry 1-2 minutes to release the fragrance.

Add the chicken stock, lemongrass, turmeric, ground cashews, coriander, cumin, white pepper, cardamom, tamarind paste, shrimp paste, fish sauce, palm sugar and bay leaves. Stir with each addition and bring to a light boil.

Add the coconut milk, potatoes & carrots. Stir and bring back up to a boil. Reduce heat until you get a good simmer.  Simmer uncovered 30 to 40 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the potatoes & carrots are tender. Add the chicken, red pepper and tomato during last 10-15 minutes of cooking.

Taste test the curry, adding more fish sauce for increased flavor/saltiness, more chili if you want it spicier. If too sour, add a little more sugar. If too salty or sweet add more tamarind. If too spicy, add more coconut milk.

Stir in the whole cashews.  Serve over rice and add fresh cilantro if desired..

Enjoy!

At Thai Kitchen and Simply Asia, we’ve made your favorite Asian flavors available to enjoy anytime and anywhere. From noodles to sauces and seasonings, coconut milk to fish sauce, our premium products deliver restaurant-quality Asian cuisine in minutes. Our ingredients and recipes offer simple solutions to spice up any celebration - and what better time to “Thai” new dishes than Chinese New Year? The traditional 15-day celebration kicks off February 10, 2013, and is a perfect reason to gather a group of friends and try tasty Asian cuisine. From mild to spicy, appetizers to dessert, Thai Kitchen and Simply Asia have something for every taste bud, sure to please even the most discerning palates.

The aromatic essences. The exotic flavors. The abundant texture. There’s no culinary experience that compares to Asian cuisine – whether you’re preparing a meal for the whole family or looking for a quick snack, we’re here to bring the adventure to your kitchen.

Disclosures:

* This sponsorship is brought to you by Foodie Blogroll who we have partnered with for this promotion.  This is a compensated post but all the views and opinions expressed are my own and based upon my experiences with Thai Kitchen products.

Malaysian Chicken Curry ~ Instant Pot

We very rarely eat out at restaurants, but when we do, it is most often Asian restaurants of one variety or another,  One of our favorite places to have a meal is in the food court of the Atlanta Chinatown Mall.  While we enjoy food from many of the different restaurants, and have our favorite dish from each, when Mama wants comfort food, it's usually the chicken curry from Hong Kong BBQ.   (It's not listed on their online-menu, but it's always available on their whiteboard menu.)  They have a Malaysian chef who creates the most flavorful and creamy curry and we just had to attempt to make it at home.  We also wanted to be able to replicate the curry in a healthy and fast way, and using the Instant Pot, we have.  Though this recipe contains quite a bit of chili pepper, it is not overly hot, closer to low-medium heat, and we leave in the seeds from the fresh Thai chilis.  If you're worried about heat, leave out the fresh Chili but we'd advise using at least half, if not all, of the red chili powder.  We serve this over Toasted Cauli-rice, but whatever you choose to serve it over, it's delicious!!  



Malaysian Chicken Curry ~ Instant Pot

• 3.5 lbs. boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1-inch chunks
• 1 14 oz. can coconut milk
• 2 medium sweet onions, cut into 8ths
• 1 tsp. red chili powder
• 2 tsp. ground cardamom
• 2 tsp. Chinese five spice powder
• 2 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 2 tsp. ground cumin
• 2 tsp. ground turmeric
• 4 tsp. ground coriander
• 2 fresh Thai red chilis (optional) diced, seeds left in or out
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Add the coconut milk and all the dry spices to the Instant Pot liner.  Stir to combine.  Add the chicken, onion & Thai red chilis and stir to coat everything well.  Close the lid and move vent to closed.  Set high pressure for 10 minutes.  After the 10 min. cook time, quick release the pressure. Stir in the fresh cilantro.  Serve over Toasted Cauli-Rice.

Enjoy!!

Thai Curry Shrimp with Shirataki Noodles

Ages and ages ago I saw a recipe on Catherine’s blog Weelicious for Thai Curry Cellophane Noodles and because of the flavors of the ingredients I knew that it would be a winning recipe in our home so I tucked it away in my “need to make” file.  It took a while to actually make her dish but oh am I ever glad that I did because it was a huge success with all of us and even better, with very minor changes it was not only safe for Maisie’s allergies but it also fit in with my diet of avoiding carbs and sugar.  Honestly right off the top it was Maisie “safe” but to make it fit better into my diet I substituted Catherine’s bean thread noodles with Shirataki Noodles which contain no carbs or calories and in texture are very similar to the bean thread noodles!  This dish was simple to make, delicious and honestly really good cold as I finished the leftovers for breakfast…Shhhhh…  This recipe is a keeper and will be made time and time again.

Thai Curry Shrimp with Shirataki Noodles (adapted from here)  

• 2 – 7 oz. packages angel hair or vermicelli Shirataki Noodles 
• 1 TBS cornstarch
• 2 – 13.5 oz. cans lite coconut milk
• 1 TBS vegetable oil or canola oil
• 2 medium sweet onions, diced
• 2 red bell peppers, julienned
• 6 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/4 cup fresh minced ginger
• 4 large scallions, white & green parts chopped
• 2 tsp sea salt
• 4 tsp Jamaican curry powder 
• 1 lb medium shrimp, shelled and deveined
• 1 lime, juiced
• 1 TBS fish sauce 
• 1/2 cup chopped cilantro

Drain and rinse the noodles very well.  I generally allow them to soak in some water for a few minutes and then rinse a few times.

In a bowl combine the cornstarch and coconut milk and set aside.  Heat oil in a wok or large sauté pan over medium heat, add onions and sauté until translucent, about 3-4 minutes.  Add the red bell peppers, garlic, ginger, scallions, salt and curry powder and sauté another 2-3 minutes.  Add the shrimp and cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring continuously.  Add the coconut milk mixture, lime juice, fish sauce and cilantro and stir to mix.  Heat through until mixture starts to thicken up.  Add the drained noodles and stir for another minute or until noodles are coated with the sauce and heated through.

Enjoy!

Hearty Beef Curry

This beef curry is one of my all time favorites as it’s easy to make, has gorgeous flavor and freezes beautifully, who could ask for more!  I love serving this over Jasmine rice or Cauli-Rice. 

First gather all your ingredients (not pictured are the raisins.)

Hearty Beef Curry

• 3 pounds well-trimmed boneless beef stew meat, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 3 large onions, sliced
• 12 whole cloves
• 8 large garlic cloves, chopped
• 3 cinnamon sticks
• 2 bay leaves
• 1/2 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper flakes
• 13.5 oz. can coconut milk, or lite coconut milk 
• 1/2 cup milk, skim, 1%, 2% or whole
• 6 plum tomatoes, cut into 8ths
• 1/3 cup raisins, regular or golden raisins
• 5 tablespoons Major Grey chutney
• 5 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 6 tablespoons minced peeled fresh ginger
• 3 tablespoons curry powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• salt & pepper
  

Sprinkle beef with salt and pepper. Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a heavy Dutch oven over high heat. Working in batches, add beef to pot and brown on all sides, about 7 minutes per batch. Using a slotted spoon, transfer meat to a plate.

Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil in the same pot over medium-high heat. Add onions and sauté until tender and brown, about 7 minutes.

Return the beef to the pot. Add cloves, garlic, cinnamon sticks, bay leaves and dried red pepper to pot; stir 1 minute.

Stir in coconut milk, milk, tomatoes, raisins, chutney, lemon juice, ginger, curry powder and 1/2 teaspoon salt and bring to boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer until beef is tender, stirring occasionally, about 2 hours or place covered in a 350F oven for two hours and then follow directions below.

Uncover and increase heat to medium. Boil stew until juices are slightly thickened, about 10 minutes. I serve this over jasmine rice or Cauli-Rice.

Enjoy!!