So when I go to a restaurant to eat a meal I think, "hell, I can make that at home." Not only that, I can probably make it better... And cheaper. I don't mean to brag or anything, but it's true... most of the time.
Except for Thai food
I was having a cooking crisis because I love curries, pad thai, tom yum, everything on that Thai menu. Occasionally, I wanted to skip the lines and crowds and just make it at home.
Well, I tried to make it at home.
Hard.
I researched the only way I knew how. The internet. Every recipe I found online just didn't taste the same as some of my favorite restaurants. (Ok, there's only 1 favorite restaurant and a couple of decent restaurant.) Nevertheless, it was driving me nuts. I had tried the internet recipes, I tried instructions on the back of packages. But everything I made... it just wasn't right. It was watery, flavorless or just m'eh. A few times I try to compensate with extra curry paste... The burning finally stopped 3 days later.
So I did what any other person on the brink of cooking insanity would do. I joined an adult education class for cooking Thai food.
Ah-ha! I'm a genius. I know.
It pulled me back from the brink of cooking insanity. Finally, authentic recipes and ingredients. There's a few cooking techniques that are new but nothing overly complicated. The best part is that it turns out the ingredients are relatively cheap... if you stick to Chinatown.
I hate Chinatown.
They close too early for me to get there after work/weekend morning fun stuff.
And parking pisses me off.
Luckily there's an Asian ethnic store on my way home from work. Cheap ingredients, good food, everyone is happy.
I made this curry for a potluck so this is a doubled recipe. And it was a Friday dinner so I had to cook while I was at work, so here comes the slow cooker, again. The photo is messy because I tried to use the smaller crockpot, but should have known better. You need a 6 quart slow cooker for the double recipe.
Also, you can always make it on the stovetop, those directions are included too.
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| This is the mess you get when you try to cram all the ingredients into a 4 quart slow cooker. |
Thai Green Curry with Chicken and Tofu
Can be halved for a family dinner, or doubled again for a really large crowd. This recipe easily fed 12-15 at a potluck with leftovers for lunch.
2 cans Coconut Milk (not Cream of Coconut and not low-fat, both common mistakes)
1/4 cup green curry paste, (more paste if you like more heat, less if you can't handle)
1/2 cup Tamarind Sauce (I use prepared jarred concentrate, but boil and strain if you are using the real stuff)
1/4 cup Fish Sauce
2 Tbsp Cane Sugar
2 Large Potatoes, peeled and cubed (or 5 small potatoes, which is all I had)
3 Large Carrots, peeled and cubed (or 4 small carrots, which is all I had)
1 Medium Onion
1 package Tofu, cubed
2 large Chicken Breast, sliced
1 Cinnamon Stick (or a pinch of cinnamon powder)
6 Cardamom Pods (optional - I don't really care for the flavor)
1/4 cup of peanuts or cashews, for garnish
Let the cans of coconut sit without moving to let the cream rise to the top and the milk to sink to the bottom. I leave it in the back of the pantry, but an overnight rest on the counter works too. Heat a small pot or frying pan. Open the cans carefully and skim the coconut cream off (about the top 1/4) and into the hot pan, it will sizzle and hiss. Move it around the pan until it looks a little dry. Some instructions say the oils will separate from the cream. (But as many times as I made this I never really noticed that, just cook a few minutes more after it stop sputtering) Add the curry paste and stir around until it dissolves in the cream.
In an 6 quart slow cooker mix the leftover coconut milk, tamarind sauce, fish sauce, sugar, and the curry/cream mixture you just cooked. Stir.
Add in potatoes and carrots, turn slow cooker onto low, cover and go to work.
Come back and add in tofu and chicken. Turn onto high for about 15 minutes. Throw on clean clothes and a fresh coat of makeup. Unplug slow cooker, grab a serving spoon and head to the party.
Let everyone compliment you on your cooking greatness
Stovetop instructions:
Let the cans of coconut sit without moving to let the cream rise to the top and the milk to sink to the bottom. I leave it in the back of the pantry, but an overnight rest on the counter works too. Heat a small pot or frying pan. Open the cans carefully and skim the coconut cream off (about the top 1/4) and into the hot pan, it will sizzle and hiss. Move it around the pan until it looks a little dry, some instructions say the oils will separate from the cream. (But as many times as I made this I never really noticed that, just cook a few minutes more after it stop sputtering) Add the curry paste and stir around until it dissolves in the cream.
Heat a large pot over medium high heat. Mix the leftover coconut milk, tamarind sauce, fish sauce, sugar, and the curry/cream mixture you just cooked.
Add in potatoes and carrots, once the mixture comes to a boil, lower heat to a simmer. Cook until carrots and potatoes pierce easily with a fork.
Add tofu and chicken. Bring back to a gentle simmer until chicken is cooked through. Serve over rice or pasta or naan or whatever you like.
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