Red Coconut-Milk Curry w/ Chicken and Veggies: Thai-Style

Ok, I'm back! I know, I know. It has been a looooong time since I posted anything. It's been a long time since I've cooked anything. Well, anything new. Sorry. I've been busy and, for the last month apparently, really unmotivated. I broke up with my girlfriend of almost 5 yrs. Then I got back together with her. Then I got a third job. I've been distracted. But hey, you don't read this to hear about me. You want food. Well here 'tis.

I've been meaning to do this for a while so I shall go ahead and, as unofficially as possible, start rating the difficulty and giving a prep/cook time for the recipes. Maybe we (yes, we, because I'm sick of reading emails and hearing people talk about Jake's blog. It's OUR blog damnit. And I started it. Can you have an entire paragraph in parentheses?) will make it more standardized and pretty later but for now, here goes.

Difficulty: Easy

Time: ~ 1 hr 15 min

Background:

Coconut milk curry dishes are a Thai staple. They are also one of my favorite dishes ever. There is a spot in downtown Decatur that serves make-your-own bowls of the stuff and I get it every single time I go. Very rarely do I get the same dish at restaurants. I like to try different things and explore, but their red coconut milk curry dishes are amazing and I just can't break away from it. I was very happy when I came across this recipe.

The fundamentals of making the dish are very basic. As far as ingredients, you can put in whatever you want; chicken, shrimp, fish, potatoes, carrots, broccoli, cabbage, whatever. Just make sure and put the things that need longer to cook in first and then add the quick-cook items later. You can also use green curry paste if you prefer.

For today's recipe you need:

Boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into chunks

1 onion, cut into wedges

1 tbsp. groundnut oil (or whatever)

1 or 2 14 oz cans of coconut milk (depends on how much you're making. I actually only used 1 but I used almost 2 lbs of chicken and a lot of veggies so I wished I had used 2)

2 tbsp red curry paste (the faint of heart might want to start with half or less and work their way up)

1 pack of udon noodles (I actually prefer the flat noodles, but udon noodles work. Or you could nix the noodles and serve it over rice. Or just eat as is.)

2 tbsp thai fish sauce

1 tbsp light brown sugar

carrots, sliced

broccoli flowers

spinach, shredded

1 tbsp lime juice

2 tbsp chopped fresh mint

1 tbsp chopped fresh basil

s/p

Heat a wok (or pot) til hot and add in the oil. Swirl and add the onion. Stir fry for 3-4 minutes.

Pour in the coconut milk and bring to a boil while stirring. Stir in the curry paste, fish sauce, sugar, and s/p.

Add in the noodles and carrots. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for about 10 min.

Add the broccoli and continue simmering for ~5 min.

Add the chicken and simmer for about 15-20 min til done.

About 5 min before the chicken is done add in the shredded spinach.

Once everything is done, add the lime juice, chopped mint and basil, and serve.