The inspiration for this recipe came from watching "Ten Dollar Dinner Meals with Melissa d'Arabian" in the Food Network. In the episode, Melissa created a simple curry sauce. Sauteed onions, curry powder, minced garlic, lime juice, chicken, vegetables, chicken stock and coconut milk. I figuered out I had most of the ingredients, was craving something spicy and the ideas started to flow.
I decided to prepare my own curry paste and chicken stock. A trip to the food market was not on my plans. A quick check of my pantry and refrigerator gave me the green light. All is good, get in the kitchen. In my opinion, when you decide to make everything from scratch, this is when you learn what ingredients go with other ingredients, to play around with food and cooking techniques.
My first task curry paste. Do I just use curry powder? What makes curry powder...most recipes for curry include coriander, turmeric, cumin, fenugreek, red pepper. Depending on the recipe ginger, garlic and other spices might be added. Making it my own..
Red Curry Paste HOT!!
1 tbsp ground ginger
1/4 c diced onions
3 garlics, chopped
6 cilantro stems
1 tbsp cayenne pepper
a few drops of oil
juice of 1/2 lime
2 mint leaves
Put everything in the blender until smooth texture. Store in refrigerator in an airtight container.
**With any recipe, when you know what goes in it, you have control of the ingredients and flavors you desire. Don't be afraid to experiment, there's always a trash can nearby if you need to regroup.
**Oil: it is recommended vegetable oil, healthier and does not burn as fast. Today, I only have corn and olive oil at hand. For my chicken/vegetable curry sauce I combined both. For my rice I used corn oil. It is a taste choice.
Next, geez I do not have any chicken stock!!! But wait I have chicken bones in my freezer. By making it myself I am cutting down on the sodium. It does take 3-4 hours for the best flavor to be extracted from those bones. No matter, while doing house chores, my stock will be simmering, just in time for dinner. Why do I have chicken bones in my freezer, you might ask... Do you know every 3-4 weeks chicken goes on sale on your supermarket? What I usually do is take advantage of the "Manager Specials" deals. I buy a whole chicken, cut in pieces and debone chicken breasts....I love to use my professional knives! Store in the freezer until needed.
Chicken Stock
chicken bones
50% onions
25% celery
25% carrots
1 bay leaf
peppercorns
cilantro or parsley stems
2 garlics
3-4 whole cloves
Wash the bones in cold water. Use a stockpot. Fill with cold water, make sure bones are covered with the water, at all times. Bring water to boil. Skim impurities on top. Reduce heat just to a simmer. Add your mirepoix (onions, celery and carrots) and your spices. DO NOT add salt, not needed. Remember this is just a base to your cooking greatness, not a meal! Simmer, and skim for about 3-4 hours. Add cold water as needed. Once done, strain the stock. Cool then store in the refrigerator. If not using within 3 days, you can freeze for several months.
Now that I have my base, I can move on with my recipe....
Thai Chicken/Vegetables in Curry Sauce with Sticky Rice
Ingredients:
1 chicken breast cut into bite size pieces
1 tbsp curry paste
1 1/2 tsp oil
1 cup broccoli
1 cup diced carrots
1 cup coconut milk
1/2 cup chicken stock, more as needed
1 can of diced tomatoes
lime juice
salt and pepper to taste
Procedure:
In a saucepan, heat the oil and add the curry paste until it becomes aromatic. Add the chicken, cook until it turns brown. Add the vegetables, season with salt and pepper. Add the coconut milk and chicken stock. Simmer for about 15 minutes, then add the tomatoes. When it thickens, squeeze the lime juice on top. Serve with rice.
How long it cooks? Until is done!
The rice of choice...sticky rice, Melissa d'Arabian's way. For the rice, I am using what I have in my pantry, no jasmine or any other specialty rice...just plain conventional rice. Let's look at it....for Jasmine rice I will pay about $5 a serving, conventional rice .99. I need to save a buck...or four! This rice is not sweet, has a hint of coconut and somewhat bland...add a bit of salt if you desire.
Sticky Rice
1 1/2 c rice
1/2 c coconut milk
2 c water
1/2 c chicken stock
tbsp oil
chopped cilantro
lime zest
Procedure:
Simple, combine rice, coconut milk, water, stock and oil in a small pot or rice cooker. Cook until done! Once all liquid is absorb add the cilantro and the lime zest.
I enjoyed the flavors of this dish. Most important I saved myself a couple bucks just by using what I had at hand and/or making my own. Thai cooking doesn't have to be so complicated. Spicy, savory and defiant!
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