Chicken Curry

I'd be lying if I told you that I'm a huge fan of Thai food. I don't dislike it, but it's just not something that I go out of my way to eat. Matt, on the other hand, could eat Thai every day. He and his roommate are regulars at their neighborhood joint; his roommate can sometimes be caught going there twice a day. In order to keep him around, I occasionally feel compelled to cook him some Thai food. Once I eat it I enjoy it, but were it not for Matt I would rarely eat it.

I'll start out with the rice. I generally think that I am not a huge fan of rice, but when I'm honest with myself I realize that there are many forms of rice that I enjoy - risotto, sushi rice, wild rice... If I had to choose a favorite, I think it would be coconut rice. If you like coconut, you will love coconut rice. It's simple and delicious. It's so good you could easily eat it plain, but the addition of curry sure doesn't hurt.

To make coconut rice just cook the rice according to the directions on the package, but substitute half of the water with coconut milk. It's as simple as that.

For the curry part, rinse and dry the chicken breasts. I used four of them, in case you can't count, and it is enough to serve 4-6 people. Cut it into about 1" cubes.

Cook it in a little oil over medium-high heat for about 5-8 minutes. You don't need to cook it all the way through - just get the cooking started. You'll finish the cooking once you combine it with all of the other ingredients. Oh, and it's probably a good idea to throw some spices on the chicken. That was Matt's only complaint. Some curry powder would work. Or coriander. Or fresh basil. Be creative.

While the chicken is cooking you can start on the sauce. Combine about 2 tbsp red curry paste (or less if you can't handle the heat) with 2 cans of coconut milk in a large saucepan, whisk together, and simmer for 5 minutes.

While that's simmering, prepare whatever additional ingredients you want to add. I used chicken, broccoli, and bamboo shoots, but you could use anything - beef, pork, eggplant, mushrooms, carrots, onions, peppers, green beans, etc.

Here are the bamboo shoots I used. I eat shoots and leaves.

And here's the chicken after it was partially cooked. You can see how that little piece on the right is still pink in the middle.

Once the curry paste and coconut milk have been simmering for 5 minutes add the chicken, bamboo shoots, broccoli, a couple tablespoons of fish sauce, and 1/2 cup chicken or vegetable broth. Personally, I think you can do without the fish sauce, but most recipes I've seen call for it so I feel like I should use it. If you find the idea of fish sauce offensive, I won't judge you for leaving it out.

Let it all simmer for about 15 minutes, and you should be good to go.

If you think it's too liquidy and you decide to boil it for a few minutes so it will reduce, then take the broccoli out so it doesn't turn into mush. Not that that happened to me...

Again, not that it happened to me, but if you need to reduce the sauce a little it may look something like this.

Throw the broccoli back in for the last few minutes so it can soak up some of the curry flavor.

I like to add a little chopped cilantro to the rice right before serving.

Make a nice little bed of rice in your bowl.

And then add the curry. Even if you're like me and not a Thai lover you can enjoy this dish.

And if you're lucky, maybe this guy will show up for dinner bearing gifts that match his sweater. Don't hold your breath, though.