Thai Curry, by Ang

You know the question that you’re always asked in those ridiculously addictive facebook and myspace surveys – “What food could you eat for two weeks straight and not get sick of?” My answer, without a second thought, is THAI FOOD.

The flavors of coconut and spice and tamarind and chili are like a symphony of sweet and spicy exhilaration in my mouth! I never really did any cooking of Thai food until I moved to Champaign, but that changed very quickly after wandering into AM-KO (where you can find almost all of these ingredients, I think sweet potato is the only one not there), an oriental food store on the corner of Springfield and First Street. I found these tubs of curry paste towards the back right of the store and bought one of each! There was a simple recipe on the back, so I took it and ran with it.

I love all of the curries, but I would have to say that massaman is my ultimate. So here is my improvised massaman curry recipe for your (hopefully) exhilarating pleasure.

Basic Ingredients:
2 cans of coconut milk
1 cup water
18 teaspoons massaman curry paste (more or less depending on your level of spice preference)
1 cup of meat (pan cooked in sesame or red chili oil if raw meat) or lightly fried tofu (or you can just toss in some shrimp or seafood mixture)
1 cup cubed sweet potato (skin on)
1 cup cubed zucchini
1 cup green beans or snow peas snapped into halves
1 small can sliced bamboo shoots
1 small can sliced water chestnuts
1 handful lightly salted or unsalted peanuts

This should feed anywhere from 4 to 6 people, depending on how hungry they are!

Basic Recipe:
Pull out a big pot (because it won’t fit in a small one!) and set your burner to medium or medium high. Pour in the two cans of coconut milk and the curry paste. Stir until all the paste is dissolved. If you are using meat or seafood, put it in at this time (make sure you’ve lightly cooked the raw meat first!). This way the meat soaks up more of the coconut flavor. Let simmer for about 15 minutes while you chop up your veggies. Once 15 minutes has passed, put in the cup of water, bamboo shoots, water chestnuts, sweet potato and peanuts. These take a little extra time to soften (so I’ve learned) so it’s a good idea to put these in first and then add the beans/peas and zucchini about 10 minutes later. Stir occasionally throughout. After about 10 minutes of all the ingredients cooking together, start taste testing. Some people like softer sweet potatoes, some people like them a bit more firm. It’s all personal preference. So stir occasionally and taste it until it’s just right for you. Serve in soup bowls and enjoy!

Variations:
Sometimes I add black fungus mushrooms to the pot. I like mushrooms and I’m one of those people that LOVE weird textures, so this is a fun addition for me. You can add to and take away from the vegetable list. It’s all based on what you like. Some people add carrots, onions, white potato, or even a bit of peanut butter. That’s the beauty of making this dish at home! You really get what you want.

Curries are most commonly served over a bed of rice. When I use rice, I usually cook up some jasmine rice in my rice cooker. I’ve also used brown rice. But if you are trying to cut down on your carbs, just forget the rice. My recipe turns out almost like a curry stew because of the amount of veggies I put in. And believe me when I say, “make enough for leftovers!” because it is THE BEST leftovers you’ll ever have! All the flavors become even more infused and well, it’s just as exhilarating as the first time.