Thursday, September 8, 2011

Thai yellow curry in under 10 minutes

I hosted my brother and his wife for a last-minute dinner this evening and wanted to make something very simple and quick. I turned to Mark Bittman and Jean-Georges Vongerichten's Simple to Spectacular. There I found their recipe for curried sauteed chicken chunks with coconut milk, fresh lemongrass, chopped cilantro, and cashews. Together with microwaveable Trader Joe's jasmine rice, this dish hit the spot for me and for them. I share it here for your replication. As the Thai might say: ขอให้เจริญอาหาร!
 
 BIttman/Vongerichten Thai Yellow-Curry Chicken

1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2- to 1-in dice
1 tsp curry powder
salt
1 tsp minced fresh chile or red pepper flakes
1 Tbs minced lemongrass
3 Tbs butter or neutral oil, such as canola or grapeseed
1 cup canned unsweetened or fresh coconut milk
2 Tbs nam pla [Thai fish sauce]
1 cup salted peanuts or cashews
1/2 cup roughly chopped cilantro

1. Toss the chicken with the curry powder, salt to taste, chile, and lemongrass.

2. Place the butter in a medium skillet, preferably nonstick, and turn
the heat to medium-high. When it melts, add the chicken. Cook the
chicken, stirring occasionally, until it loses its raw color. Add the
coconut milk and turn the heat to medium.

3. Cook for another 2-3 minutes until cooked through, then stir in the
nam pla and nuts and cook for another 30 seconds. Garnish with the
cilantro and serve.

Serves 4. With rice.