Not much to say today. I have a lot to do, and not enough time to do it. I am hosting an Indian-themed dinner club where I am making Raita, Laccha, Murgh Makhni (Butter Chicken), Pork Vindaloo, Ghee, Basmati Rice and Naan. Actually, I am buying the Naan. Lets not get ahead of ourselves here. I have never made bread before (don’t judge me) and I am CERTAINLY not going to start with NAAN! That would be a nightmare. It would probably give me an eye twitch, or an upper back spasm which is my new constant companion while cooking for a long time.
This curry is a great dish for authentic Thai flavors in a pinch. In under 30 minutes, you feel like you just ate at a Thai restaurant without having to leave your house. It was simple and delicious. Oh gosh. Do you hear me? I am sounding like Rachael Ray.
Okay, I am off to clarify some butter, grind spices with a pestle and mortar, and marinate chicken in plain yogurt. I am excited for the possibilities of tonight, but scared when I have never made a recipe before. Eeek. Luckily, Matt at Wrightfood recommended this cookbook which gives me the confidence that nothing will go wrong!
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 15 minutes
Serves 4
Adapted from Bon Appetit Magazine May 2009
2 tablespoons unrefined peanut oil
5 green onions, finely chopped, dark green parts separated from white and pale green parts
3 tablespoon fresh cilantro, minced
3 garlic cloves, minced
6 tablespoons Thai green curry paste (recommended brand Thai Kitchen)
1 1/4 cups water
1 14-ounce can unsweetened coconut milk
2 small fresh red Thai chiles or 1 red jalapeño chile, chopped
2 tbsp. fresh lime juice and 1 tsp. lime zest
1 tablespoon fish sauce (such as nam pla or nuoc nam)
1 large carrot, peeled, thinly sliced on diagonal (about 1 cup)
2 baby bok choy, thinly sliced
8 ounces uncooked medium shrimp, peeled, deveined
1 pound black mussels, scrubbed, debearded
1/4 c. fresh basil, minced
2 cups (about) steamed rice or rice noodles
Heat oil in large saucepan over medium heat. Add white and pale green parts of green onions, 1 tablespoon cilantro, and garlic; sauté until tender, about 2 minutes. Add curry paste; cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add 1 1/4 cups water, coconut milk, chiles, lime juice and zest, and fish sauce. Bring to simmer. Add carrot; cover and cook until carrot is just tender, about 5 minutes.
Layer bok choy, shrimp, and mussels in pan. Cover and simmer until mussels open and shrimp and bok choy are cooked (discard mussels that do not open), about 5 minutes. Stir in dark green parts of green onions, 2 tablespoons cilantro, and basil.
Divide rice among 4 shallow bowls. Ladle curry over rice or rice noodles and serve immediately.
May 2, 2009 at 12:49 pm
What a gorgeous, delicious looking dish!
May 2, 2009 at 7:21 pm
oh, if only steve ate fish, or shellfish, or anything from the sea!
May 2, 2009 at 10:42 pm
If you are making ALL THAT FOOD then what do the other club memebrts bring?
May 4, 2009 at 12:08 am
Wow, beautiful!!! It’s going to be a feast!
May 6, 2009 at 9:03 am
Sounds great! I know how scary making your own bread can be, but just so you know, roti, another Indian bread, is super easy to make. I learned how to make it for a challenge awhile back, and now I sometimes throw it together in a pinch when we have no bread in the house. Feel free to use my recipe: http://www.tomatokumato.com/2009/03/27/lucknow/
May 22, 2009 at 11:59 pm
excellent blog. first time here - came over from Giff’s. We love thai too. Have a huge stock of home made massaman, red, penang, yellow curry pastes in the freezer. once you have the pastes a delicious meal follows in no time! for naan without a tandoor i’ll shamelessly plug these tips - http://jugalbandi.info/2007/03/naan-breaddeconstructed-and-devoured/