Spicy Banana Curry with Lobster and Shrimp

It's a rough world when you're looking to make a quick and tasty meal after a long week and you just happen to have lobster and shrimp waiting to be eaten. This dish is a further variation on a recipe from Fine Cooking: I used shrimp and lobster instead of halibut, twice as much curry paste plus a healthy dose of sriracha, and peanut butter in place of half the peanuts. Curry is super flexible, and there are endless variations. This one was delicious, and it was done by the time the rice was cooked.


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Shrimp with Banana Curry

This recipe is based on one in Fine Cooking. We didn't have the halibut called for, but shrimp worked perfectly. This is deceptively easy to make--and very impressive, too.

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Thai Chicken Pizza

I've been wanting to try King Arthur Flour's Thai chicken pizza for a while now, but the opportunity didn't present itself til today. I'd planned to follow the recipe--or at least try to--but then realized that the recipe needed two days to make. And really? Pizza shouldn't take that long to make. I'm all for well-developed flavors, but I like my regular pizza dough recipe just fine--and it only takes about 45 min.--so I used that instead. I did use the rest of the recipe, though I used one chicken breast half for one pizza, versus half of a half on one. The flavors, without a drop of tomato sauce and light on the cheese, were great. I'll definitely be making this again, and soon. - Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Pumpkin Curry with Chicken

Some nights just nothing in the fridge seems appealing, not even a bowl of cereal is what I want. Tonight was one of those nights, so I started digging around in the cupboard, and this curry is what evolved. I combined one can of coconut milk with about a tablespoon of Thai red curry paste and some freshly grated ginger, and then added about a cup of pumpkin puree, two diced carrots, and maybe a tablespoon of fish sauce. This all cooked down for a few minutes, and then I added six boneless skinless chicken thighs, each cut into six pieces, some chicken broth, and a little brown sugar. This all simmered for 2o-30 min., and then I adjusted to taste with lime juice and soy sauce, and served the whole lot over gingered rice.

Peanut Noodles with Shrimp

Mark Bittman's Minimalist column in the New York Times this week was all about uses for the seemingly much-maligned (elsewhere) peanut butter. In my opinion, peanut butter is good with pretty much everything, you know? Bread, jelly, chocolate, cookies, brownies, pancakes, pasta, chicken, chicken soup, sauces, green beans, and especially a big glass of milk. In any case, tonight I made Bittman's recipe for peanut noodles with shrimp--a quick treat after a long week. The list of ingredients is fairly simple: peanut butter, rice noodles, shrimp, lime zest and juice, nam pla (fish sauce), sugar, garlic, chili peppers, carrots, and scallions. The final product was really really good, though I did add another spoonful of peanut butter as well as some grated fresh ginger, which I'm sure he meant to include. I also made a vegetarian version, using soy sauce instead of nam pla and tofu instead of shrimp. Doing so eliminated the quick and easy aspect of this recipe, but we were all happy, and full, in the end.

Chicken on a Stick

Why does grilled meat on a stick taste so good? Maybe it's the extra flavor you get when the sticks aren't soaked quite long enough, and they start to burn before the chicken is cooked. Maybe it's the atmosphere--in this case, a suburban-urban backyard filled with leafy trees, flowering plants, and a little dog carefully watching the grill. Much to her dismay, the plate full of chicken did not fall to the ground. Nor did she find another raccoon to chase. She does suffer, no? The chicken here was marinated in sambal, rice wine vinegar, fish sauce, and a little soy sauce. I served it with spicy peanut sauce, gingered rice, fresh mango slices, and green beans.

Red curry with shrimp

The other night I made a Thai red curry with shrimp and loads of vegetables. Kinda looks like a million shrimp, doesn't it? I think they all swam to the top to get in the picture, though it's possible that not everyone wants as many shrimp as we do, too. Curry is so quick and easy, but I forget about it sometimes. Combine a few spoonfuls of red curry paste in about half a can of coconut milk. Once they are combined, stir in a spoonful of brown sugar and then the rest of the coconut milk. Add the carrots, since they take a while to cook, then bring the mixture up to a boil, and then let it simmer on low for about 15 min. At the very end, add the rest of the veggies and the shrimp, and cook it all til the shrimp are just cooked through. Serve with rice. I also made a vegetarian version with tofu instead of shrimp.

And now the veggies...

Spicy Basil Chicken

Some like it hot--and some like it hotter. I cut back on the number of chilis called for in this recipe--using only 8 bird chilis instead of the suggested 12-20--and yet my lips are still tingling. I'm not complaining, though, as the overall flavor was wonderful. I tossed this all with some rice noodles, but you could also serve it over rice and/or vegetables. This recipe is from ThaiFoodandTravel.com.

Pad si yew -- fried river noodles with chicken and dark soy. From Vatch's Thai Street Food, this recipe originally called for beef. I also used baby bok choy, red peppers, and carrots instead of broccoli, increasing the overall amount of vegetables. I used fresh rice noodles--one of my favorite things in the world--but even if you only have the dried, this recipe is quick and delicious. Pad Si Yew 1 Tbs vegetable oil 2 cloves of garlic, minced 1/2 lb boneless skinless chicken thighs, thinly sliced 1 egg 8 oz wide rice noodles (sen yai) 3 heads baby bok choy, rinsed well and slivered 1/2 red pepper, sliced into bite-size pieces 2 carrots, peeled and thinly sliced 1 tsp dark soy sauce 1 Tbs light soy sauce pinch of sugar 2 Tbs fish sauce chili-garlic sauce (optional but tasty) In a large wok or frying pan, heat the oil and fry the garlic til light brown. Add the chicken and stir fry over high heat to seal in the juices. Push the chicken to the sides of the pan and add the egg, stirring quickly til it is lightly scrambled. Add the noodles to the pan, tossing them quickly so they don't stick (to the pan and to each other). Next, add the vegetables and cook for one minute. Then add the soy sauces, sugar, and fish sauce (and chili sauce, if using). Mix well and serve immediately.

Morning Market Noodles

Morning market noodles, made with fresh (homemade!) rice noodles. I am in love. Rice noodles are among my most favorite things to eat, and now I can make them. They're not easy, but they're not too too complicated either. You make them like crepes, and then, when you need them, slice and cook them--they take less than a minute to cook! The preparation takes longer, but it's worth it, IMO. Both recipes, the one for the noodles themselves and the one for the morning market noodles, are in Hot, Sour, Salty, Sweet: A Culinary Journey Through Southeast Asia, by Jeffrey Alford and Naomi Duquid. For this dish, I cooked roughly chopped chicken thighs in broth for 30 min. I then added julienned carrots and baby bok choy. Once the noodles were cooked, I topped them with the chicken, veggies, and broth, and then added a variety of toppings. The recipe lists a ton of choices, so each person can customize it to his/her taste. To mine, I added a healthy dose of sambal, a little oyster sauce, and a couple of drops of rice wine vinegar. Then I sprinkled on chopped, roasted peanuts, cilantro, and a goodly squeeze of lime juice. So. very. good.