Before I moved to Philadelphia, I lived alone in an apartment in the suburbs of Colorado. There were very few local restaurants in the area, much less in walking distance, but one day the rancid Chinese restaurant about two blocks from my place closed and signs for a Thai restaurant started to appear. It was Christmas the first time I entered NaRai Thai. Every dish a present revealing its hidden flavors with each bite AND it was only a five minute walk. I was in love.
Now, in Northern Liberties, Asian food is scarce. The best Asian cuisine is in Chinatown, and as the temperature drops the likelihood of taking the journey is rare. Ok, let’s face it, I don’t make it to Chinatown even if it’s 75 degrees outside and rainbows are shooting from everyone’s ass. Not having a car makes me pretty damn lazy. The few times we have gone out for Thai, it just hasn’t been the same. I finally decided to take matters into my own hands and give this recipe a try.
I’m so glad I did. Not only was this delicious and very close to NaRai’s (there are some ideas I have about the recipe below), it was done in under 30 minutes and with all the ingredients, it ended up being under $10.
Reviews were as follows: Ed, who doesn’t like coconut, gobbled it up. Elizabeth, who was in the kitchen making her own delicious looking meal, kept tasting it and Steve, our half roommate/Elizabeth’s boyfriend/son of a Thai woman, gave it a thumbs up. I definitely am going to add this to my “arsenal” of recipes.
yum, raw chicken!
Thai Coconut Chicken Curry
(adapted from The Steamy Kitchen Cookbook)
4 oz (125 g) Thai curry paste (massaman)
4 cups coconut milk, divided in half
2 T fish sauce
1 tsp sugar
6 medium Yukon gold potatoes cut in fourths
1 skinless, chicken breast, thinly sliced (I don’t use boneless, so I can use bones for broth!)
½ red onion, sliced
½ c basil
1 lime, cut into wedges.
Next time I am going to toast the following spices and add them as well, based on this recipe by Rasa Malaysai:
10 green cardamom seeds
2 cinnamon sticks
3 star anise
1. In a medium-large pot, heat curry paste on medium-low. Heating it faster may burn the paste, so stay patient. Once it becomes fragrant and the pot is hot, whisk half of the coconut milk. Turn the heat to high.
2. When the paste and first half of the coconut milk are well blended, put in the remaining coconut milk, fish sauce, sugar, and spices. Bring the curry to a gentle boil. Add potatoes and cook for about five minutes, until the potatoes are slightly tender.
3. Add chicken and red onion. Stir well and simir until the chicken has been cooked through (3-5 minutes). Turn off the heat, stir in basil.
4. Top with a lime and serve with rice (Jasmine rice is traditional). Shu mai, a Thai dumpling, is a tasty appetizer.