Thai Red Curry

Ok, the past couple of months have been crazy busy, to say the least. It's not like I haven't had time to cook, but I've been doing a lot of "fly by the seat of my pants" dinners just to get something on the table after a long day. Now it feels like things have settled down for a bit, so I'm hoping to get back into the swing of things.

I'm going to tell you all the MOST frustrating thing to me from this past month. I checked out a brand new cookbook from the library written by a well-known chef. I was excited. I read this book cover-to-cover, and I dog-eared (yes, dog-eared!) over twenty different recipes I was excited to try. Now, I learned a long time ago that test driving cookbooks from the library before investing in buying them is the way to go. Because there are a lot of big stinker cookbooks out there. They look pretty and glossy and have a picture of someone we recognize from TV, and we trust it! We trust the recipes to work! I know these chefs are amazing and so skilled at what they do, and I also know that there must be some publisher employee changing ingredient amounts and directions, because the first recipe I made was one HUGE flop. Ok, I wrote that one off as a mistake I made. It was a dish I had no prior experience with and didn't know what I should expect texture and flavor-wise. 

So then I tried the roast chicken. I have done roast chicken using so many different methods, I could do it with my eyes closed. I've read about different techniques and the whys of using certain ingredients and the hows of cooking it all to the perfect temperature without drying out the breast or undercooking the legs. Unfortunately for me, I ignored what I already know and followed the recipe in this book to the letter. I was trying to give it a fair chance! And there was flop number two, staring at me from the oven. Underdone, so I cooked it longer. Rubbery and pale skin, so I put it under the broiler to brown it at least a little. 

Long story not so short, I get SO irritated when I waste my time on recipes that don't work. I don't have time for that. You don't have time for that. And it annoys me that there are publishers, websites, and magazines out there that think we do have time for that, or we aren't smart enough to know better, or they just don't care. End rant. 

All of this has reminded me of why I started posting these recipes on a blog in the first place. I wanted a place to archive all the recipes I use that work. The ones that my husband or kids love and would want me to make again. And then I decided to share them for others out there that want to spend time making a recipe that turns out how it should and tastes good. I truly hope that the recipes I have posted have worked for you, if you've tried them. If you only knew the amount of dishes I have been excited to post about, and then didn't because I didn't think they turned out well. I promise to always try to keep it real. :) 

This week's recipe is one I have made more times than I can count. It's another good one from America's Test Kitchen. This Thai Red Curry is so coconut-y and citrus-y, sometimes I want to drink the sauce. ;) I make this one on nights when I don't have a lot of time. It's quick and tasty. Enjoy!

Thai Red Curry
Adapted from America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook

Ingredients:

• 1 T vegetable oil
• 1 1/2 - 2 T red curry paste (commonly found in a small jar in the Asian foods aisle)
• 1 14oz. can coconut milk (also found in the Asian food aisle, not the coconut milk in the refrigerated dairy section)
• 2 T fish sauce or soy sauce
• 4 tsp light brown sugar
• 1 lb sirloin or flank steak OR chicken breast or thigh, thinly sliced (see note*)
• 1 red bell pepper, seeded and stemmed, thinly sliced into strips
• 1/2 lb sugar snap peas
• 1 small head broccoli, cut into small florets
• 1/2 c fresh basil, chopped
• 1-2 T fresh lime juice
• salt
• white or jasmine rice, cooked per package instructions

*Red meat protein: to get 1/4 in thin slices of meat easily, place uncooked meat in the freezer for 20-30 min. Remove from freezer and slice while meat is slightly hardened. Slightly freezing hardens the meat just enough to prevent it from sliding back and forth. The same can be done for chicken, though I find if you use a sharp knife, getting a thin slice on uncooked chicken is easier than red meat.

Directions:

1. Heat oil in a 12 in skillet over medium heat. Add curry paste, stirring and cooking until fragrant, about 1 minute (it will spatter, so take care!). 
2. Add coconut milk, fish/soy sauce, and brown sugar. Whisk over a simmering heat until the sauce thickens a bit, about 5 minutes. 
3. Add your protein and simmer until cooked through, about 3-5 minutes. 
4. Add broccoli and cook for 1 minute. Then add bell pepper and snap peas. Cook until all veggies are tender but still crisp, about 5 more minutes. 
5. Remove from heat. Stir in basil and lime juice to taste. Add salt to taste. 
6. Serve over rice. Be sure to ladle a generous amount of the curry sauce on top. It's the best part!!