Thai Style Green Curry

Green Chicken Curry

Hiya Ormond!  While you were busy making Stuffed Poblano Peppers -- and boy do they look good -- I was puttering around in cookbooks and recipe files to research an old favorite of mine, Thai green curry.

The first time I tasted a coconut milk-based curry was when our daughter-in-law, Crystal, made something called Basil Chicken in Coconut-Curry Sauce (recipe here). A nice, light curry dish, it's full of all the right flavors and not too overpowering. I loved it so much I begged for the recipe so I could enjoy it again.

Jasmine rice is traditionally served with green curry.

Then you came across The Hairy Bikers' Great Curries cookbook. Their Thai Green Chicken Curry is quite similar to Crystal's recipe. I wanted to try it for comparison, but when I made it the first time, the hack-job I did on the lemongrass (never having worked with it before) caused the dish to have a lot of hairy threads, a texture I despised. Also I overcooked it which sort of separated the coconut milk. Although it tasted fine it just didn't come out right and I was disappointed.

Roasted coriander seeds and lemongrass, key ingredients in green curry.

I like the way the Bikers make a curry paste from the onions and peppers, adding in important ingredients like kaffir lime leaves and nam pla, so I decided to base my own recipe on their basic construction, adding in some bits from Crystal's recipe. In the end I did what I always do: modify it to suit the stuff I have on hand.

Thickening the coconut milk with cornstarch makes a creamy consistency.

I found some cute little lemongrass stalks to work with this time. That greatly improved things for me.  In addition I bought a little container of chopped, partially dried cilantro which saved me having to trim an entire bunch.  I saved some more time with other shortcut ingredients, substituting squirts from the ginger and garlic tubes for the real deal, and using Thai basil leaves out of the jar.

Fluffy jasmine rice cooked to perfection.

From Crystal's recipe I pulled the jalapeno peppers, mainly because I had them on hand, and a very important finishing detail which, in my opinion, made the curry better than the Bikers' version. Whisking in cornstarch to the coconut milk before adding it to the pot created a thick, creamy sauce that clung to the chicken and rice.  The Bikers' recipe comes out way too soupy for my taste. I used Success brand Boil-in-Bag Jasmine Rice and it came out perfect.

Each fleck is a different exotic flavor.

So here's my recipe!

Thai Style Green Curry

Serves 3 - 4

Ingredients

6 boneless, skinless chicken thighs, fat removed and cut up into 1" pieces

1 Tablespoon canola oil

1 14-oz. can light coconut milk

1 Tablespoon cornstarch

For curry paste:

2 teaspoons coriander seeds

2 large jalapeno peppers, halved and seeded

1 teaspoon minced chunky garlic, squeezed from tube

3 little lemongrass stalks, outer leaves removed and tender center roughly chopped

5 green onions, trimmed and sliced into short lengths

1 teaspoon minced ginger, squeezed from tube
1 teaspoon Thai basil leaves

6 kaffir lime leaves (fresh or dried; I used dried)

large bunch of fresh cilantro, trimmed (I used 1 container chopped, lightly dried cilantro)

1 Tablespoon nam pla (Thai fish sauce)

1 Tablespoon demerara sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Procedure

Cut up the chicken and set aside.

Make the curry paste: Put the coriander seeds in a small pan and place over high heat. Shaking the pan from time to time, cook for 1-2 minutes until they give off a nice aroma. Crush them into a rough powder using a mortar and pestle.

Transfer the crushed coriander to a food processor and add the jalapenos, garlic, lemon grass, green onions, ginger, Thai basil leaves, lime leaves, cilantro, fish sauce and sugar.  Blitz until all ingredients are combined into a thick paste, pushing the mixture down the sides of the bowl if needed.  Add the salt and pepper and blitz once more.

In a large frying pan, heat the oil and stir-fry the chicken over medium-high heat until it is no longer pink.  Add the curry paste and let it simmer with the chicken about 3 minutes.

Pour the coconut milk into a large measuring cup and add 1 Tablespoon cornstarch, whisking to combine.  Pour over the chicken curry mixture and simmer gently about 4 minutes, being sure not to overcook it.

Ladle the curry into bowls and serve with jasmine rice.  You can sprinkle some fresh basil and cilantro leaves over the top as an optional garnish.

Thai Green Curry with Jasmine Rice

Bonnie's White Chili

Hiya Beave! So it turns out I'm not "prediabetic" as I had thought. The nurse told me I'm one point over normal. That's what I get for eating white rice with dinner the night before a blood test.

I'm still dedicated to finding recipes that incorporate the power foods recommended by the ADA. My old (circa 1986) White Chili recipe (which I derived from the awesome Family Circle Chicken Enchiladas in Cheese Cream recipe) has been a mainstay in our family, and is so popular it was even featured at a Dallas church Harvest Bazaar in the early 90s. Close inspection of the ingredients shows that it's very good for you! The combination of chicken and great northern beans with just the right spices and seasonings makes for a very tasty bowl of health. I decided to cook up a batch of our chili last weekend.

My original easy-peasy recipe calls for canned beans.
This time I decided to try and make my own.

I'm watching my sodium intake so I know that Bush's Great Northern beans are 460 mg per half cup and 230 mg per half cup "low sodium." Really, neither version are that bad. I wanted to eliminate that sodium (cut out the flavor as our son Ollie would say) by making my own beans from scratch. In the process I also decided to make my own green chiles, saving an additional 70 mg of sodium per two tablespoons. I also always use sodium free chicken bouillon when I cook. Read on to see the pictures of my process. And at the end of the post is my original, flavorful White Chili recipe from 1986.

Soak the beans in water overnight.

The next morning I cooked the beans according
to package directions.

Your trick: Poach the chicken along with chunks
of celery, carrot, and onion. Don't forget the
celery leaves!

The vegetables enhance the flavor of the chicken.
Leave the skin on during cooking.

I prefer to save the cooking broth for something else
because I don't want too many conflicting flavors in the chili.

After skinning and deboning the chicken I got about 3 1/2 cups
cubed meat from the original 2.4 lb package.

I decided last minute to make my own green chiles.
These are actually poblanos; no one had Anaheims in stock!

Slice and dice the boiled chiles. Taste one first;
if it's not hot enough leave in some seeds.

Drain the beans, add all ingredients to the pot and simmer
about an hour (tilt lid and stir occasionally).

When all was cooked and eaten I have to say that I need a lot more practice cooking dried beans. I followed the package directions carefully but the cooked beans weren't silky smooth like the ones you get in the can. Rather, mine were mealy and distracting in my white chili. Also I had to increase the salt several times to get the flavor right.  I'm sticking with my original recipe, below, from now on.

Bonnie's White Chili

Ingredients

2 21-ounce cans great northern beans

2 pounds chicken breasts (with skin and ribs), cooked and diced

1 large onion, diced

1 can chopped green chiles*

2 cups chicken broth

1 tablespoon chili powder**

1/2 teaspoon cumin

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon oregano

1/4 teaspoon white pepper

1/8 teaspoon garlic powder, or 1 large clove garlic, minced

Procedure

Add all ingredients to a large pot and simmer with lid tilted for 30 minutes to an hour, stirring occasionally. You want a thick consistency so let the liquid cook down somewhat. This is chili not soup!

Top with shredded Monterrey Jack cheese and serve with good tortilla chips.

Yields about 4 Texas-sized bowls. I always double the recipe to accommodate four (apparently starved) guys.

*Be careful not to buy chopped jalapenos! This changes the flavor considerably. If you decide to cook your own use Anaheim peppers (first choice) or Poblano (second choice), but not jalapenos. All green colored peppers are not alike.

**Beaver already knows this but our readers should be cautioned to not use chipotle chili power. Chipotle is a smoked pepper and you don't want that flavor in your chili! Also, if you know anything about chili you know that the 1 tablespoon chili powder is correct. Reducing the chili powder will turn your finished product into a nice, boring, chicken and bean stew. If you don't like chili, don't make chili.

Hotel Hot Wings

Hi Bonnie.  When I was traveling a lot last year, I mostly stayed in Residence Inn by Marriott.  On weekends (as you know), I really enjoy hot wings while I watch sports.  There usually wasn't a wings place nearby, so I had to figure out how to make good hot wings and french fries with just a cook top range and a microwave oven.  I think I figured it out.  I made some yesterday in the apartment and thought I would share the method with you.  It's very simple and makes great Hotel Hot Wings.

Here are the ingredients:  whole chicken wings, all purpose flour,
rank's Red Hot, butter and microwave french fries.
The microwave fries are surprisingly good.

 I use whole wings. They are thawed, not frozen.

The stock pot is full of water and I'm bringing it
to a boil before putting the chicken wings in.

Fresh beer helps the process go more smoothly.

Timer is set for eleven minutes.

The wings go into the boiling water and cook for exactly eleven minutes.
Near the end of the cooking time, some of the wings float to the top.
This also seems to take some fat out of the wings,
you can the see some of the fat rising to the top.
Maybe it's more healthy.

When the wings are done, let them cool and cut them
into sections and throw away the tips.

Here are the cut up wings. There are 16 pieces.

Then I coat the wings in flour.  I don't add any liquid
because the wings have oily skin from the boiling.
I also don't make the coating thick.

It's time to make the wings sauce.
I use the classic 1/3 cup butter and 1/2 cup of Frank's Red Hot.
I put the burner on very low heat
and leave the pan on until the butter melts.

Now I fry the wings in a little bit of oil
to brown them and get them crispy.
I cook them on medium low to reduce splatters.

It's time to make the fries.  Only four minutes in the microwave oven.

Pour sauce on the wings and it's time to eat!

The kitchen gets a little messed up, but it's worth it.

All done.