I have never attempted to cook Thai food before, but I saw this great looking recipe on The Nourishing Gourmet today and I knew that’s what I wanted to eat today. It looked easy enough, and I had most the ingredients. The problem is, I didn’t have the first idea what red curry sauce was, and I know I definitely don’t want to buy it pre made because of all the food additives and preservatives, so I searched online to see how to make it. To say the least, it was overwhelming, about 20 ingredients/spices that I didn’t have nor would I normally use up. So, I put my thinking cap on and figured out how to make the same taste I remember from eating at Thai restaurants in the past.
To my surprise, it came out excellent, I even made some honey sweetened chai tea to go with it (I’m sure not even close to the real thing, but it was delicious and nourishing either way).
*If you follow this recipe exactly, the spiciness is a medium spicy
Recipe:
SAUCE-
4 Tbs. tomato paste
1 Cup coconut milk or coconut water
1 small onion, peeled and quartered
1 inch fresh ginger, peeled
3 cloves garlic, peeled
½ tsp. red chili pepper (I used Trader Joes brand), or to taste –leave out if you don’t want spicy
2 Tbs. curry powder (I used Trader Joes brand), or to taste – less if you want less spicy
1 tsp. unrefined salt, or salt to taste
1-2 Tbs. naturally fermented soy sauce or fish sauce (I use Braggs Amino Acids), OPTIONAL
1 tsp. coconut sugar, OPTIONAL
½ Cup heavy cream (preferably organic/grass fed) this is to make it creamier, OPTIONAL
Other Ingredients-
2 Tbs. extra virgin coconut oil, or butter
1 bell pepper (any color, or mix), sliced in fine strips
1 small onion, diced or fine strips
2 Cups chicken broth or water (broth more flavor)
1 lb. chicken, cooked – you can use leftovers, chicken from making stock (which will be shredded as I did), or boil or bake bite size pieces
2 Tbs. fresh cilantro, chopped
Instructions:
1- Put all the ingredients for the sauce in a blender and blend until smooth, taste and adjust flavoring if needed. If you don’t like spicy, use less curry powder and add little by little until you reach a taste you like. Remember, the sauce flavors will adjust when cooked.
2- Sauté bell pepper and onion in coconut oil until soft
3- Then add broth and sauce; cook for about 10 minutes or until sauce is thickened and bell pepper is tender/soft.
4- Add the cooked chicken and cilantro, simmer for another few minutes. You can add more cream to thicken at this time if you’d like.
Note:
The longer it sits after it cools, the more flavors are released. Serve hot over white rice, brown rice, or quinoa.
A Nutritional Makeover 