Too much sysadmin stuff lately, so I’m going to share with you my love for Thai panang curry. Easiest recipe on earth. If you don’t have a wok get one. If you don’t cook, well, you should. :-) It’s also a great way to deal with slightly freezerburned chicken.
Ingredients:
- 2 tbps. oil (I use peanut oil)
- 3 tbps. of red curry paste
- 1 lb. chicken breast, carved up into bite-sized pieces
- 2 cups of thick coconut milk (I use two cans of it)
- 2 tbps. of fish sauce
- 1 tsp. of brown sugar
- Thai red chilis or hot sauce or whatever for spicyness (read below)
I cheat and use two cans of coconut milk. Remember to shake them vigorously before you open them to get all the goop off the bottom of the can. I also usually don’t have chilis, so I use two drops of Dave’s Insanity Sauce. Sometimes I use the Mexican dried chilis in a bag. I’m not trying to win a contest, just add spice. For me, cooking is all about eating and using the stuff I have around me. Improvise, adapt, and overcome.
Cook the rice and keep it warm. Heat the oil in the wok (I usually go for 350 degrees or so, hot but not burning the curry). Once it’s to full temperature add the curry paste and fry it up for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. The oil should be nice and flavorful now.
Add the chicken and fry until the meat is cooked, but not burnt or super tough. Like 2 minutes or so. Stir it a lot so there’s no burning.
Add the coconut milk and fish sauce, and bring it to a boil again. Boil it for 5 minutes and stir it frequently. The sauce should be consistently orange-ish.
Reduce the heat to a simmer and add the chilis or whatever you’re using. Keep simmering it for 10 minutes or so. The sauce should be somewhat thick, to coat the rice but not all run to the bottom of the bowl. Serve it on top of the rice.