New Recipes this week include Thai Curry Chicken Stew and Roasted Zucchini

Original recipe for this "Authentic Thai Red Curry with Chicken" recipe came from food.com.  I used the whole jar of Thai Kitchen red curry paste which is what he recommended but thought others would think it was too spicy but this wasn't spicy so next time I will add Sriracha and try one of the brands of curry paste he recommended or more of the Thai Kitchen brand I used.  Original recipe suggested Pantai or Mae Ploy.  At first I wasn't sure if this was going to be right, the broth barely came over the chunky vegetables but as it cooked so did they of course so the veggies reduced but the broth did not.  I wish I would have sauteed the onions more to add sweetness since I reduced the sugar from ⅓ C.  I also forgot the celery which I will add next time along with more ginger, the fresh basil which I didn't have on hand, coconut oil vs. grape seed oil and double the tomatoes since I did grape tomatoes vs. cherry.  I liked it but it wasn't coco-nutty, spicy or sweet which I expected so I need to work on it to fit my tastes.  The items in red are changes I will make next time.  As for the chicken I used 2 breasts and 2 thighs but use what is cheapest or what you have on hand.  After looking up other recipes on the web I modified my process and have added a thickener to try next time just to see the difference.  The broth was thin but that was not a problem so I'm not sure if thicker will be better.  One surprise was the green bell peppers, they were not over whelming.  I typically omit green bell peppers or replace them with red but since I love my bell pepper soup I decided to keep this recipe as stated and I was not disappointed.

THAI RED CURRY CHICKEN STEW
Saute:
1 T. coconut oil
4 oz. jar (8 T.) red curry paste (not spicy enough, try another brand or more)
½ " small piece grated ginger (use more-1" or 1T.)
2 onions, chopped
4 green bell pepper, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
4 pieces boneless skinless chicken (breasts, thighs, mix)
Add:
3 (13.5 oz.) cans Imperial Dragon coconut milk (see note)
1 ½ C. chicken stock
1 sm. chicken bouillon cube
1 t. fish sauce
1 T. Sriracha hot sauce
¼ C. sugar
1 t. Kosher salt
1 T. lemon juice (try lime)
8 basil leaves
1 t. dried basil
2 (12") Japanese eggplants, quartered, sliced
20 grape tomatoes, halved
1 C. pre shredded carrots
Thicken:
1-2 t. cornstarch 
3 t. cold water
Serving:
4 C. cooked jasmine rice

Prep vegetables and set aside in separate bowls.  Cut grape tomatoes in half.  Chop onion, bell pepper, celery, eggplant and chicken into bite sized pieces.   If using whole carrots shred with a vegetable peeler.  In a large 5 qt. stock pot add coconut oil and heat till oil is hot but not smoking.  Add curry paste and ginger.  Saute 1 minute.  Add onion, celery and pepper, saute 5 minutes or till onions are translucent.  Add chicken, cook to brown 2-3 minutes.   Add remaining soup ingredients:  milk, stock, bouillon, fish sauce, hot sauce, sugar, salt, lemon, basil, eggplants, tomatoes, carrots and Kale.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes.  Serve over Jasmine rice.

Notes:  Red curry should be spicy and the ratio is typically 1 T. paste to 1 C. liquid.  One can of coconut milk, which may have been Chaokoh Coconut Milk, had a layer of hard coconut milk/oil and a thin liquid under that.  The other two cans, all different brands were mixed and creamy.  I tossed the one with the layer of hard milk and used the creamy ones.

The other thing I cooked this week was roasted salmon, not new, only difference was that I added sliced zucchini and red onions to the grape tomato roast and on the plate finished it with a drizzle of maple balsamic.  It made zucchini great.

ROASTED SALMON & TOMATOES
Drizzle EVOO
1 pint grape tomatoes
1 ½ T. (5-6 5” sprigs) fresh thyme leaves, reserve ½ t.
Sprinkle garlic salt
¼ t. coarse black pepper
2-4 salmon fillets

Heat oven 425°F.  Line a rimmed cookie sheet with foil.  Drizzle with oil.  Remove the thyme leaves from the stems.  On half the cookie sheet toss tomatoes with thyme, EVOO, sprinkle with garlic salt and pepper.  Bake for 10 minutes.  Drizzle other side with oil, add salmon.  Sprinkle with more garlic salt and pepper and reserved thyme.  Roast another 10 minutes or until salmon is just cooked through.  Serve salmon topped with tomatoes.

Note:  You know you have over cooked your salmon if it starts to “cry” which is the white fat that will show up on top if your fillet if cook too long.  Don’t make you salmon cry.  You can still eat it it just may be a tad dry.

Serving Suggestions:  

• Asparagus:  Add to roasting pan with tomatoes.
• Zucchini:  Add zucchini and red onions next to grape tomatoes.  Finish with a drizzle of maple balsamic on plate
• Sautéed spinach & white beans 

Variations:

• Add diced green onions to tomato toss.  Shown here with the asparagus.
• Add minced garlic to the tomato toss vs garlic salt.
• Mexican Flare:  Add some fresh corn kernels to the tomato toss and stir cilantro after cooked in place of the thyme.
• Drizzle cooked filet with Maple Balsamic for a sweet touch!
• Foil Pkg:  Place veggies on bottom, salmon on top and close up foil.