Confused Noodle Broth - Japanese? Thai?

First up let me confess that my knowledge of Japanese food is very limited. I know there is Sushi. And Sashimi. And… that’s it. I did eat out at this Japanese restaurant called Wagamama in London when I was there on work, but just cannot remember what I had! I vaguely remember rice. And chicken. And clearly remember my friend and then-boss NamC expertly wielding a pair of chopsticks to eat her rice and even her soup! I think it’s the chopsticks. She dazzled me with them and I, with my mouth open, just watched her and forgot what I ate! Don't blame me... NamC is that super cool, super stylish, super boss who can teach you a thing or two about everything! :D

Easy Thai Red Curry with Chicken

Last month my childhood friend SM and her husband went to Thailand on a week-long trip and got me, among other goodies, 2 packets of authentic Thai Red & Green Curry paste. Now SM is someone I have been pestering for really long to start her own blog. And she did. But oh, there are no posts yet! And i doubt if there ever will be... She has been trying very hard to convince me that I should just take her recipes, also take the pictures she clicks of her food, and post them on my blog! Yes, she is a little crazy :D Did I mention she has invisible friends and an endless repository of the worst jokes ever? But on the flip side, she bakes amazing stuff and provides me with my daily dose of mindless conversation, randomness, and gossip. So all is forgiven, and I graciously accept her gifts of Thai Red Curry paste and suchlike.

So on Sunday, when G&A came down for dinner, I decided it was time to take the aforementioned Red Curry paste out of the freezer. I know it’s the easy way out and doesn’t call much for a recipe really, but am sure there are many other lazy souls like me and fellow blogger Tejal who would still prefer the lazy version of Thai Red Curry. So here goes!

Ingredients:

Thai Red Curry Paste – 4 tbsp
Boneless Chicken cubes – 250 gms
Button Mushrooms – chopped – ½ cup
Baby corn – sliced lengthwise – ½ cup
Broccoli – I small head
Red & Yellow Peppers – cubed – ¼ cup

Coconut milk – 200 ml
Olive Oil – 2 tbsp
Cinnamon – 1 stick
Salt
Sugar
Soy Sauce.
Ginger Garlic paste – 1 tsp
Lemon juice – 1 tbsp

Wash and marinate the boneless chicken pieces in 2 tbsp of the Red Curry paste, a little coconut milk, salt, ginger garlic paste and lemon juice. Set aside for half an hour. In a large frying pan or wok, toss all the chopped vegetables in 1 tbsp of olive oil. Sprinkle some salt and cover for 2 min. Remove from flame while the vegetables are still crunchy. In a heavy bottomed non-stick pan, pour in some olive oil and add the cinnamon and 2 tbsp of the remaining Red Thai Curry paste. Transfer the marinated chicken into the pan, cover and cook for 10min. When the chicken is almost done, add the stir-fried vegetables, coconut milk, soy sauce and a little water. Cover and cook for another 5-8min. Adjust seasoning adding salt or sugar if required. I personally didn’t have to add anything additional at all. A lot of the recipes i saw online had cornflour added to the gravy. But I thought the consistency was just fine and I could do without the extra flour in my system.

Serve with hot, fragrant steamed rice. I pressure cooked 2 cups of rice with some salt, star anise, cinnamon and javitri (mace). It made for a great accompaniment with the Thai Red Curry.

PS - SM, this is a public apology for not cooking for you till now! This weekend, hopefully :)