Nom, nom, nom!

Well, having finally gotten a small break from school, I spent yesterday helping a friend garden in her front lawn. We spent more time removing than gardening, including removing a giant rose bush that had become a 20 foot long bramble/windbreak. Afterwards, rice and lentils with caramelized onions and portobello mushrooms were served, and they were delicious, especially after a long day's work.

After running home, I went out to a local bar to see a show I heard about through a friend from school. I missed the first band, which was supposed to be really good, though I don't remember its name. Instead I saw Tripping Out West, and to be honest, I was not impressed. Their music was never coherent. For example, one song started out with a heavy metal riff, switched to a ska groove for a few seconds, moved on to some country chords, etc. They never stuck with one idea long enough for me to groove with it, or by the time I started getting into a groove, they would change to something completely different. My friend, Billy, suggested that we go to another bar, Triple Crown, to see another band, Spank. This band was really groovin' and I really enjoyed it, though by this time I was getting tired and tipsy, so I spent a lot of time on the porch out back, where it was quieter.

I woke up early-ish today (for me, and for a weekend), and went up to the Coffee Pot to get some homework done. The weather, which had been gorgeous earlier this week, has now turned slightly chillier, and overcast, so I did not sit outside. Instead I sat inside and plodded through a few chapters in my multicultural advertising book and read up for a project I'm going to have to do tomorrow.

Once my brain was thoroughly fried, I went grocery shopping to prepare for another long cooking day. I made the chillies rellenos, and the green bean casserole again. I know, not very inventive, but they keep well, and keep me fed through the week. And they are both extremely easy to make. Also, I tried a new dish, which required a trip to H.E.B., since Wally World does not carry red curry paste.

Have you figured out what I made?

I substituted tofu for the chicken, and I could not find lime leaves, so mine turned out a bit different from the recipe.

This recipe is from The World's Greatest-Ever Curries by Mridula Baljekar.

Red Chicken Curry with Bamboo Shoots

Serves 4-6

1 litre/1.75 pints/4 cups coconut milk

30ml/2 tbsp red curry paste

450g/1lb chicken breast fillets, skinned and cut into bite size pieces

30ml/2tbsp Thai fish sauce

15ml/1tbsp granulated sugar

225g/8oz canned bamboo shoots, rinsed, drained and sliced

5 kaffir lime leaves, torn

salt and ground black pepper

chopped fresh red chillies and kaffir lime leaves, to garnish

plain boiled rice, to serve

1) Pour half of the coconut milk into a wok or large pan over a medium heat. Bring the coconut milk to a boil, stirring constantly until it has separated.

2) Add the red curry past and cook the mixture for 2-3 minutes. Stir the paste all the time to prevent it sticking to the base of the pan.

3) Add the chicken pieces, fish sauce and sugar to the pan. Stir well, then cook for 5-6 minutes until the chicken changes color and is cooked through. Continue to stir to prevent the mixture from sticking to the base of the pan.

4) Pour the remaining coconut milk into the pan, then add the sliced bamboo shoots and torn kaffir lime leaves. Bring back to a boil over medium heat, stiring constantly to prevent the mixture from sticking, then taste and add salt and pepper if necessary.

5) To serve, spoon the curry into a warmed serving dish and garnish with chopped chillies and kaffir lime leaves.

Variation

Instead of, or as well as, bamboo shoots use green beans. Cook 115g/4oz green beans in lightly salted water for 5 minutes, then drain and stir into the curry at the end of the recipe.

My opinion: This is a damn fine curry, very similar to the curry I love at Best Thai, in Dallas, and 888, in Austin. I think it needs more curry paste, because it was not that spicy. Also, I need to get a rice cooker, because I am not so good at the cooking of the rice. It ended up kind of mushy, even though I followed the recipe. Poo. Well, my friends, who were over while I was cooking, thought it was good, though the friend from New Orleans decided that it needed to be spicier. Oh, and cooking with coconut milk is surreal. The stuff changes texture from minute to minute as you boil it down. Then, when you add the curry paste, it changes texture completely, again. It's kind of a trip to watch.

Cost: Well, since this was my first time cooking this, and I had to get a lot of stuff I didn't have already, this one cost me a bit more than it will next time. All told, stocking up and everything, I think it cost around $15, but next time it should cost around $5, since I will only need to buy tofu, coconut milk, and lime leaves (if I can find them).

I want to make a lot more recipes from this book, but all the recipes call for spices and ingredients I don't have, or have never heard of. I will only need to buy these from time to time, but I lack a lot. To make the recipes I want to make, I need:

Cumin seeds $2.38

Amchur (I have no idea what this is)

Semolina

Mustard seeds (yellow) $2.24

Mustard seeds (black)

Onion seeds

White poppy seeds

Fennel seeds

Tumeric $3.84

Ginger (fresh) $2.88

Ginger (powdered) (did not record price)

Whole cloves $3.28

The items without prices are the items I could not find, although I didn't look for them at H.E.B.

Almost forgot, during the week I made some Pad Thai noodles from Thai Kitchen. The recipe is on the box, so I won't bother to transcribe it. Not to mention I took out the trash, so I couldn't transcribe it if I wanted to. Once again, I subbed tofu for the meaty-bits. Not the healthiest of meals, but damned tasty.

Edit: I did find Thai tea, at H.E.B., in cans for 89 cents. Next time I make this curry, I'm going to buy a can or two and have Thai tea with my meal, just like when I go to the restaurants. I can't wait.

With that said, goodbye for now.

Eat well!