Thai Red Chicken Curry

With my vacation ending before I begin my last year at UW-Seattle, I figured I should make a dish that is abundant along what we huskies call "The Ave". You see, "The Ave" is nothing more than a street with blocks upon blocks of restaurants in the University District. It seems every time I walk down The Ave, there's always a new Thai place popping up out of the woodworks.

Thaiger Room, Thai Tom and Banana Leaf are just a few and the list goes on and on. Yes, I do have my favorite place to go to but it seems my favorite place varies with a different dish. From Chicken Pad See Ew at Thaiger Room to Pad Thai at Thai Tom, I felt it's time to do something else than just a noodle dish. This is where Thai Red Chicken Curry comes in.

This is my version of Thai Red Chicken Curry. Trying to stay true to the original but putting my own spin on it, I read pages and pages of recipes and watched various videos to get an idea on what to do and to stay authentic. I knew I didn't want to make a dish that is overly consumed in coconut milk because of its richness, so I added chicken stock to thin it out. I also thought I would need a Jalapeno just in case the curry wasn't spicy and let me tell you, red curry paste is SPICY! BE CAREFUL!! Good thing I didn't use the Jalapeno. Overall, this is what I came up with!

AJ's Secret:

• When you add the Red Curry Paste to the oil, you need to be attentive! It can burn quickly so you need to stir constantly. Immediately add in the chicken to the pot once it becomes fragrant and has a slight change in color.
• When you open up a can of Bamboo Shoots, they have an interesting smell. How can I describe it? When I was in elementary school, we took a field trip to the pumpkin patch. At the pumpkin patch, there were many animals from goats to cows. Bamboo Shoots smelled exactly like being at the pumpkin patch; it was that barnyard kind of smell. To remove some of the smell, I drained and rinsed the bamboo shoots with cold water a couple of times. Then I brought a small pot of water to a boil with about 1 tsp of salt. Blanch the Bamboo Shoots for about 2-3 minutes by adding the Bamboo Shoots to the boiling water. Drain in a colander and rinse w/ cold water. Submerge them in cold water until ready to use.

Thai Red Chicken Curry

Recipe by Me

Ingredients
2 tbsp Vegetable oil
2-3 tbsp Red Curry Paste
1 Shallot, thinly sliced
4 Chicken Breasts, sliced 1/4-inch thick
2 cups Coconut Milk
3/4 cup Low Sodium Chicken Broth
1 1/2 tbsp fish sauce
2-3 tbsp sugar
1-19 ounce can of Bamboo Shoots in water, blanched
1 Red Bell Pepper, sliced into 1/4-inch strips
4-5 leaves of Thai Basil
Optional:
2-3 slices of Jalapeno if the dish isn't spicy enough

Directions
In a medium sized pot, add the oil and begin to heat on medium. Once hot, add in the Red Curry Paste and shallot. Stir constantly for about one minute until the curry paste has become fragrant. Once fragrant, add in the sliced chicken breast and mix. Cook until the chicken begins to turn from a translucent pink to white and opaque in color.

Once most of the chicken has become opaque and is halfway cook, add in the coconut milk. Mix until the curry paste has been dissolved into the coconut milk and the coconut milk has taken on an orange hue. Finally add in the chicken broth, mix and bring to a boil. Once to a boil, boil for about 5 minutes to cook the chicken.

After the 5 minutes are up, add in the fish sauce and sugar to season. Finally, add in the blanched bamboo shoots and red bell pepper. Cook for an additional 3-4 minutes.

When done, turn off the heat and add in the Thai Basil. Serve with rice.

 -Aaron John