Chicken curry at the local Thai restaurant left my tongue reeling with its spiciness. However, as with most Asian cuisine, the combination of spices and exotic ingredients makes it nearly irresistible, regardless of the heat. Even after I should have stopped eating the very spicy curry, I soldiered on, marveling at the addictive flavor. A helpful waiter informed me that next time, I should ask for no chili peppers, seeing as how I had trouble with the spiciness. I left there, mouth on fire, and sans lipstick — I still think it ‘melted’ off from the curry dish.
Irresistible, less Spicy Curry in a Hurry
After we left, my sinuses cleared out from the peppers in the curry, I wondered if I could make curry at home, taking the spiciness down to a very low level to suit my taste buds. After reading a curry recipe in Fine Cooking magazine, and glancing at another Thai curry recipe, I was inspired to try my own twist on chicken curry.
You’ll note that there are no chili peppers in the sauce. Also, be forewarned that the work for this recipe is front-end loaded (a lot of prep work), but the good news is once everything is in the pot, you can take a break for a few minutes.
Chicken Curry
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- Prep time: 30-35 minutes
- Cook time: about 16 minutes
- Total Time: about 50 minutes
Cook’s tip: make the rice about 20 minutes before the curry will be done (a guestimate on your part, of course, since the curry takes about 11 minutes to make).
- Rice Cook time: 23 minutes
Ingredients for Rice:
- 2 cups uncooked long grain white rice (see directions below)
- 4 cups water
Directions for Rice
Put rice and water in a 2-quart Pyrex round glass dish. Microwave for 23 minutes on HIGH and uncovered (note that microwave cooking times will vary).
Ingredients for Curry:
- 1 tablespoon vegetable or canola oil
- 2 tablespoons red Thai curry paste
- 2 cups snap peas, cut in half diagonally
- 1 cup thinly sliced and chopped onion
- 1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
- 8 oz. light coconut milk
- 8 oz. organic plain yogurt
- 1.5 tablespoons light brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon ground star anise
- 1 cup water
- 3/4 cup torn basil leaves
- 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
- dash salt, if needed
- 4 boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 2 tablespoons fish sauce
- ¼ cup cilantro, sliced
- 1/8 cup roasted, unsalted peanuts, chopped
Directions for Curry:
Use a 4-quart saucepan or stockpot, heat to medium high. Add oil to hot pot. Put the red curry paste in the pot and stir for about 10 seconds or so. Then add onions, red bell peppers, snap peas, and stir. Add the coconut milk, yogurt, a couple pinches of light brown sugar, the ground star anise, cinnamon and nutmeg, and some water. Stir. Throw in chopped up chicken thighs into the curry and cook for about 10 minutes (or until chicken is done) on medium heat, covered. Remove the pot from the heat, and add in the torn basil, a little lime juice and fish sauce, stir, and let it rest in the pot about 5 minutes. Serve with white rice, and top with cilantro and chopped up peanuts.
The result? A big hit at our dinner table, and a recipe to make again.
Photo by Kelly Estes
