I'm thinking of signing up for a Thai cooking class

It's on w night

I like yellow curry though

Green Curry Chicken with Zucchini

Inspiration:
Quick & Easy Thai

Ingredients:

2 medium zucchini or 2 long purple Asian eggplants
1 1/2 cups unsweetened coconut milk
2 to 3 tablespoons green curry paste
3/4 pound boneless chicken thighs or breast, cut in big, bite-sized pieces
1 1/2 cups chicken broth or water
2 tablespoons fish sauce
1 tablespoon palm sugar or brown sugar
6 to 8 wild lime leaves, torn or cut in half (optional)
A handful of fresh Asian or Italian basil leaves, plus basil sprigs for garnish
cooked rice



Instructions:

Cut the zucchini in half lengthwise and then crosswise into 1-inch chunks; set aside. In a medium saucepan or heavy skillet, bring 3/4 cup of the coconut milk to a gentle boil over medium-high heat. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, until it begins to thicken and becomes fragrant. Add the curry paste and cook 2 to 3 minutes, pressing and stirring to dissolve it into the coconut milk. Add the chicken and cook 2 minutes more, tossing to coat it with the sauce.

Add the remaining 3/4 cup coconut milk, the chicken broth, zucchini, fish sauce, palm sugar, and about half the wild lime leaves, if using, and bring to a gentle boil. Reduce heat to maintain a lively simmer and cook, stirring now and then, until the chicken is cooked and the zucchini is tender but still firm, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the remaining lime leaves and the fresh basil leaves. Garnish with a few sprigs of fresh basil and serve hot or warm over rice.


Recipe Notes:
"Green curry gets its name from the profusion of fresh hot green chilies fortifying the curry paste, rather than from the color of the finished curry. Some say it is the hottest of all Thai curries, but curry heat depends both upon how a given curry paste is made, and how much of it the cook stirs into the curry pot. The classic green curry uses chicken with lots of golfball-sized Thai eggplant, known as makeua poh, along with a flourish of the tiny, fragrant eggplant called makeua peuang, which adds a unique herbal note to the curry. I like it with chicken thighs cut into generous chunks and zucchini or yellow squash, or some of both. Long purple Asian eggplant makes a fabulous alternative. The lime leaves and basil are lovely, but not essential to a great green curry."


My Notes:
The sauce was thinner than I would prefer. Next time I wouldn't add the chicken broth until I thought it needed it. I did like the flavor, and I liked the addition of zucchini to pack in veggies.

Spinach from our CSA and this recipe.

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 tablespoon coarsely chopped garlic

8 to 10 cups loosely packed fresh spinach leaves (about 20 ounces)

2 tablespoons fish sauce, or 1 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons sugar

1/2 teaspoon black pepper or white pepper

1/4 cup water



Instructions:

Heat the oil in a large, deep skillet or a wok over medium-high heat for about 1 minute, and then add the garlic. Toss well and add the spinach. Gently turn the pile of spinach to heat most of the leaves. (Add it in 2 or 3 batches if your pan won’t hold all the leaves at first).

Add the fish sauce or salt,the sugar, pepper and water. Toss well, and then cook, turning often, until the spinach is barely wilted and tender, 1 to 2 minutes. Turn out onto a deep platter, sauce and all, and serve hot, warm or at room temperature.

Recipe Notes:
"This is my version of the classic Thai dish, pahk boong fai daeng, made with pahk boong, a leafy, hollow-stemmed Asian vegetable known as water spinach. In Thailand, pahk boong is fried over such a hot fire that flames leap out of the wok as the chef toss the greens. My home version will give you most of the fantastic flavor without the unwieldy fire, using a sack of prepared spinach from your grocery store produce section. Forget how health-full spinach is for us – make this just because it tastes so good."