Thai food makes me happy! I love all the exotic spices and flavors associated with it. A good curry is a harmony of many different flavors working together to become one. Fortunately for the home cook, many grocery stores now sell Thai curry paste in their Asian food section, which makes it much easier to make a good curry at home. I tried this recipe recently when, Oh joy, I had everything on hand to make the dish. Husband & I loved it!

I wanted more spice and curry flavor so I added a few more tablespoons of red curry paste. I also added mushrooms, celery and broccoli to the simmering curry, although I waited until the end of cooking to add the broccoli and snap peas so they would be bright green and crisp tender. Serve with steamed rice and enjoy!

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Thai Red Curry with Chicken & Vegetables
-recipe from Fine Cooking Magazine

This recipe is easily adaptable to serve meat-lovers and vegetarians alike: see the variation below to serve one vegetarian. Serve with jasmine rice. Serves four.
 
1 Tbs. vegetable oil
3 Tbs. red Thai curry paste
2 cups snap peas, trimmed and cut in half on the diagonal
2 large shallots, thinly sliced (about 1 cup)
1 medium red bell pepper, thinly sliced into 2-inch-long strips
One 13.5- to 14-oz. can coconut milk
6 wild lime leaves (magrut or kaffir lime;optional)
1 Tbs. light brown sugar
1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken thighs (about 5), cut into 1- to 1-1/2-inch pieces
1 cup loosely packed Thai basil (or regular basil, torn into small pieces)
2 Tbs. fish sauce, more to taste
1 Tbs. plus 1 tsp. fresh lime juice
Kosher salt
 
Heat the oil in a 3-quart saucepan over medium-high heat until shimmering hot. Add the curry paste and cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant, 20 seconds. Take the pan off of the heat and stir in the snap peas, shallots, pepper, coconut milk, lime leaves (if using), sugar, and 1 cup water. Stir to combine.

Add the chicken, bring to a simmer over medium heat, cover, and cook until the vegetables are tender and the chicken is cooked through, 8 to 10 minutes.

Stir in the basil, fish sauce, and lime juice. Let rest off the heat for 5 minutes. Season to taste with fish sauce or salt.

Variations:
To serve 1 vegetarian and 3 meat-lovers: After stirring in the vegetables, coconut milk, lime leaves, and water, transfer about 1 cup of the curry mixture to a 2-quart saucepan. To this smaller pan, add 4 oz. extra firm tofu, cut into 3/4-inch cubes, and bring to a simmer over medium heat, cover, and cook until the vegetables are tender, 8 to 10 minutes. Stir in 2 tsp. soy sauce, 1/4 cup of the basil, and 1 tsp. of the lime juice.

With the remaining curry mixture in the 3-quart saucepan, finish the master recipe above to serve the 3 meat lovers, reducing the amount of chicken to 12 oz.

Tags: chicken thighs, fish sauce, lime, red curry paste, red pepper, shallot, Thai

If you like the flavors of Thai food then you’ll love this simple grilled chicken recipe. After cooking, the chicken is brushed with a flavorful sauce that is a little sweet, a little tart, and little spicy all at the same time. The sauce only takes a few minutes to make and really brings the grilled chicken to life (so to speak). I served it with steamed jasmine rice and a boat load of stir-fried veggies.

Thai-Style Grilled Chicken Breasts
-recipe from America’s Test Kitchen

 Test Kitchen Discoveries
We’re always looking for ways to dress up versatile chicken breasts. A fast, flavorful Thai-style sauce pairs well with tender, juicy chicken cooked on the grill.
•Pat the chicken dry with paper towels before cooking. If wet, the chicken will stick to the grill and cook improperly.
•When it comes to fish sauce—a very potent and pungent Asian condiment made of the liquid from salted, fermented fish—color correlates with flavor; the lighter the sauce you buy, the lighter the flavor. Most supermarkets carry the lighter colored (and flavored) brands.
•If you can’t find any fish sauce, 2 minced anchovy fillets combined with 2 tablespoons soy sauce will work just as well.
•For color and bite, we added some fresh cilantro and red pepper flakes to the sauce. Keep in mind that cilantro becomes soapy-tasting if chopped in advance, so we recommend chopping this herb right before adding it to the sauce.
•Boneless chicken breasts can get dry on the grill. For tender, juicy meat, quickly grill the chicken breasts over high heat. Pay close attention to the chicken as it grills, since boneless meat cooks much faster than bone-in chicken.
•Brushing the chicken breasts with some of the sauce as they come off the grill and allowing them to rest allows the flavors to come together before serving.

Serves 4

1/2 cup white vinegar  
1/3 cup sugar  
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes  
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves   
2 tablespoons fish sauce (see note) 
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger  
3 garlic cloves , minced 
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1 1/2 pounds) 
1 tablespoon vegetable oil  
 Salt and pepper  

Heat vinegar, sugar, and pepper flakes in small saucepan over medium-high heat until sugar dissolves, about 1 minute. Off heat, stir in cilantro, fish sauce, ginger, and garlic.

Rub chicken with oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill over hot fire until cooked through, about 5 minutes per side. Transfer to platter and brush with 1/4 cup sauce. Tent with foil and let rest 5 minutes. Serve, passing remaining sauce at table.

Tags: Chicken, Grilling/BBQ, Quick Cooking, Thai