Oh Lanta

Passport & Plate - Chicken Red Curry

Thailand | Thursday, March 5, 2015 | 5 photos

Ingredients
1 tbsp. Thai red curry powder
2 tbsp. coconut powder
2 large carrots (cut into small slices)
1/2 cup of diced sweet pepper
1/4 of dried spices (large pieces of ginger root, chili peppers, lemon grass & Thai basil)
2 cups of water
1 lbs. sliced chicken
Sliced chili peppers for garnish
1 cup of jasmine rice

Makes 4 servings.

 

How to prepare this recipe
In a large wok, heat a teaspoon of coconut oil until melted. Add carrots and peppers. Sauté. Add chicken, cook until no longer pink. At this time, start cooking the jasmine rice as directed on package. For the curry, add 1 cup of water. On medium heat, let the water come to a boil. Add coconut powder and stir. Add dried spices and let them marinate in the sauce. Add another cup of water. Add Thai red curry powder and stir. Let it come back to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and let sit for 5 minutes. Then begin removing large pieces of dried spices (lemon grass, basil leaves, ginger root, dried chili peppers). You do not need to remove all of it, but take away big chunks that will be difficult to eat.
To serve, place curry in medium size bowl. Place rice in small side bowl. Using ladle spoons to dish rice and curry out onto your individual plate. Season with chili pepper for an extra kick.
Enjoy with chilled coconut water or thai beer (Chang is my favourite).

 

The story behind this recipe
I was given this recipe from a young Thai woman working at a small restaurant in Old Lanta Town in Southern Thailand. I was in Koh Lanta for two days, passing through while on a sailing trip with friends. It was the last shop along the only street in town. A small thatched booth was stationed at the entrance displaying an array of dried fruits, small dishes and ground spices. I walked in, leaving my tattered flip-flops on the straw mat by the entrance. At the back of the open-air shop a patio was built on stilts above the ocean. A few empty tables were set. I slowly perused the offerings as my friend ordered us iced coffee, Thai style. A package of red curry spices on display caught my eye. ‘What a way to remember Thailand’, I thought. I picked up the spice pack. The woman smiled at me brightly. “Good choice,” I remember she said. Through her broken English and my few words of Thai she attempted to teach me the process of preparing the curry, but much of what she told me got lost in translation. Luckily, I thought at the time, she included a small note with instructions, which read; “The process of chicken red curry: Add water to pot. Use medium heat. Bring red curry powder set. Vegetable into pot. Put prepared chicken. Wait three minutes. Lap cup holders. Ready to serve.” The process seemed simple as I read it, but there were some missing gaps. How much water? How much of the spice? I’ll be the first to admit this dish involved a lot of guesswork but the results were awesome. There is little to go wrong when you’re working with such flavourful spices. All it took was a bite to take me back. Sitting in a white plastic chair, sipping Chang beer at a rickety table on a back soi deciding whether to order pad thai or yellow curry. Suddenly the memory feels real again, as though the scene is playing out in front of me all over. At the time it was just another day, another shop. But now, I often think of the spice lady, smiling back at me with her perfect crooked teeth.