Thai Delights

Sawadee Kah! (Hello in Thai.)

Finally... I made it to the spectacularly beautiful country of Thailand. It has been at the top of my list of holiday destinations for years, but this, that and the other trip just kept getting in my way. There are so many places I want to see in this lifetime and Thailand for me was the cream of the crop.

After 23 hours of travel, my friend and I landed. What a spectacular country, full of culture and vivaciousness.

Of course, knowing me, I just had to take a Thai Cooking Course while I was there so we signed up for one in Chiang Mai. Boy, were we in for a treat. We started with demonstrations on every single dish from the Chef and then we prepared the exact same item at our individual cooking stations. Set in a beautiful outdoor setting on the outskirts of Chiang Mai city, the group full of all sorts of cultures was put to work at gas fired cooking stations to prepare some of the tastiest and most popular Thai dishes.

Upon my return to the US, after 7 days of American cuisine, I was craving some of the delicious foods I had devoured in Thailand and so proceeded to make a Thai Curry. It tasted just as good here as it did there.

 Thai Yellow Chicken Curry 

Ingredients:

10 oz. Chicken Breast - Thinly Sliced

1 c. Thick Coconut Milk*

1 c. Thin Coconut Milk*

1 tsp Curry Powder

4 tbsp Yellow Curry Paste

2 Medium Potatoes - Peeled & Cubed & Boiled for 5 minutes

2 tbsp Palm Sugar

3 tbsp Soy Sauce

* Note: to create Thick and Thin Coconut Milk place the canned coconut milk into the freezer for 15 minutes so that the thick cream rises to the top of the can.

Method:

Put the thick coconut milk into a wok and fry on high for 3-5 minutes, stirring continuously, until the coconut oil begins to separate out.

Add the yellow curry paste and the curry powder and fry for 1-2 minutes. Once the paste is cooked, add the chicken and potatoes and cook until the outside of the chicken turns white. Add the thin coconut milk and bring to a boil. Add the palm sugar along the side of the wok until it melts and add the soy sauce. Simmer for about 5 minutes until the chicken and potatoes are cooked.

 Khaw Hai Jarern Aharn. (Bon Appetit in Thai.)

- Jean