- learn to cook something new. Last week I made a Panang Curry (thai) that I believe could make it onto any restaurant menu!
Random question - did you make the curry paste yourself? I have been making panang curry a lot recently with store-bought paste, and haven't mustered up the courage to try making it from scratch. If you have a good recipe, I'd love to know...
Good question. I have an acquaintance who works as a cook at a thai place. Even at the restaurant they use a store bought paste, and that's most common for thai people too from what he says. I'm lucky to have a few asian markets near me, but worst case scenario you could amazon it, right:)
The one the grocer at the asian restaurant recommended for the particular dish I wanted to make was a Maesri brand curry paste, came in a fourteen ounce jar.
Also, a really dumb mistake I made initially was using coconut milk from a half gallon jug...like the kind you would by to drink. You want to buy the coconut milk in a can. I bought 13.5 ounce cans of Chef's Choice coconut milk. It was a blue can. And when you put it in, don't shake the can first. The top part of the can will be much thicker and you want to use that part first.
What I did was...
1. heat up 3 tablespoons of oil
2. Mix in a little under a quarter cup of paste and stir the oil in with it for a couple minutes
3. Pour in about the top quarter of the coconut milk and stirred for a few minutes.
4. Added a pound of cut up uncooked chicken (you could use any protein or go without)
5. Added sliced bell peppers and onions (you could choose lots of other types of veggies)
6. Added a teaspoon of salt
7. Gradually add more and more coconut milk till it's all stirred in.
8. Add a tablespoon of sugar
9. When it the chicken was obviously cooked and it was ready to serve I took it off the burner and added some fresh basil from my garden.
10. I served it over rice and it was awesome!!!
Good luck!