This Simple Green Curry reminds me of two things:
Thailand and Ambien. (Yup, the gnarly sleeping pill Ambien…)
Anytime I eat curry, I think about the two months I spent in Southeast Asia with my husband, brother and sister-in-law. While we were there, we spent two weeks exploring Thailand…riding elephants, playing with tigers and feeding monkeys. Oh, and let’s not forget about the eating part.
We all agreed that Thailand had the most delicious food out of the four countries we visited while we were over there. We even took a cooking class where we learned how to make Panang Curry, Coconut Soup and Mango Sticky Rice. We had some good times while we were there…and some not so good times.
At one point my husband Pat got a really bad head cold. He hadn’t slept very well for a few nights, so he busted out the Ambien. He had never taken it before, and decided his maiden voyage should be in the middle of a tiny backpacker’s town in Thailand. !WARNING! Not a good idea.
He was also taking an anti-malaria medication, and that combo + his cold made for a nasty night. He started hallucinating…he thought the Thai government had kidnapped him and was surgically implanting goods in his body to smuggle to America. All night long he was yelling at imaginary doctors, shaking violently and sweating bullets.
It was probably the scariest night of my life. I sat awake all night, trying to calm him down, telling him over and over that there were no Thai doctors and he was going to be ok.
The morning finally came and the Ambien began to wear off. Pat woke up like it had just been a little dream. The worst night of my life was finally over…
Pheww! Revisiting that experience brings me right back there.
Once everyone was feeling better, we were very anxious to get back to our “routine” of enjoying luxurious dishes for every meal. Enter Simple Green Curry. All the veg, creamy coconutty flavors with a hint of zesty lime. YUM.
Thank you Thailand for giving me a forever love of all-the-curries. Also for providing me with a very strong opinion regarding a certain sleeping pill called Ambien… 😉
Ingredients
- 1/2 Tbsp. coconut oil (extra-virgin olive oil works fine too)
- 1 small onion
- 1/2 zucchini
- 1 red pepper
- 2 carrots
- 1 cup green beans
- 6 mushrooms
- 1/2 cup bean sprouts
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 large chicken breast (about 8 oz.)
- 1/2 cup chicken broth
- 1 can unsweetened coconut milk (light or full fat)
- 1 tsp. grated, fresh ginger
- 3 Tbsp. green curry paste
- 2 tsp. brown or coconut sugar
- 2 Tbsp. rice wine vinegar
- Juice of one lime
- 1/2 cup cilantro plus garnish
- Red chili pepper flakes, to desired heat
- For topping: cilantro, bean sprouts, crushed peanuts or cashews
- Cooked white or brown rice for serving
Instructions
- Prepare the veggies: peel and dice the onion, chop the zucchini, pepper, carrots, green beans and mushrooms into bite-sized pieces.
- Heat oil in a large wok or cast iron skillet. Add the onions to the skillet and sauté until translucent, about 3 minutes. Add the rest of the veggies and cook until beginning to soften, about 6 minutes. Add the minced garlic and stir to coat the veggies.
- Cut the chicken breast into small cubes and add to the skillet. Allow to cook.
- While chicken is cooking, mix together chicken broth, coconut milk, ginger, curry paste, sugar and rice wine vinegar in a large bowl. Whisk to combine.
- Add the sauce to the skillet and stir. Simmer on low heat until chicken is cooked through and carrots are soft.
- Add the lime juice and gently stir in cilantro.
- Add a few dashes of red chili pepper flakes and taste. If more heat is desired add more.
- Serve warm over rice and top with additional cilantro, bean sprouts and crushed peanuts/cashews.
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