Green Curry w/ Chicken and Shrimp

Oli, here's my recipe for green curry.  You're probably thinking that Thai food is super hard to make (I thought the same thing), but it's actually pretty easy!  Sure, there are a lot of ingredients and steps, but I promise, it's all worth it cuz it's yummy!  My recipe for Thai green curry probably isn't that authentic, but it still tastes good to me so try it out.

1. Ingredients:  green curry paste, coconut milk, chicken stock, fish sauce, onions, red peppers, peas, garlic, ginger, basil, lime, cilantro.

2. Ok, you're gonna need to do this in stages.  The first stage would probably be cooking the protein and then setting aside before you put it into the curry.  Chop the ginger and garlic and slice the chicken.

3.  Saute the ginger and garlic in some oil on low heat for a few minutes.  When they've softened, turn the heat up high and saute the chicken.  Season with a little salt.  When the chicken is almost cooked through, put the shrimp in and cook for a couple more minutes.  As soon as the shrimp has turned pink, take off the heat and set aside to be put into the curry sauce later.

4.  The next stage is to slice and cook the veggies.  Slice about a half a small onion and half a red pepper.  I also used serrano chiles but you don't like spice so omit this ingredient.  For everyone else that does like spice, you can use any type of chile, with jalapenos being pretty mild and thai chiles being spicy as hell.

5.  Saute the onions first in some oil with a pinch of salt on low-medium heat.

6.  When the onions have softened, put in the red peppers and saute for another couple of minutes.

7.  Now the final stage.  Making the curry sauce.  I used green curry paste that I picked up at the supermarket.  It's a pretty generic brand and I'm sure I could get more authentic brands at Thai markets.  Oh well.  Also, use regular coconut milk - none of that lowfat crap.

8.  Into the sauteed veggies, add about 2 heaping tablespoons of the curry paste.  Saute for a minute on medium heat.

9.  When the curry sauce has been mixed in with the veggies, add in about a quarter cup of chicken stock and the can of coconut milk.  Remember to shake the coconut milk well before you open the can because it does separate when it sits.  Stir everything.  Add about a teaspoon of fish sauce and a squeeze of lime juice.

10.  Add back in your chicken and shrimp.

11.  Heat the curry on low-medium heat and you'll start to see the edges simmering.  Then add in your frozen peas, sliced chiles, and chopped basil.

12.  Stir everything and simmer for a couple of minutes until everything is well incorporated and heated through.  Then spoon into a bowl, garnish with some cilantro and a lime wedge, and enjoy with some jasmine rice!

Chicken Salad Sandwich

Oli, here's my recipe for chicken salad sandwich - yeah you know you love it.  It's very easy to make and doesn't require too many ingredients.  So that means you should be able to make it!

1. Ingredients:  Chicken, celery, mayo, dijon mustard, salt, pepper.

2. Cook the chicken.  If I use split chicken breasts on the bone with the skin on, I'll roast it in the oven.  See previous recipe.  But for this particular time, I had boneless, skinless breasts so I actually cooked in a pan on the stove to get more flavor.  Rub the chicken with some olive oil, salt, and pepper.  Place on a hot pan so it gets a nice sear.  Be careful, some of the oil/fat will splatter.  I covered the pan with some foil to prevent painful oil splatters and cooked each side for about 8-10 minutes.  You should get a gold brown sear on both sides - then take out and let rest on the cutting board for a few minutes.

3. When the chicken has cooled sufficiently, chop it into cubes along with the celery.  Cut however big or little you want.

4.  Add a big dollop of mayo and a little dollop of mustard.  You don't have to use the mustard, but I think it gives it a nice flavor.  I guess by dollop I mean about a quarter cup of mayo and a teaspoon of mustard.  But adjust according to how many chicken breasts you cook and celery stalks you cut.

5.  Add a little salt and some pepper and mix everything together.  Don't put in TOO much mayo at first because then it'll be runny.  So add a little at first because you can always add more later.  When it's the consistency you want, slap it on some bread and enjoy!