Oh my gosh!  Has it really been over a month since I posted?  Well, I never said I was reliable.  But, when I come back, I come back with something good.

I first had a Thai curry at a tiny little restaurant in the Grandview neighborhood of Columbus, OH.  A friend and I had just finished a wonderful yoga class at It’s Yoga! and were ravenous.  We went in search of chinese food, and found this tiny place just called “Chinese Restaurant.”  When we went inside, low and behold, they had Chinese food, but they were clearly a Thai family and they had many Thai dishes on the menu.  I got a coconut chicken curry, and my life has never been the same.

I should say, I do not do spicy foods.  I like them, but I have almost no tolerance for spicy things.  What can I say, I was raised on British food.  So, although the kind owners of the restaurant assured me that they made it “not spicy” for me, it was very, very spicy.  The first version I made at home was also very, very spicy.  I’ve since toned down the spice.

The original of this is cooked like a soup (with the chicken simmered in the coconut mixture), and served with rice.  I’ve also done this with fillets of fish in packets: just layer al dente rice, fish, and veggies, ladle sauce over and seal.  Bake or grill until fish is cooked (time will vary based on type of fish and size of fillet).  This weekend I marinated kabobs with chicken, sweet potato, bell pepper, onion, cherry tomatoes, and mushrooms in the same sauce.

However you serve it, you absolutely must serve it with tomatoes.  I don’t even like tomatoes that much, but little cherry or grape tomatoes simmered in this sauce are to die for!  When I’m using this for kabobs or a packet style meal, I just whisk everything together in a measuring cup and don’t simmer it.

Spicy Thai Coconut Curry Sauce
1 tsp minced ginger
1 tsp garlic
1 tsp red curry paste (adjust according to taste; beware, heat intensifies as it cooks)
1 cup chicken broth
1 can coconut milk
1 lb chicken breast tenders, thinly sliced
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1 Tbs. fresh basil, torn or chopped

Combine ginger, garlic and curry paste in a medium saucepan.  Heat over medium heat until fragrant.  Add chicken broth and coconut milk.  Bring to a simmer.  Add chicken or other protein, simmer until cooked.  Add cherry tomatoes, simmer another 5-10 minutes.  Remove from heat, add fresh basil.  Serve with rice.