Rich and creamy, with a faint coconut flavor that is followed by a tingle of spiciness. As my dad used to say, “This soup has some authority to it!”.

Eating hot peppers really does cause your circulation to increase and it warms you up more than just a warm soup alone would. You can simmer this in a crockpot or make it on top of the stove. If you do decide to make it in a crockpot start with rice that is cooked. I never have had much luck in getting rice to cook right in a slow cooker.

This recipe has a lot of ingredients but there is not a lot of prep and it goes together really fast.  I really loved it and so did the entire family.

Need a menu suggestion? Try this –

• Thai Coconut Curry Soup
• Soft Dinner Rolls
• Mixed Baby Greens with a warm sesame dressing (just warm it to about 110F before adding it to the salad) and grilled pineapple slices
• Chai Spice Snowballs

This is based on a recipe from Epicurious.

Thai Coconut Curry Soup

• 10 cups organic chicken stock
• 2 cups water
• 1/2 oz dried lobster mushrooms, optional
• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut in thin slices
• 2 dried thai chile peppers
• 5 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
• 2 inch piece of ginger, peeled and chopped
• 1 leek, cleaned and sliced
• 1 carrot, peeled and diced small
• 2 14 oz cans organic coconut milk (not the sweetened kind)
• 2 bunches of cilantro, stems discarded and leaved chopped
• 1 1/2 cups Jasmine rice
• 2 tbs Asian fish sauce
• 2 tbs brown sugar, if desired
• Juice of one lime
• 3 tablespoons curry powder, or to taste
• Salt to taste

Directions:

1. Bring the water to a boil and pour it over the mushrooms. Allow to stand for 20 minutes
2. Combine stock, curry powder,  mushrooms and water, peppers, leeks, carrots, garlic, ginger, and chicken. Simmer until chicken is tender, about 15 minutes
3. Stir in rice and simmer until rice is cooked, another 15 minutes or so. Leave uncovered and stir occasionally
4. Add remaining ingredients and allow to simmer for another 15 minutes
5. Remove peppers, taste and adjust seasonings
6. Garnish with cilantro leaves

Serves 8

image:marye audet

Post from: Baking Delights

The chicken comes out very flavorful and tender. The flavors are exotic enough to be impressive but, and here is the best thing of all, you can have it totally finished in 45 minutes. Serve it with brown rice and melon wedges for a complete, simple, and yet exotic meal.

Moroccan Chicken with Spicy Mango Chutney

This is based on a recipe in the Culinary Institute of American Cookbook.

Moroccan Chicken

• 8 chicken breast halves, boneless
• 1 lemon
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2 tsp curry powder
• 2 tbs olive oil
• 2 cups onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 1 can cooked garbanzo beans (chickpeas)
• 1 bunch cilantro chopped
• 1/2 cup coconut for garnish

1. Season the chicken with salt, pepper, and about 1 tsp of the curry powder.
2. Cut lemon in half and squeeze the juice from half the lemon over the chicken. Slice the rest of the lemon and set aside.
3. Heat oil in a skillet. Brown chicken on both sides until golden brown, about two minutes per side.
4. Add onion, garlic,chicken broth, sliced lemon, and curry. Cover and cook about 15 minutes or until chicken is tender.
5. Stir in garbanzos.
6. Lay chicken on the plate, spoon juice and garbanzos over it. Add a spoon of the mango chutney, sprinkle with cilantro and coconut, and serve.

Serves 8

images:marye audet

Post from: Baking Delights

One of my favorite cuisines is Thai. I love the spicy-sweet tropical combinations that so many of those recipes have to offer. The versatility of the flavors allows you to substitute as you want and/or need to. To me, this is the mark of a truly perfect cuisine.

This curry was my rendition of another recipe I had. A necessary use-up-what-I-have-quick evening. We all have them. You may need to adjust the spiciness. All of the adults in my house love spicy foods. However, with so many small children often we will add the spicy peppers and sauces after the kids meals are dished up.

The combination of sweet potatoes, peanuts, cauliflower and coconut is unusual and delicious. You can certainly add tofu, tempeh, beef, shrimp, or chicken with great results. Serve this with coconut rice and I think you will be pleased with the results.

Dessert suggestions? Try key lime bars or lemon meringue pie.

Thai Cauliflower & Sweet Potato Curry

1 head cauliflower

3 sweet potatoes

1 tbs oil for stir frying

4 cloves of garlic, sliced

1 onion, sliced

4 or 5 green onion tops

2 c coconut

2 c peanuts

1 can of coconut milk

1 tsp spicy curry powder

1- 3 tablespoons of A Taste of Thai red curry paste

1 hot pepper (choice of variety) chopped

Steam cauliflower until crisp-tender.

Peel and cook the sweet potatoes until just tender. They should not fall apart.

In a large wok or frying pan heat oil. Add garlic, onion, and pepper and stir fry about two minutes. Add the cauliflower and continue to stir until the cauliflower gets a little color here and there. Add the sweet potatoes, the coconut milk, curry powder, the curry paste, and simmer until flavors meld and blend. Five minutes should do it. Sprinkle with peanuts, coconut, and green onions.

Serves 10-12

Image:Marye Audet 

Post from: Baking Delights

Paula used this curry frosting with a chocolate cake but I think that I am going to try it with an apple spice cake. The combination of curry buttercream and moist apple spice cake seems to me to be exactly the kind of thing I like, comfort food with a unique twist.
Curry powders vary wildly so experiment to find one you like. We have a natural foods store near by that has spices and herbs in bulk and you buy as little or as much as you like. I prefer this since I can always have very fresh spices at a very small cost.

Curry Frosting
1 1/2 sticks salted butter
3 cups powdered sugar
1 1/2 Tbsp vanilla
2 tsp curry powder (use your favorite)
4-6 Tbsp milk*
Combine the butter and sugar. Add vanilla and curry, blend. Start with about 4 of the tablespoons of milk. Add more to get the consistancy you need. I needed quite a bit.

*note from Marye, personally I would probably use heavy cream here…I usually have quite a bit of it around since we have our own small dairy goats.

Post from: Baking Delights