Thai fish curry with brown rice recipe

Last night I was reminded why I cut back my consumption of processed food.  Michael Pollan gave a lecture on campus, and he came on stage with bags full of groceries that he picked up at Meijer (he got extra points in my book for making fun of Meijer!).  He had boxes of sugary cereal claiming to be health food, fat free yogurt with more sugar than the full fat counterpart, and splenda with fiber.  But the one that caught my attention was the Tropicana Healthy Heart orange juice.  Sounds innocent enough, right?  Well, it contains tilapia, anchovies, and sardines.  I almost gagged.  Guess who will not be drinking store bought orange juice for a long time.

I would rather drink juice that I've squeezed myself (or at the very least has no sea creatures in it).  And I'll eat my fish with a fork, thank you very much.  Here's a great recipe in case you need ideas for ways to eat fish in its solid form.  I did have trouble finding a firm white fish that's sustainable but still affordable, but I finally came across cod from the U.S. Pacific, which is at least a "good alternative" according to the Monterey Bay Aquarium's standards. The flavors in this dish were mellow - I suggest adding a minced jalapeno if you're looking for something more dramatic - but I enjoyed it nonetheless.  The crunch of the water chestnuts was the perfect contrast for the flaky fish, and I wouldn't recommend making this without them.  It doesn't necessarily live up to "real" Thai food, but considering that it took about 10 minutes to make, it was a great substitute.


Thai fish curry with brown rice (adapted from Whole Grains for Busy People)
(Printable version)

1 can (13.5 oz.) light coconut milk
1/2 cup water
1 tsp fish sauce
2 tsp green Thai curry paste
pinch of sugar
1 cup corn kernels (frozen are fine)
1 can (8 oz.) water chestnuts, drained and sliced
1 lb. firm white fish (I used cod, but halibut also works), cut into bite-sized chunks
1/3 cup cilantro, chopped
zest of one lime
3 cups cooked brown rice

Combine coconut milk, water, fish sauce, curry paste, and sugar in a large saute pan, and bring to a boil.  Then stir in the corn, water chestnuts, and fish, making sure that the fish pieces are almost completely submerged in the sauce.  Cover the pan, reduce heat to medium, and cook until the fish is cooked through (about 4 min), stirring occasionally.  Stir in the cilantro and lime zest, and serve over rice.  Serves 4.

Thai cabbage salad with chicken recipe

You probably know by now that I can't get enough cabbage, so I definitely wasn't disappointed when Mom suggested that I get one when we picked up my CSA share last week.  We didn't end up eating it while my parents were here, but I knew that I could put it to good use.  I decided to do a cabbage salad, but I wanted to try something different than my usual Chinese cabbage salad.  This Thai version looked delicious, so I gave it a shot.

I really liked the way that this turned out.  The cabbage wasn't swimming in dressing, so it retained its crunch even after several days.  It had a nice amount of spice, too, with that wonderful Thai curry taste.  I really don't think that salting the cabbage does much, so feel free to skip that step if you're short on time.  And next time I just may add some shredded coconut.  It can't hurt, right?

Thai cabbage salad with chicken (adapted from Serious Eats)
(Printable version)

1 small cabbage, shredded
1 Tbsp kosher salt
2 medium carrots, shredded
2 cups shredded cooked chicken
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
1 Tbsp Thai red curry paste
1/2 Tbsp fish sauce
1/4 cup rice vinegar
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 tsp honey
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
juice and zest of 2 limes
1/2 cup roasted peanuts

Toss cabbage and salt together in a large colander and let sit for 30 min.  Then rinse cabbage and let it drain for a few minutes.  Combine cabbage, carrots, chicken, and cilantro in a large bowl.  In a separate bowl, stir together curry paste, fish sauce, vinegar, oil, honey, cayenne, and lime juice and zest.  Toss this dressing with the cabbage mixture and sprinkle with peanuts.  Serves 4-5.

Thai green curry with chicken, green beans, and spinach

I wanted to spend time outside after getting home from the lab because it's somewhat warm here (as long as you're wearing enough clothes and keep moving). This meant that I needed a quick recipe for dinner, and this green curry recipe caught my eye. I've fallen in love with Thai food recently, and so far I have been able to come somewhat close to real Thai food with various curry pastes. I'm still searching for lemongrass and galangal, but until I find it, commercial pastes will do just fine.

Thai green curry with chicken, green beans, and spinach (adapted from Cook sister!)

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 large onion, chopped

1 lb. green beans, cut into 1-2" pieces

1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces

2 Tbsp green curry paste

8 oz. (about 1/2 can) light coconut milk

4 cups spinach

Heat oil in large skillet over medium heat, and then add onion and cook just until it starts to become translucent. Add green beans and continue to cook until they become slightly tender. Stir in chicken and saute until chicken is thoroughly cooked. Then stir in curry paste and cook for an additional 2 minutes. Pour coconut milk into skillet, wait for it to begin to simmer, then cover, reduce heat, and let simmer for 10 min. Add spinach, recover, and let cook 5 more min. Serve over grain of your choice (I used millet because it's delicious and it cooks quickly). Serves 3-4.

Good and easy. That's about all that there is to say about this recipe. It tastes similar to the green curries that I've had at Thai restaurants, but didn't take long to make and I had all of the ingredients on hand.

Don't forget that the tupelo honey giveaway ends on Friday at 5 pm, so leave a comment on my post about sweet and sour cabbage for a chance to win!

Shrimp pad thai

While Mom was visiting, we took a trip over to the Shrimp Farm Market. This place is only a few miles from my apartment, and they have been raising shrimp in Michigan for a long time (over 15 years, if I remember correctly). I'm excited to have a source for local shrimp! I think that they'll be at my favorite farmers' market once it opens, but it was fun to go out to the farm while we had time. I've been searching through recipes to find the perfect use for my shrimp, and many dishes sound good, but pad thai stuck in my mind. I love pad thai, but have never made it, and thought this would be the perfect time.

Pad thai (adapted from A Mingling of Tastes)

1 Tbsp peanut oil

salt and pepper

1/2 lb shrimp, peeled and de-veined

5 oz. whole wheat spaghetti (use brown rice spaghetti for gluten-free)

1 tsp tamarind concentrate

2 Tbsp water

1/2 tsp raw sugar

1/2 Tbsp fish sauce

1 Tbsp soy sauce (use wheat-free tamari for gluten-free)

juice of 1 lime

1/4 tsp red chile flakes

1 small onion, chopped

1 garlic clove, minced

2 eggs, beaten

4 green onions, chopped

1/4 cup roasted peanuts

handful of cilantro, chopped

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high. Sprinkle the shrimp with salt and pepper, and cook just until pink (about a minute on each side). Set the shrimp aside. Cook noodles according to package directions and set aside. Mix together tamarind, water, sugar, fish sauce, soy sauce, lime juice, and chile flakes in a small bowl and set aside. Make sure that all other ingredients are prepared before you continue - it goes incredibly fast.

Add the onion to the skillet that was used to cook the shrimp (adding a little bit more oil if necessary), and cook for one minute. Add garlic and cook for another minute. Stir in the eggs and rotate skillet so that the bottom is covered. Break up the eggs with a spatula, add the shrimp and noodles, and stir for a minute or so until egg is mixed throughout and fully cooked. Stir in the sauce mixture, peanuts, and green onions. Remove from heat and garnish with cilantro. Serves 3.

This was good - I'm definitely impressed by my first attempt at pad thai. It doesn't quite compare to what my friend Lace makes, but it was still good. Of course I used the wrong kind of noodles, but I have a ton of pasta and didn't want to buy rice noodles. Next time I'll add more spice - either more chile flakes or a bit of Sriracha sauce. But, overall it was great, and it was a perfect use for my shrimp (and they were very tasty!).

Roasted asparagus with peanut sauce

Today the Michigan State basketball team played Louisville for a chance to go to the Final Four. I didn't think they had a chance, but figured that I should make something green for good luck. And, I figured a nice peanut sauce would go well with my leftover Thai salmon, butter beans, and rice.

Roasted asparagus with peanut sauce (adapted from "Vegetables Every Day" by Jack Bishop)

1 lb. thin asparagus

1 Tbsp peanut oil

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 Tbsp creamy peanut butter

juice of 1/2 lime

1 tsp soy sauce (use wheat-free tamari for gluten-free)

1/4 tsp crushed red pepper

water

Remove and discard bottom inch of asparagus stalk. Drizzle asparagus with oil, and sprinkle with garlic. Toss well so that all stalks are completely covered with oil, and then spread out on a baking sheet. Roast at 450, stirring asparagus occasionally, until it starts to brown (about 15 min). Mix remaining ingredients well, and add enough water so that it becomes pourable (I added about 2 Tbsp). Place asparagus on serving dish and drizzle with sauce. Serves 3.

This was delicious and went perfectly with my Thai lunch. I was never able to get the sauce very smooth (and I may have added a little bit too much water while I was attempting this), but it still tasted great. And apparently it brought the Spartans the luck that they needed because I've never seen them play better and they ended up creaming Louisville! I got so much energy from the excitement of winning the game (and the massive amounts of caffeine I consumed while watching the game) that I ended up juggling this afternoon instead of working. Note to self: don't lift weights in the morning and then juggle for a long time (your arms and shoulders will hate you so much that it's hard to stir while cooking).

Given that the month is almost up, this will probably be the last recipe from one of the cookbooks of the month, "Vegetables Every Day." I still love this book - the recipes are fairly simple, but all have been great. When all is said and done, in addition to this delicious asparagus, I've made a cauliflower and curry dish, boiled carrots with African spices, a spinach and pasta concoction, and two braised cabbage dishes (one with vinegar and onions and one with apples and cinnamon. It will be fun to use this book more as the seasons change and I have access to more veggies.

Thai salmon, speckled butter beans, and the perfect brown rice

I love Thai food, and I love southern food. I wouldn't normally think of them going together, but I decided to throw some speckled butter beans into a Thai dish, and I think I might be on to something. I suppose you can throw anything in coconut milk and curry paste and it'll be good, but I'm especially fond of this one. And I found my new favorite way to prepare rice!

Thai salmon, speckled butter beans, and brown rice (adapted from "Whole Grains Every Day, Every Way" by Lorna Sass)

1/2 can light coconut milk

2 tsp Thai red curry paste

1/2 red bell pepper, diced

1 cup frozen speckled butter beans, thawed

1 1/2 cups cooked brown rice*

8 oz. thin salmon filets

1 green onion, chopped

lime for garnish

Blend coconut milk and curry paste in a large skillet. Add bell pepper and bring to a boil over medium-high. Add in butter beans and rice and return to a boil. Then add salmon on top of the rice mixture, cover, and cook until the fish flakes (about 5 min). Break up the salmon into chunks, add green onion, and stir together. Garnish with lime. Serves 2.

*Ok, I've heard Lynne talk about the "pasta method" of cooking rice several times on The Splendid Table, and kept meaning to try it. Then the other day I ran across more detailed instructions on Saveur and knew I had to give it a shot. Basically you bring a bunch of salted water to a boil, add brown rice, and let boil uncovered for 30 min. Then you drain the rice, put it back into the pot, cover, and let steam for 10 min. This was perfect. It takes less time, doesn't require any measurement, and the rice comes out perfectly (no sogginess, and no dried out rice). The only potential downside is that you lose a little bit of the nutrients in the cooking water, but it's probably not much (and still much better than eating white rice!). I think I'm a convert! Lynne says that you can do this with any type of rice, but obviously the cooking time will be different, so keep an eye on it and drain it when it gets tender (I think white rice takes less than 10 min).

As I said before, I really liked the Thai theme with the slight southern twist. This was also incredibly easy and quick. I cooked the rice the day before, so it took less than 10 min from start to fish. Perfect for a busy day!

Thai green curry prawns

I was in the mood for some Thai food and happened to have shrimp in the freezer. This was the result:

Thai green curry prawns (adapted from "Simple Thai Cookery" by Ken Hom)

2 tsp peanut oil

1 Tbsp Thai green curry paste

1/2 Tbsp lime zest

1/2 Tbsp fish sauce

1/2 Tbsp soy sauce (use wheat-free tamari for gluten-free)

1 tsp raw sugar

1 cup light coconut milk

1/2 lb raw shrimp, shelled and de-veined

Heat oil over medium-high heat in saucepan. Add curry paste to pan and cook for 2 min. Add lime zest, fish sauce, soy sauce, sugar, and coconut milk. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook for 5 min. Add shrimp and cook for 5 min, stirring occasionally. Serves 2.

This was delicious, and I had to stop myself from eating the entire thing. I served it over brown rice with spinach on the side, and the spinach was great for soaking up the extra sauce. The original recipe called for lemon grass, kaffir lime leaves (instead of the zest), and Thai basil, but unfortunately the Asian market that I stopped at doesn't carry Thai foods, so I had to do without. I bet it would have been even better if I could have used those.

Now that I've used up the shrimp that I had, I need to find some that comes from the US. I'm trying to make more sustainable seafood choices, too, and that seems to be even harder than finding local meat and dairy. There's a shrimp place at my farmers' market, so I suppose I might have to wait until the summer to get my fix again...