Crooked Kitchen

My dinner last night was an improvised Thai Massaman curry with chicken tenderloins and red bell peppers. I had actually expected to make a red curry, but found that my curry paste (which I bought long ago) was a massaman curry paste. Massaman curry often has potatoes, but I didn’t feel like that, so I just went with sliced red bell pepper, and a sliced shallot. I didn’t even have any limes, fresh herbs, or fish sauce.

Thai curry is made with coconut milk – I had some “light” coconut milk in a can. To make up for the lack of coconut oil in the milk, I added some whipping cream. Frying the curry paste before adding anything else helps bring out the flavors and caramelize some of the sugars.

One of the important tenets of Thai cooking is the balance of salty/sweet/sour/hot. In the last stage of cooking, I always balance my curry with something acidic (lime juice preferably, or lemon juice), something salty (fish sauce is the best, but plain salt works – avoid soy sauce), something sweet (palm sugar is traditional, regular granulated sugar works), and something spicy (cayenne, or sliced or chopped Thai chiles).

Improvised Massaman Curry with Chicken and Red Bell Pepper

• 2 Tbsp canola oil
• 1 1/2 Tbsp massaman curry paste
• 1 shallot, sliced
• 1 can light coconut milk
• 1/2 cup chicken stock
• 3 frozen chicken tenderloins
• 1 red bell pepper
• lemon juice to taste
• sugar to taste
• cayenne pepper, to taste
• salt, to taste

Heat a frying pan on medium heat, and add the oil. Add the curry paste and shallot and fry it in the oil until it’s very fragrant and the paste is slightly darkened. Add the coconut milk and chicken stock and stir to incorporate the paste. Place the frozen chicken tenderloins into the sauce and simmer until they’re cooked through. Meanwhile, slice the bell pepper into strips.

When the chicken is cooked, remove it to a cutting board. Add the bell pepper strips to the simmering sauce. Cut the chicken tenderloins into bite-sized pieces, then add them back into the curry. Simmer gently for 10-15 minutes.

Taste the curry sauce and evaluate it for the balance of the four flavors. I found I had to add about 2 Tbsp lemon juice, about 2 tsp sugar, and 4 good shakes of cayenne pepper. It will vary based on the sweetness of the coconut milk, the spicyness of the curry paste, and the saltiness of the chicken stock.

Serve the curry with a bit of sauce over jasmine rice; or with all the sauce in a separate bowl, and scoop the hot curry over your rice as you eat it.