The Confused Curry

I tried to make Gang Masaman at my parents house the day after Thanksgiving and realized that my parents didn't have the paste, so I settled for the Panang paste that had been sitting in the back of the cupboard for a year. It came out better than I would have expected.

Key differences

Panang:
often times made with only meat
less "sauce" coconut stew, what ever you want to call it
vegetables are added in some variations
uses more pungent herbs such as kaffir leaves
Spicy

Masaman:
made with beef, potatoes, and peanuts
more of a stew
Mild in spiciness, slightly tart broth

My confused curry...
This dish ties in the tenderness of potatoes and nuts with a twist of creamy sweet potatoes bites. The panang offers a more fuller spicy flavor than the sweet and lightly tart Gang Masaman. As usual, I used Kaffir because I'm at my parents home. They grow it and its awesome because its so hard to find. My grandma brought the seed over from Thailand and hid it in her pocket when she went through customs. Its still growing 17 years later!

Chicken Panang/Massaman

1 pound of Chicken, cubed
1 sweet potatoe, peeled and cubed
1 russet potato, peeled and cubed
2 cans of coconut milk, preferred brand, Chaokoh
unsalted roasted peanuts
4table spoons MaePloy Brand Panang Curry
Kaffir Lime leaves, optional

Simmer chicken, potatoes (sweet and regular), and roasted peanuts for one hour on medium low. Stir as little as possible to keep the shape of potatoes.

Then add the Panang Curry paste and simmer for another 30 minutes on medium. Garnish with Kaffir leaves and serve with Jasmine rice or Nan Bread.

I know this recipe is overly simple and surprising. I could have listed the ingredients of how to make your own panang paste but obtaining all those Thai herbs is an adventure in itself. This dish keeps so well and works wonders for dinner parties because it easy to make ahead and keep on the stove.

1...2....3... Go!









Nong Rak :P

Palita vs. the Turkey Alternative

The Chicken

The weapons:
Sea Salt
Table salt
2 tablespoons dried Coriander
2 tablespoons Cumin
1 tablespoon of white pepper powder
1 bunch Cilantro (optional)
1 stalk of lemongrass
1 cup dark soy sauce
4 cloves of garlic
2-3 navel Oranges
20-30 Kaffir lime leaves
Glad Oven Bag


I think my parents raised me to hate turkey or something because no one in my family eats it. Not only do we not eat it, we hate it. We did do turkey for a few years, but no one ate it. We did three cornish hens one year, and last year we did alaskan king crab legs, but this years was as tradditional as we're going to get. I wonder what we'll do next year.

So here's this year's alternative.

Orange and Thai Herbed Chicken

I'm sorry this recipe isn't perfect, but I did my best :P

Brine -ing the chicken.














Mix 1 cup table salt to 1 gallon water, squeeze 2 oranges, and 20 kaffir lime leaves.
Soak for three hours.

Take chicken out of brine and pat dry with paper towel. Rub chicken with 1 cup soy sauce. Then rub chicken with 2 tablespoons of cumin, 1 tablespoon of sea salt, white pepper powder, and crushed coriander. Stuff chicken with 4 cloves of garlic, 1 cut up orange, 4 kaffir leaves, and 1 stalk of lemongrass.

Google "how to tie up a chicken" and follow the instructions. Place tied up chicken in a GLAD oven bag - don't use any other bag. I know a plastic bag sounds like a horrible idea for the oven, but it steams the chicken perfectly, and none of the juices burn to the pan and go to waste.

Bake at 350 degree until chicken reaches 160 in the thickest part of the breast. (My 8 pound chicken took roughly 3 hours). Leave the bag open, brush chicken with olive oil and broil for ten minutes until skin becomes a nice golden brown.

Let chicken sit for 30 minutes before carving. I have no pictures of the carved chicken, mainly because... i let my brother do it... and it wasn't very... presentable afterwards. lol. It was delicious none the less.

Much to my embarrassment....I roasted the chicken upside down. Considering, nothing else went horribly wrong, I was quite proud of myself. Nothing was burnt. I didn't drop the chicken on the floor AND best of all... no one got food poisoning. The breast side down did allow for the juices to run to the bottom of the oven bag and simmered the breasts until it was fall off the bone good. Too bad it made it difficult to carve. I think I might even stick to roasting my poultry upside down from now on.



ciao!

Introduction

I've started this food blog because I love to cook. I know its ANOTHER food blog, another backsplash from the ever so popular Julie and Julia, the foodie movement, and also another overly talkative bloggie wanting to put in his/hers two cents.

But please, keep reading. My passion has always been cooking. I would have gone to culinary school, but my parents didn't see it as a real profession. Until I can produce the funds to go on my own, this blog will be my outlet. I hope you enjoy this as much as I do.