Thai Cuisine

When we were living in Tyler, Derek and I discovered a great little Thai restaurant. I learned the Chinese Super Buffet was not the best place for gaining an appreciation for true Asian food. The restaurant was called Baan Nitaya. 

We ate there on one of our first dates, and then up to once a week after we were married. We took swing dance lessons with some friends, John and Karen. Swing dance lessons were in a pilates studio two doors down from the restaurant. We would dance and then go eat. Derek's favorite dish was the green curry. Mine was the pad thai.

So, I was pretty excited to find a fairly good Asian food section in our grocery store here in Austin. Here's a recipe for green curry that's pretty good! Maybe not quite as good as that made by the woman at Baan Nitaya, but close.

Thai Green Curry Chicken

14 oz. can coconut milk  (I use the light.)

2 Tbsp green curry paste

2 fully cooked boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite size pieces

2 Tbsp fish sauce

2 Tbsp brown sugar

1/4 cup thinly sliced carrots

1/2 cup frozen peas

1/3 cup chicken stock

In a large saucepan over medium heat, bring coconut milk and green curry paste to a simmer for 5 minutes. Add chicken, fish sauce, brown sugar, carrots, peas, and chicken stock and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Serve over brown rice.

Easy Brown Rice: Mix 1 cup brown rice (washed), 3 cups water, 1 tsp salt in a casserole dish with a heavy lid. Bake at 300 degrees for 2 hours. An added benefit is that it makes the whole house smell yummy!

As a side note: if you're into wines, a Shiraz always seems to taste great with Thai food. At least to me!