Thai Red Curry with Coconut Brown Rice

Wow, I don't think this Saturday can get any more productive than it has already been.  1) Did science. 2) Cleaned the apartment. 3) Grocery shopped. 4) Currently, editing a proof of a manuscript that my boss told me that he needs edits back in 48 hours. Yes, this was on a Friday, so more weekend work (yay!). But, of course, I am deciding to procrastinate and post a new blog on my Thai Red Curry with Coconut Brown Rice! (this is clearly more important than work sometimes...or all the time). 

Anyways, so I've been totally wanting to try to make some coconut rice for a while now and thought I'd give it a shot...plus, the pairing with some red curry can't be beat! Unfortunately for the rice....turned out more like a coconut risotto that was bland...so, I'd have to reduce the amount of liquid next time, or not soak the rice for 2 hours (which is what I smartly decided to do according to some sites online). It was a bit mushy (okay, a lot of mushy) but, I added some shredded sweetened coconut and I must say, that has been the most genius thing I've thought about for some time now. The sweetness perfectly balanced out the spicy-ness of the curry and the coco-nutty-ness was certainly accentuated with the new addition. Delicious! (minus the mushy-ness....but I'll get around to fixing that some time...and when I do, I'll let you all know!) 

Coconut Brown Rice (http://thaifood.about.com/od/vegetarianthairecipes/r/browncoconutrice.htm)

1 1/2 cups brown rice

1 can coconut milk

2 cups water

1/2 tsp salt

*shredded sweetened coconut to taste

I kinda sorta followed the recipe on that link. But, as I mentioned (and certainly not recommend) I soaked the rice for a few hours beforehand. Then added the coconut milk, water, and salt. Brought it all to a boil, and then simmered with a cover on low for...a long time. I don't remember how long...but, probably about 45 mins.

 

 

So, it's quite the cooking process...but, you can make the red curry while you're waiting! Talk about efficiency!

I make the red curry quite often, so I just vary the ingredients depending on what I feel like. Really, about any vegetable can go in this and taste delicious. And it doesn't hurt to make it super colourful! Some veg you can think about adding (I generally use these in different combo's): baby corn, bamboo, bell peppers, sugar snap peas, eggplant, onions, mushrooms). And for the red curry, I think either shrimp or chicken thighs go best...but you could also add pork or beef if you wanted to. As per usual, these I provide rough amounts provided in the following recipe...

Thai Red Curry with Shrimp

2 1/2 tbsp red curry paste (I like Aroy-D brand...made in Thailand!)
1 can coconut milk (Aroy-D also recommended)
2-3 bell peppers
1/2 Italian eggplant (or 1 Chinese eggplant)
1 medium onion
1 pack of mushrooms (227g)
1/2 lb shrimp
2 kaffir lime leaves (optional...but, adds a really amazing and distinct flavour)
*cilantro (optional)
*fish sauce to taste (maybe about 1/2-1 tbsp)
*brown sugar (about 1 tbsp)
*Note: you can also adjust the curry paste...add more for more spice!

 

 So, I like to give everything a quick stir fry first. I put the onions and peppers first for a couple minutes...then the eggplant for a few more mins...and lastly, the mushrooms. Remove and transfer to a plate.

 

In the same pan, add some veg oil (about 1 tbsp) on med heat and then add the red curry paste until fragrant...about 3-5 mins. Then add half the can of coconut milk and mix in the paste well. 

 Then add the shrimp and kaffir lime leaves. Do not over cook the shrimp! Should take only a few mins. I actually undercooked the shrimp and took them out so I could finish cooking them just prior to eating (my rice wasn't quite close to done yet).

Then I added the veg and the rest of the coconut milk and simmered it for about 15 mins to extract everything I could outta those leaves and get the veg nice and flavourful. Add the fish sauce and brown sugar to taste sometime around this point. Just before serving I turned up the heat and added my shrimp for about 2-3 mins.

Voila!
Eat your heart out...Coconut Brown Rice with Thai Red Curry:

Thank god for procrastination. Now, I can work!

Enjoy!

DL.