I know, I know. I am just as bummed about the death of Michael Jackson as all of you are. The media is already commenting on how much money he left, the custody of his children, but I believe there are more pressing matters at hand. Like wtf ever happened to Bubbles the Chimp?! Who gets custody of that little bundle of diaper-wearing, banana-eating joy? It is almost too much to take. So what better way to drown my celebrity death sorrows than a spicy curry dish? I really wish I would have taken a proper photo of this curry, because hot damn if it isn’t the best new dish I’ve made in my kitchen in a year. A gigantic, cruise-ship sized thank you goes out to my two gastro gal pals, Jackie (who created the recipe) and Cari (who posted about it on her blog so I could steal the recipe!). The ingredients require a bit of searching on your part, especially if you don’t live near a decent Asian store, but it is totally worth the trouble to create this spicy, sweet, sour dish of happiness. And no, this is not an Indian curry, but a Thai curry. Same general region of the world, different type of brown people, completely different dish. And if you wear a white glove while making it, MJ will be smiling down upon you. Be sure to ask him wtf he did with Bubbles. Jackie’s recipe called for eggplant as the veg, which I do not particularly enjoy and did not come in that week’s CSA. So I decided to swap it out for spinach and kohlrabi, which worked out nicely, creating a variety of textures and flavors in this already flavorful dish. I was able to find fresh kaffir lime leaves at my local Asian market, but if you can’t find any fresh or dried, a bit of lime zest should do the trick. Jackie?s Thai Curry with Shrimp 1 tbsp vegetable oil 5 tbsp Thai red curry paste 1 tsp ginger, julienned 1 clove garlic, julienned 1 ? cups coconut milk 1 cup (or more) chicken stock 3 kaffir lime leaves 1 small kohlrabi, chopped into 1 inch pieces 3 cups of washed and dried spinach 1 lb prawns (shrimp) ? bunch coriander (cilantro), chopped Juice of 1 lemon 1 -2 tbsp fish sauce Steamed white rice In a medium Dutch oven, heat vegetable oil over medium high heat. Add red curry paste, ginger and garlic, and stir fry on medium low heat until fragrant. Pour in coconut milk and chicken stock (you want the sauce to be a thin gravy, so add more or less stock as needed to correct the consistency). Place kaffir lime leaves and kohlrabi in sauce and simmer until kohlrabi is tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Add prawns to sauce and simmer until prawns are just cooked through, then add cilantro, lemon juice, spinach and fish sauce. Remove curry from heat immediately and serve with rice. ~LTG!
