3 Reasons Curry is Great & Easy

 There's nothing quite like a good bowl of steaming curry. I've ordered it at pricy spots in D.C. and at a sweet little local place in PA called Pakha's. My personal fave is the green, cranked up so hot and spicy that I cry as I shovel it into my face. As with many a dish I love, it never occurred to me that I should just make it at home. Then, thanks to my friend Jake and a conversation during one of his barbecues, I found my newest cheap and tasty go to meal.

We were talking about how to just toss in different spices with lentils, of all things, when you're making yourself a 'fuel meal,' something to fill you up because you've got things to do. I mentioned that I like to dump yellow curry powder into the mix for some kick. "You know, man," Jake pointed out, "You should just go that extra step and actually make the curry. It doesn't take any longer and there's way more flavor."

Here's how to make my quick and easy chicken curry followed by why it's so great:

Ingredients:

200 ml coconut milk (half a can)
1 Tbsp Curry Paste
6 oz boneless skinless chicken thighs
1/2 cup mushrooms, sliced
1/2 onion, sliced
1/2 bell pepper, sliced
juice of 1/2 lime
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp frying oil (I prefer avocado)

1. Slice the chicken into thin strips while heating the oil in your skillet or wok on high heat

2. Lightly brown the chicken, between 1-3 minutes. It's going to keep cooking in the sauce, so don't overdo it.

3. Throw in everything else, mix well, and bring to a boil.

4. Dial the heat back to medium-low and simmer for 30-45 minutes, till the liquid reduces a bit.

5. Pour over rice and enjoy.

Why is this so great?

1. So simple and easy:

 As long as you don't cut yourself while slicing the chicken and veggies, you don't need to pay attention to have a wonderful meal. And check out those ingredients; aside from curry paste, you've probably already got all that stuff on hand.  I realize curry paste is a shortcut, and something is definitely lost by not making the paste from powder and fresh spices, but the trade-off in terms of time is pretty worthwhile.

2. Endless variations:

Don't like chicken? Use beef, tofu, or spam. Want it spicier? Add fresh or dried chilies, smoked paprika, or a splash of your favorite sauce. More color needed? More veggies. The picture on the right is the basic recipe with the leftovers from an epic pizza baking night added: strips of fresno red peppers, italian sweet peppers, poblanos, and jalapenos (I know what you're asking in your head and no, there aren't any scorpion peppers).

3. Cheap!

 Look at the ingredients again. As you know, I'm a big fan of frugal, so I buy my Lite Coconut milk for $1 a can at Big Lots, but if you aren't near one, check any surplus and overstock store. Conveniently, there's an Aldi discount supermarket in the same plaza, so I grab produce and cheap spices from there. Round it out with a giant bag of chicken thighs from a wholesale club or farmer's market and this batch costs less than hitting up McDonald's.