When we go out for Thai, if I don’t get tofu pad thai, I always like the curry that is red curry sauce with a little peanut sauce mixed in, too. At the place we usually go to, it’s #42 on the menu, “Pa-Naeng – curry sauce mixed with peanut sauce, zucchini, green peas, carrot. Choose chicken, beef or tofu”.
Tonight, still working on party leftovers, I had cauliflower and a little peanut dip to use up. I had carrots, and a can of coconut milk, plus a jar of the thin part of another can of coconut milk that I had used for the little lime syrup cupcakes. I wanted tofu to put in the curry, but when I went to the co-op on Tuesday, they were, somewhat unbelievably, out of plain tofu – only a few package of herbed – so I bought some little red potatoes, instead. I quick thawed some vegetable broth, by popping it out of the plastic yogurt tub it was frozen in, into a covered pot on the heat.
Even though Mark was not interested, I thought it was a pretty good dinner.
Thai vegetable curry
2 cups of long grain white rice – like Basmati
about a cup of coconut milk, lowfat or the thin part OK
2 1/2 cups of vegetable broth or water
1 tbs. vegetable oil
2 small onions, sliced pole to pole
4 small red potatoes
1 1/2 cups – or so – cauliflower florets
3 carrots, peeled and chunked
Thai red curry paste – I used the canned kind, which is quite mild, probably about 1/4 cup – if its the hotter jarred kind, start with about 1 tbs.
3 – 4 tbs. peanut dip
1 1/2 cups coconut milk – most of a can – lowfat is OK
a good handful of frozen peas
Combine the rice, coconut milk, veggie broth, and water in a large pot. Bring to a boil and add about 1 tsp salt. Cover, reduce heat and cook for about 15 minutes until all the liquid is absorbed. Put the oil into a wide deep skillet. Heat, add the onions, season with salt & pepper, and stir. Rinse the potatoes, and slice them, and add them to the pot, too. Add the cauliflower and carrots, stir well, add a little water or veggie broth, cover, and cook for 10 – 15 minutes until the vegetables are cooked through but not mushy. Make a well in the center, and add the peanut dip and curry paste, and then add the coconut milk. Stir well. Throw the peas on top, cover, and cook another few minutes just til the peas are cooked. Eat spooned over the rice.
