Why bastardized? I was *supposed* to be making my friend’s recipe for semi-traditional Thai-style green coconut curry, but nooooo – ran off half-cocked, thinking I had Thai Kitchen green curry paste (it’s W30-compliant) and couldn’t be bothered to double-check before starting dinner. Well, as it turns out, I don’t have any – and most likely haven’t had any for at least a year (unless of course I managed to use a whole jar without really remembering it – also very possible).
So what did I do? I improvised. And dinner turned out great. A little different flavor profile than I had intended – more on the tomatoey end of curry than the green end – but the sauce was thick and luscious and I’m kinda sad I don’t have any more left over for lunch. Also kind of happy that my hubbs wasn’t home the night I made it, so I didn’t have to share.
Bastardized Whole30 Chicken Curry
6 boneless skinless chicken thighs
1 red bell pepper
1/2 onion
2 medium carrots
2 ribs celery
1 medium zucchini
1 Tbsp. coconut oil or ghee
1 15-ounce can coconut milk (check your labels!)
1 4-ounce can tomato paste (check your labels!)
4 cloves garlic
1 inch fresh ginger
1 jalapeno
2 Tbsp. Red Boat fish sauce
1 tsp. cumin
2 Tbsp. curry powder
1 tsp. ground ginger
2 tsp. ground turmeric
2 big pinches salt
2 Tbsp. cilantro
2 Tbsp. lime juice
Chop your vegetables and chicken. Mince the garlic and ginger. De-seed and dice the jalapeno.
Heat up a large pan to medium – add the cooking fat, onions and a sprinkle of salt. Sautee 1-2 minutes.
Add all the spices, garlic and fresh ginger and sautee for a minute or two until fragrant.
Add coconut milk and tomato paste and bring to a simmer. Taste. Add another big pinch salt if needed.
Add the chicken and remaining vegetables and stir to combine. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the chicken is done and the veggies are where you want them – 10 – 20 minutes.
While that is working, chop the cilantro and get your lime juice ready. When your curry is cooked through, taste for seasoning – add salt if necessary. Stir in the lime juice and cilantro before serving.
Serve alone or over cauliflower rice. If you eat the curry alone, this recipe makes 2-4 servings depending upon how much you like to eat. I had a double portion for dinner that night and two smaller portions for lunch in the following days. On lunch days, I ended up supplementing with almonds. If you serve over cauliflower rice, I imagine this recipe will easily stretch to feed 4. I happened to be too lazy to make rice that night.
Gastography 