My kids ate Bok Choy!

This is part two in the series of Thai Cooking. The Red Curry that we made the other night was so good and so quick that I bought the ingredients today to make it (very cheap), despite the fact that Jared is out of town. I would usually stick to Grilled Cheese or Spaghettio's to keep it easy for myself... but I coudn't wait. The kids loved it and even ate the Bok Choy! Couldn't believe it.

Well I got the rice on the stove first, so that it would be ready in time. If you don't know much about Thai food, you must have Jasmine Rice. It's the best and once you have it, you will probably never go back to any other kind of rice. It smells really good and in Thai the name actually means "fragrant rice".

Here is the extra simple and fast recipe for Red Curry Chicken:

1 T. vegetable oil
Red Curry Paste (just buy it in the packet, Asian Gourmet is a pretty good brand)
2 smaller or 1 large breast of chicken, chopped into small pieces
2 kaffir leaves, whole
1 kaffir leaf, thinly sliced for garnish (like matchsticks)
1-2 cans coconut milk
1 t. sugar
1-2 T. fish sauce (to taste, optional)
1 can bamboo shoots
1/2 bunch bok choy
Bottom of bok choy for garnish

Rinse Bok Choy and chop into chunky pieces. Start with the bottom end and chop off in one large chunk. Rinse it. It looks like a rose. Keep for garnish. Cut leaves and stalks of Bok Choy on an angle. Include the celery-like stalks.

Add oil to pan and heat. Stir fry the curry paste in hot oil until the flavor comes out, about 2 minutes. (note: the more you stir the curry paste, the hotter it gets. As soon as you add the coconut milk and other ingredients it will stop the heat from coming out)

Add chicken chunks and cook until 3/4 cooked.

Add coconut milk (can be Lite). Bring to a boil then simmer. (The recipe says 1-2 cans of coconut milk b/c it will make the dish less spicy the more coconut milk you add. If using one can, this recipe will probably serve about 4 people)

Add fish sauce, sugar and kaffir leaves. (Kaffir leaves have the BEST smell and really make the dish. Don't leave these out! When you add them, just 'crack' them open by folding them once to allow the scent/flavor out.) About fish sauce, it's optional. It has a very strong taste/smell which can take some getting used to. Be very conservative if using it.

Add bamboo shoots and chopped bok choy. Once this is stirred through it is ready to be served with rice.

For the one kaffir leaf you chop for garnish- fold in half on spine and cut out spine. Then, very thinly slice the rest into matchsticks. Add on top of dish before serving, along with the bok choy 'rose'. Rice is served on individual plates or bowls and curry is in the middle of the table. Often the rice is molded using a smaller bowl turned upside down onto the plate.

I hope that you definitely try this one. It is so easy. One girl in our class said she loves the smell of kaffir leaves so much that she wished her husband smelled like them. Very funny. I am sure he wishes he did too based on her reaction.