Green-ish Curry

Chicken, Peapods, Mushrooms, Bamboo, Baby Corn and Peanuts in a Green Curry Sauce

I can't do anything about the fact that the closest I can claim to being Indian is possibly having some Cherokee in my family tree. That said, white boy can make curry without having to rely on a jar of curry paste or dry powder. It's just a matter of thinking about what spices make up the complex flavoring of "curry".

For 2

Ingredients

2 Cerrano Peppers (finely diced)
2 T Ginger Root (finely diced)
4 - 5 Cloves Garlic (finely diced)
Juice from ½ of a Lemon

2 T Fresh Cilantro (loosely chopped)
2 T Curry Powder
1 t Cumin
½ t Tumeric
1 t Coriander
1 T Ground Ginger
Salt
Pepper

1 # Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts
Handful of Peapods
4 -6 Oyster Mushrooms (loosely chopped)
Handful of Bamboo Shoots
Small Handful of Baby Corn
¼ Cup Water
⅓ Cup Peanuts (toasted and crushed)

1 T Canola Oil
1 T Sesame Oil
10 Splashes Soy Sauce
½ (12 oz.) Can Coconut Milk

½ Cup Couscous
1 Cup Water

Directions

Pre-heat your oven to 400°. When it reaches temperature, put your peanuts on a cookie sheet (or in a shallow pan), and put them in the oven to toast them. Check after about 5 or so minutes to give the pan a shake and to make sure you're not burning them. You probably won't have to toast them for more than about 10 minutes total. When they're done, remove the pan from the oven, and pour the peanuts into a bowl (so they don't continue toasting from the heat of the pan).

While that's going on, somewhat finely dice your cerrano peppers, ginger root, and garlic, and set aside. Loosely chop up about 2 tablespoons worth of cilantro, and set that aside as well.

Combine all of your spices except for the cilantro in a bowl. Set aside.

Cut your chicken breasts into roughly one-inch cubes. Put this into the bowl that has your spice mixture and mix together with your fingers, so as to coat all sides of the cubes of chicken with the spices.

Loosely cut up your oyster mushrooms, and set aside.

In a sauté pan, put your canola oil, sesame oil, and soy sauce, and set the pan over medium-high heat. As the oil is getting hot, put your cubes of chicken into the pan. After about 3 minutes, using a pair of tongs, flip all the chicken cubes, add in your cilantro, and pour the lemon juice into the pan.

Next, add in your peapods, mushrooms, bamboo, baby corn, and the ¼ cup of water. Reduce your heat to about medium, and when it starts to simmer, pour in your half a can of coconut milk. Continue to cook for approximately 15 - 20 minutes.

While this is simmering, either with a mortar and pestle, a potato masher, or your hands, grind up the toasted peanuts a little - you don't want to make peanut butter, but you want them ground up a little so they're not all full-sized. Once you've done that, add about ½ of them to the pan.

Now for the couscous - once you've put the peanuts in the pan, put your cup of water in a pot to boil. When it hits the boil, kill the heat and add in your couscous, giving it a quick stir, and putting a cover on it. This will sit for about 5 minutes before it's done and ready to serve.

Serve over couscous, and scatter some of the extra crushed peanuts of the top. Enjoy!