Recipe: Thai Beef Curry with Red Pepper and Snow Peas

Today's world food that you can prepare at home is a Thai Beef Curry with crunchy red peppers and snow peas. As Thai food goes, this is one of the spicier recipes that you will find on Chop Onions, Boil Water. It's good though and it is even better the next day as a leftover!

My own introduction to Thai cuisine came in the early 1980's when I was invited to join some friends for dinner at a newly opened (and rare at that time) Thai restaurant. My friends had spent a great deal of time in Thailand and one, Al, had fallen in love with and married a Thai girl named "Tim". They were all excited to finally be able to get their favorite Thai dishes so close to home. It was a long time ago, but I remember how happy Tim was to be able to speak her native language to the wait staff and she insisted on ordering for everyone in her native tongue. It was a great night of food, friends and fun (the three F's) and I experienced a number of firsts that night. Thai beer, spicy squid curry and mango with sweet rice were among them.

After that night, I always used to talk to Al about all the different foods, vegetables and fruits he had tried in Thailand. His descriptions of many things were the first accounts I had heard about those foods. Things like fish sauce, durian, mangosteen, phad thai and some dishes of raw pork with extremely spicy chilies are among the ones I can recall. Though common and well known now, they were all very foreign and exotic to me at that time. This was before the internet kiddies and lots of things took trips to the bookstore or library to research in the old days!

Suffice to say, that introduction to Thai food all those years ago turned me into a fan. Subsequently, it also turned my wife and kids into Thai food fans. Barely a week goes by that I don't prepare something Thai for dinner. We eat Thai so often that when I put rice out for any dinner be it Italian, Mexican, Portuguese, etc. my 4-year old daughter will always ask "Is it sticky rice daddy?" You cannot imagine her disappointment when it is not. You also can't imagine how much she talks about sticky rice and why she likes it better than whatever rice we may be eating during that dinner. Yup, from the beginning to the end of dinner... "Daddy, I like sticky rice because it's good and fun...", "This rice is red....", "When are we having sticky rice again?" I remember when I was a kid and we got one kind of rice: Minute Rice! At least some things have changed for the better!

Again, this dish is very spicy. If you're looking to tame it down, back off on the red curry paste or use a milder type of curry paste. You can also curb the ginger a little bit to take the heat down. Me? I like it spicy and hot. I just use more sticky rice* to temper the heat. Al and Tim taught me that over twenty years ago!

Thai Beef Curry with Red Pepper and Snow Peas

2 TBS peanut oil
2-2.5 lbs. sirloin tips
Sea salt and fresh ground black pepper (to taste)
1 cup thinly sliced onions
1/2 cup fresh ginger (finely chopped)
2 cloves of garlic (chopped)
3-4 tsp. Thai red curry paste
1 cup chicken broth
1 can coconut milk
2 TBS fish sauce
4 ozs. snow peas
1 large red bell pepper (cut into matchstick-sized pieces)
1 lime (zest grated and then the fruit cut into wedges)
1/3 cup fresh cilantro (chopped)
1/4 cup basil (julienned)
Rice or noodles

Prepare the rice (I use Thai sticky rice*) or noodles (I use udon) while you do the following:

Season the sirloin tips with salt and pepper to taste. Cook them in your broiler to desired doneness. Remove from the broiler. Allow them to cool about 10 minutes and then cut them into 1-1/2" pieces and set aside in a covered plate (reserve any juices).

Place a large pot or dutch oven over medium high heat. Add the peanut oil. When the oil begins to shimmer, add the onions and cook until just tender and lightly browned

Add the ginger and continue cooking, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute.

Add the curry paste and cook, stirring, about 30 seconds.

Stir in half of the chicken broth, scraping up any browned bits that are stuck to the bottom of the pan.

Add half the coconut milk, stirring until the curry paste has blended in completely.

Stir in the remaining coconut milk and chicken broth. Add the fish sauce and simmer stirring frequently for about 5 minutes.

Add the sirloin tips (and any collected juices), snow peas and the red pepper and cook stirring frequently for about 3-5 minutes. You want the snow peas and red pepper to remain slightly crunchy and the meat to just reheat.

Portion rice*/noodles into individual bowls and ladle the beef curry over it. Sprinkle with the cilantro and basil and serve with the lime wedges.

*If using sticky rice serve it as a side dish. Roll the rice into balls and dip into the curry.



Recipe: Thai Beef Curry with Red Pepper and Snow Peas from Chop Onions, Boil Water - World Food at Home by Henry Krauzyk http://www.choponionsboilwater.com

Recipe: Crazy Dream Choo Chee Fish Curry

Today's recipe that you can prepare at home is Choo Chee Fish Curry and it comes to your kitchen via the exotic Southeast Asian kingdom of Thailand. It is a rich and flavorful dish and is best accompanied with a big bowl of Thai sticky rice. That sticky rice is going to serve an important function when eating this extra-spicy curry because it helps temper its heat quite well.

I'm not going the blur lines here, this curry is probably the hottest thing I serve in my home. It's not near the hottest thing I'll eat and enjoy, but it is plenty hot enough for my family. This dish packs a rich and delicious wallop for people who like spicy food, but for less robust palettes, well be careful who you prepare it for. It's just going to be too hot for some, but it does make believers out of others! My wife for instance. If you had told me all those years ago that she'd eat food this hot and not only enjoy it but request it, well I would have said you were deranged. Choo Chee Curry converted her to spicy foods.

It's also a full service seafood curry so try it with whatever makes sense. A lot of recipes call for shrimp, and I've seen others call for a kind of seafood stew which I'll be trying myself in the near future. I may even try the sauce over some panko-battered fried chicken. Now for the weird twist.

The weird twist of this dish (and hence its name) are the after effects. It makes me dream vividly and madly. At first I thought is was just a coincidence. However, after numerous similar post-chow-down experiences and even a few by my wife, I will caution you that maybe, just maybe you too may dream crazy, and dare I say forbidden and maddening things. You know, like being chased by the Teletubbies through a Jello cave while wearing a thick suit of woven angel hair pasta while aluminum foil hummingbirds whisper threats in your 31 ears.

Things like that. Still though, it's all worth it. IT REALLY IS!

Crazy Dream Choo Chee Fish Curry

1-2 lbs. of firm white fish fillets (I use tilapia or mahi-mahi)
All-purpose flour (to dredge the fish in)
4 TBS peanut oil
2 cups coconut milk (unsweetened)
Bottom half of 1 stalk of lemon grass (peeled into individual blades)
4 TBS red curry paste
1/2 cup of water
4 TBS fish sauce
3 TBS palm sugar (or brown or turbinado sugar)
2 cloves of garlic (thinly sliced)
4 TBS green onions (sliced very thinly)
3 TBS fresh cilantro (chopped)

Cut the fish in to pieces about 2" x 3" inches. Dredge individually in flour, set aside.

Heat the vegetable oil in a large cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. When the oil begins to shimmer cook the pieces of fish about 2-4 minutes per side until browned and crisp. Remove from pan and allow to drain on a paper towel while you prepare the cooking sauce.

Remove the unused oil from the pan and wipe out any residue. Replace the skillet over medium heat. Add half the coconut milk and the lemon grass blades and cook until it becomes fragrant and creamy.

Add the curry paste and cook, stirring constantly until well dissolved.

Add the remaining coconut milk, water, fish sauce, sugar, garlic, half of the green onions and half the cilantro. Bring to a boil and lower to a simmer.

Add the fish pieces and simmer in the sauce for about 3 to 5 minutes. Spoon the curry sauce over and around the fish while it cooks.

Remove from heat.

Remove the lemon grass blades and discard.

Serve the fish in deep plates with the curry sauce generously spooned over it. Garnish with the remaining green onions and cilantro.

Pair with Thai sticky rice.

Dream madly children, dream madly.

Recipe: Crazy Dream Choo Chee Fish Curry from Chop Onions, Boil Water by Henry Krauzyk
http://www.choponionsboilwater.com

Recipe: Three Sisters Red Curry

Today, my world food at home recipe is a bit of fusion. A melding of Native American and Thai food. It's not as strange as it may sound, in fact given all the ingredients, anyone familiar with both cuisines can see the common sense in it.

The "three sisters" refers to the staples of the tribes of the East Coast of central North America. They are squash, beans and corn. The cultural and mythological references to their origin are many, but the one I like most speaks of an otherworldly maiden seen walking on a moonlit night, in each footprint that she left grew squash, corn or beans. That's some beautiful imagery, no?

In practical terms, the farming of the three sisters was nothing short of genius. On a mound of dirt, corn would be planted, then beans around the corn. This way the beans could grow up the corn and thus produce more fruit, while the corn benefitted from the support of the bean's vines in heavy wind. Around the base of the mound was planted squash. It's broad leaves would shade the ground and keep it from drying out. It's prickly stems would discourage pests and varmints from compromising the crop. Yes, genius.

Earlier this week I was considering making dinner with the food I had on hand. I was thinking of doing some Native American dish, but my wife asked for a Thai curry with some sticky rice. 2 + 2 =4, and Three Sisters Red Curry was born. It is a delicious, spicy and rich red curry that benefits from the contrasting sweetness of the squash (I used sugar pumpkin) and sweet corn. The beans of course make it satisfying and filling. I chose pork for the protein, but chicken or beef would work just as well.

You can get a little creative with the other ingredients as well. Acorn or butternut squash could be substituted for the pumpkin and pintos or some other beans can work where I chose Anasazi beans. It's all good.

Three Sisters Red Curry

1-1/2 cups of coconut milk
2 TBS red curry paste
3/4 lb. of pork loin (trimmed of fat and cubed in bite-sized pieces)
1-1/2 cups of chicken broth
2 cups of sugar pumpkin (cut in 1" cubes)
1 cup cooked beans (I use Anasazi, pintos will work fine)
1 cup of fresh or frozen sweet corn
2 TBS fish sauce
1 TBS palm sugar (brown or turbinado work fine)
1/4 cup of chopped cilantro
1 jalapeno (thinly sliced into rings and de-seeded as a garnish)

Place a large saucepan or dutch oven over medium heat. Add the coconut milk and heat for a few minutes until it begins to thicken and simmer. Add the curry paste and stir until it is dissolved.

Add the pork cubes and cook for a few minutes stirring frequently. Be sure the meat gets coated well.

Add the chicken broth, pumpkin, fish sauce and palm sugar and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and continue to cook stirring occasionally until the pumpkin is tender but still firm, (about 7 to 12 minutes).

Add the beans and the sweet corn and continue simmering for a few more minutes.

Plate in shallow bowls, sprinkle generously with cilantro and garnish with jalapeno pepper rings. Serve with sticky or jasmine rice.

Recipe: Three Sisters Red Curry from Chop Onions, Boil Water by Henry Krauzyk http://www.choponionsboilwater.com

Recipe: Aloo Chole

This recipe probably had more to with my wife's conversion from someone who didn't like Indian food to someone who loves Indian food than anything else. It is a milder dish, yet full of great flavor. "Approachable" is what I think an Indian food novice may think.

Aloo Chole and related chickpea dishes like chana masala are very popular street foods in India. They are inexpensive and easy to prepare and not only sustaining but really flavorful. I've had aloo chole a number of ways, from a "stew" consistency to something thicker and more in line with my recipe below. I usually prepare it as a side dish in larger Indian dinners I prepare at the house. However, aloo chole really shines as a lunch item paired with a good piece of naan or roti. Like many Indian foods it seems to get better with one or two days behind it.

I always get the impression that chickpeas can seem a little foreign to a lot of people, I find that aloo chole can really change people's opinons. So, if you're looking to introduce someone to Indian food, or you're looking to experiment yourself, you may want to give aloo chole a go.

While I have not done it, what I've learned from cooking a lot of Indian foods is that if you're looking for something a little more toward the "stew" range in a dish, the addition of oil or ghee seems to be the path you'd want to take. I've found this work well with tikka masala, I'm sure it would work here if you like.

Recipe: Aloo Chole

2 cans chickpeas (around the 14 oz. size)
I medium onion (chopped)
1 tsp onion seeds ("nigella")
1 tsp cumin
6 cloves garlic (sliced)
1 cup plain yogurt
1 medium potato (cut into 1/2" cubes)
1 tsp curry powder
1/4 tsp garam masala
3/4 tsp salt
2 TBS peanut oil
1/4 cup cilantro (chopped)

Place a large pan or dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the peanut oil.

When the oil begins to shimmer, add the onion and saute until translucent.

Add garlic and saute for 1-2 minutes.

Add the onion seed and cumin seed and stir for a few minutes.

Add the cubed potatoes and stir until slightly translucent.

Add the add chickpeas, spices and yogurt and stir in well. Cover, lower heat to medium and continue cooking for approximately 20 minutes, stirring it occasionally. Add a little water if necessary.

Remove cover and use a potato masher to mash about 1/3 of the mixture. Stir to blend. Again, add a little water if necessary.

Mix in chopped cilantro and serve with naan or roti bread.

It is better the next day.

Recipe: Aloo Chole from Chop Onions, Boil Water by Henry Krauzyk

Product Review: Arora Creations Organic Tikka Masala Seasoning Mix

As food preparation goes, Indian can be a little time consuming to prepare. Especially, if it's a work night and you're craving it! Recently, while shopping in the organic food section of my local market I came across Arora Creations Organic Tikka Masala seasoning mix.I've since had it several times and I'd like to tell you about it.

First I'd like to explain that I usually avoid most prepared foods. More often than not, if you find yourself opening a can or tearing open a packet of something that is ready-to-eat or nearly-ready-to-eat, you're just going to end up swallowing a lot of things you shouldn't. We've all read the ingredient lists on cans and packets and some of the things in there just don't grow on trees or come about naturally. So, at an age that I can't eat like a teenager without gaining a lot of weight, I've decided when I eat, is going to be damn good. Sure, sometimes it is unavoidable, but most times I'll pass on the ridiculously long, multi-syllabic chemical abominations that are in ready-to-eat foods, thank you.

All that said, you can take my recommendation of Arora Creations Organic Tikka Masala to heart. As it does fall under the nearly-ready-to-eat category of prepared foods there is a little work involved in cooking it. If your familiar with cooking Indian food at home though, the first time you cook this, you're going to realize it is a big time saver. You'll need chicken, olive oil, an onion, ginger, garlic, tomato sauce and cilantro, but the end result is worth it.

The directions are straightforward and it all comes together very easily. The recipe also calls for serving it with a side of yogurt. I handle it a little differently and mix in 3/4 cup of yogurt about 5 minutes before it's done. Shut off your heat, give it a few moments to flavor up, add your cilantro and serve it over some basmati rice. The end result is a really nice chicken tikka masala. It may be a little spicy for some, but I think most people familiar with Indian food won't be disappointed or overwhelmed. It has a great aroma, is very tasty and will satisfy Indian cravings handily. It's even better the next day.

Don't forget the naan or roti!

Arora Creations also offers many other organic and non-organic Indian selections but I haven't tried them yet. You can be sure that if I do, I'll review it here.

Arora Creations Organic Tikka Masala is certified USDA Approved Organic and can be purchased here.

Ingredients: Ground sunflower seeds*, salt, ground coriander*, ground black pepper*, ground cumin*, ground chilies*, sugar*, ground nutmeg*, ground mace*, ground cinnamon*, ground cloves*, ground black cardamom, ground cardamom*, citric acid, silicon dioxide, lemon essential oil*, soy bean oil*, ground turmeric*. *organic

Product Review: Arora Creations Organic Tikka Masala Seasoning Mix

Recipe: Japanese Golden Curry with Carrots and Pistachios

I first had Japanese curry in Hawaii. I was up late one evening having had a bit to drink and I got the munchies. I headed out of my hotel to one of Waikiki's curry houses. I ordered a chicken curry to-go and headed back to my hotel. Once there and settled, I tucked into it and it was delicious. Hot, rich, flavorful and with plenty of gravy for the rice that accompanied it. YUM!

Japanese curry while familiar tasting definitely has its own thing going on. Much the way Thai, Indian and Chinese curries are all familiar yet uniquely different. The version I had could be categorized as a little milder compared to an Indian curry, but with a host of other pleasant things going on. It has a certain "silkiness" I guess. Anyway, it was the perfect thing to stave off my late-night hunger and any hangover or headache that could have come along because of all the wine. I slept like a baby and left Oahu for Kauai the next morning. Distractions and travel plans soon swept the sweet memory of Japanese curry from my mind.

Then one day several years later I was talking to my dad about Japanese food, (he was a Marine stationed in Japan in the late 50's). When I asked him what the best thing he ever had there was, he said that every week he would go to a local restaurant and get curry. "Swoosh" came my own memory and I told him about it and we agreed it must have been the same kind of curry. Memory reloaded and enthusiasm piqued, off I went to the internet to find out how to make my own Japanese Curry.

In my initial research, I found out that unlike Indian curry powder and Thai curry paste the Japanese produce their curries in a block. I also found out that there are no recipes to make your own curry blocks. Rather, everyone buys their blocks from a few manufacturers. A little more research and I found that the S&B company of Tokyo, Japan produced the kind of blocks I was looking for. Though if anyone knows of a recipe for preparing your own blocks please let me know! I like making most things from scratch if I can.

I soon sourced the S&B curry blocks from a local Japanese and Korean market and my love for Japanese curry was renewed. It is a very easy curry to make, especially if you're in a hurry. Even people who don't usually care for curry tend to enjoy it. You can even tell them it's "stew" to start them off. Below you'll find the recipe I prepared for my family tonight. I've also listed an online source so you can purchase your own blocks if need be.

Japanese Golden Curry with Carrots and Pistachios

2 lbs. boneless chicken breast (cut into bite-sized cubes)
1 lb. onions (halved and then sliced thin)
2 carrots (halved and then cut into 1/2" pieces)
1/3 cup of pistachios (shelled)
2 TBS peanut oil
2-1/2 cups of water
3.5 ozs. S&B Golden Curry Sauce Mix (I use mild but also available in medium or hot)

In a large skillet over a high flame, add the peanut oil. When it begins to shimmer, add the chicken, onions, carrots and pistachios and cook until onions begin to brown.

Add the water and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer for 10 minutes.

Break up the S&B Golden curry block and add it to the simmering water. Stir the curry to help dissolve the block. Simmer for 5 minutes and allow mix to thicken.

Serve over your favorite rice, (I use steamed basmati).

Like many similar dishes, this is even better the second day.
Japanese Golden Curry with Carrots and Pistachios by Henry Krauzyk from Chop Onions, Boil Water

Recipe: Thai Pumpkin Curry

My wife, like many people, used to hate curry. She hated all Indian foods actually. To someone like me and the billions of other curry lovers out there, that is simply hard to believe. The range of curries are too wide with too many regional influences and nuances for anyone to say "I hate curry".

I think the real reason someone may not like curry is because they've had one that they didn't like and judge all the others based on that decision. I think that probably goes with entire cuisines. How can anyone dislike an entire cuisine? How can you reject all Indian, Thai or Japanese food based on small samplings? That's like not liking a hot dog and because of it ignoring all other American dishes! Keep daring yourself to try things.

The dish below was the transitional one for my wife. With it, she went from curry hater, to Thai curry lover. Shortly afterward she became an Indian curry lover as well, and then an Indian and Thai food lover.

It's been inspiring to watch and sure makes dining out and cooking at home a great deal more interesting!

Thai Pumpkin Curry

2 cans of coconut milk
1.5 to 2 lbs. of London Broil or similar beef cubed (or pork or chicken)
3 TBS yellow curry paste
2 TBS fish sauce
1 TBS palm sugar (or similar sugar)
4 TBS tamarind juice
6 green cardamom pods
1 stick of cinnamon
3 cups of sugar pumpkin (cubed)
1.5 cups of potato (cubed)
3/4 cup carrots (cubed)
1 onion (frenched)
1/2 cup of roasted peanuts
Juice of half a lime
Chopped cilantro and Thai basil

Place a large pan over high heat. Pour in all the coconut milk and bring to a boil. Add the meat and lower to a simmer. For beef, simmer for 30-40 minutes. For chicken or pork simmer for 10 to 15 minutes.

Add the curry paste and stir until it dissolves into the coconut milk and meat mixture. Simmer for 5 minutes.

Stir in the fish sauce, sugar, tamarind juice, cardamom pods, cinnamon stick, pumpkin, potatoes, carrots and onions. Continue simmering for 15 to 20 minutes or until the vegetables are tender.

Add the roasted peanuts to the curry and mix well. Continue to simmer for 5 minutes.

Add the lime juice and chopped cilantro/basil. Reserve some as a garnish.

Serve hot in bowls accompanied with sticky or jasmine rice.

Recipe: Channa Masala

I'm presently in the beginning stages of putting together the 2009 edition of my cookbook. I've been sorting out my Indian recipes for the new Indian section and I'm looking forward to seeing them in "Chop Onions, Boil Water".

This is a recipe I've put together from several others with a decent bit of tinkering in between to get it right where I like it. It is one of my wife's favorites and watching her eat it is almost as much as a treat as eating it myself. I finally managed to get it to where I like it tonight. So, this one is right off the stove and into the book and blog on the same night!

Channa Masala or Aloo Cholay and naan bread are sort of like the peanut butter and jelly sandwich of India. A lunch and snack standard. A popular and fortifying food that can be purchased from street vendors or prepared in the home. As with many Indian dishes there are lots of ingredients, it's all worth it. This stuff is even better on the second and third day. If you think you may not like chickpeas, you're wrong. Just ask my wife.

Channa Masala

2-3 TBS peanut oil
1 stick of cinnamon
6 whole cloves
1 tsp cumin seeds
2 medium onions (chopped)
2 TBS ginger (chopped)
4 green cardamom pods
2 bay leaves
4 cloves of garlic (chopped)
2 tsp curry powder
1 tsp amchoor powder
4 medium tomatoes (chopped)
2 tsp palm or brown sugar
1/2 tsp hot Indian chile powder
2 cans (30 ozs.) chickpeas
2 TBS butter
3-4 TBS yogurt
1/2 tsp garam masala
Juice of one lime
Chopped cilantro

Put the oil in a heated pan place on medium heat, when the oil begins to shimmer add the cinnamon, and cloves. Heat until the cinnamon begins to unravel. Then remove the cinnamon and cloves. Immediately add the cumin seeds. When the seeds stop crackling immediately add the onions and saute until translucent.

Add the ginger, cardamom and bay leaves and stir. Add the garlic, curry powder and amchoor powder until mix is well blended. Do not burn the mix. Lower the heat or add a little water if necessary.

Add the tomatoes, palm sugar and Indian chile powder and mix in well. Allow the tomatoes to break down and liquify.

Add the chickpeas (and some water if necessary)

Continue to cook until reduced and thick and rich.

Add chopped cilantro and blend well.

Finish with butter, yogurt, garam masala and lime juice. Salt to taste.

Serve with naan or pooris.