This is the perfect meal for a busy weeknight. All you need are vegetables (use whatever’s in season or in your fridge/freezer; mushrooms, zucchini, carrots, asparagus, broccoli, etc. – they all work great here), a few pantry items like Thai curry paste, coconut milk and frozen chicken (or other protein foods like shrimp, extra-firm tofu, pork tenderloin or beef sirloin) and you can throw this delicious meal together in 25 minutes. Some of the ingredients are marked “optional” as they may require a trip to an Asian supermarket (or you can buy them on Amazon).
In addition to being delicious, this dish is packed with anti-inflammatory, immune-supportive herbs, spices, vegetables and fats. And because it gets better from sitting in the fridge for a day or three, it’s the perfect batch-cooked meal whose leftovers you will look forward to devouring, again and again!
If you are metabolically healthy and/or physically active, you can probably handle a few extra carbs, so you can accompany this dish with some steamed brown jasmine rice if you like (about 1/2 cup cooked rice per person). If, on the other hand, you’re a low-carber, omit the rice and this dish is keto-worthy — even if you add shirataki noodles.
Turbo Thai Chicken Curry
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 onion thinly sliced lengthwise
- 1 tbsp minced garlic about 4 cloves
- 1 tbsp minced ginger about 1 1/2 inches fresh ginger root, grated
- 1-3 tbsp Thai curry paste (depends how spicy you like it) It’s best to use authentic Thai paste; my favorite brands are MaeAnong and MaePloy – available on Amazon or at Asian supermarkets
- 1 can full-fat coconut milk
- 1½ cups chicken bone broth
- 1 red bell pepper cored, seeded & thinly sliced
- 1 green bell pepper cored, seeded & thinly sliced
- 1 8-oz can bamboo shoots drained
- 8 oz green beans or sugar snap peas topped & tailed and cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
- 3 dried kaffir lime leaves optional
- ¼ cup Thai basil optional; if not available, you can use regular basil
- 1½ lb chicken thigh meat skinless & boneless (or 1½ lbs fresh salmon, cubed; 1 lb peeled shrimp; cubed tofu (I use Trader Joe's organic, baked tofu which provides 16 g protein per serving)
- 16 oz tofu shirataki fettucine for instance, these (2 packs), drained and rinsed under cold running water
- 1 tbsp Thai fish sauce my favorite brand is Red Boat
- 1 cup fresh cilantro coarsely chopped
Instructions
- In a large, heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat, warm the olive oil and add the curry paste. Stir and cook for about a minute until it starts to sizzle gently, and its fragrance starts to unfold. Add onion, garlic, ginger and diced chicken and sauté for 2-3 minutes,stirring frequently.
- Add coconut milk and chicken broth, vegetables, kaffir lime leaves (optional) and bring to a boil. Simmer for around 10 minutes until the vegetables are al dente (soft but with a slight crunch left in them). If you are using vegetables that don't need much time to cook, like broccolini, add them after 5 minutes.
- Stir in the shiaratki noodles and heat through for a minute.
- Season to taste with fish sauce, salt and lime juice, garnish with freshly chopped cilantro and serve.