Spicy Thai Curry Soup with Bell Peppers and Pineapple

The warmth and spice in this lovely soup has been a welcome relief from the chilly maelstrom of snow that, more often than not, has swirled outside my window over the last month in Boston.  The trick to giving this soup the depth of flavor you'd expect from a Thai restaurant is to use a blend of curry pastes and a hint of brown sugar to complement and ease your taste buds into the spice.  Don't worry, though - this can be as mild or hot as you prefer, so don't be frightened away by the word "curry!"  Finely crushed pineapple works beautifully because the tiny pieces find their way into every spoonful, but you can use any cut of pineapple you like, big or small, and it will still taste fabulous.  Save this one for particularly horrible weather and have it ready to warm you up when you come in from shoveling.

Spicy Thai Curry Soup with Bell Peppers and Pineapple
Serves 2 - 3

1 - 1 1/2 tbsp. Taste of Thai red curry paste (add more or less to taste)
1 - 1 1/2 tbsp. Taste of Thai panaang curry paste (add more or less to taste)
1 can coconut milk (you can use lite if you don't mind sacrificing some creaminess)
1/4 cup soy creamer or So Delicious Original Coconut Milk (optional)
10 oz., or 6 boneless, skinless chicken tenderloins, fat trimmed and chopped into bite-size pieces
1 small or 1/2 very large red bell pepper, sliced into 2-inch pieces
1 small can crushed pineapple (with juice drained)
2-3 tsp. brown sugar
1 tsp. salt (more to taste)
Jasmine rice to serve (optional)

Put the curry pastes into a medium-sized pot and heat over medium heat for about 30-60 seconds.  Add the entire can of coconut milk and soy creamer and stir to mix with the curry paste.  Bring to a boil, then add the chicken.  Stir, then cover and simmer for at least 10 - 15 minutes until the chicken is cooked through.  After the first 10 minutes, add the chopped bell pepper.  Wait another 5 minutes, and then add the drained crushed pineapple.  Stir well, and simmer uncovered for another 5 - 10 minutes.  Add the brown sugar and salt to taste.  When the soup is the thickness you desire, remove from heat and serve immediately.  Serve with Jasmine rice or on its own as a soup.

Thai Red Curry with Chicken, Red Peppers, and Pineapple

There is not much that is more satisfying to me than a bowl of Thai curry with some fluffy white rice on the side. My default bonding activity with my sister for the last few years has been to meet up for Thai food at our favorite place in the Loop area of St. Louis. There are four Thai restaurants within 2 city blocks of each other there, and they are all owned by the same family. The strange part of this scenario is not the number, but the differing levels of quality of these restaurants. The one that my sister and I go to is, in my mind, unquestionably the best. My cousins, however, maintain that the restaurant a block away is superior. In any case, during the summers, when my cousins are all around, back from school or from out of town for the summer, inordinate amounts of Thai food is a given. Sometimes more than once a week, we head over to Thai Café and tell stories and laugh (often hysterically) with each other as we spoon curry onto beds of rice. And as adventurous as we all may be outside of that restaurant, our orders hardly ever change. Unfailingly, I order panaang curry with chicken, my sister gets yellow curry with only chicken and potatoes, and my cousins ask for the masman curry. And it is delicious every time.

The day eventually came when I decided, just that once, to deviate from my usual and try a different taste. I wasn’t feeling adventurous enough to stray from the coconut curries into other, less-traveled sections of the menu, but I studied the selection and chose the red curry with some slight trepidation. Would it live up to my beloved panaang? Would it be $7.50 down the drain, having me wish I’d just stuck to what I know is good? But when it came, I decided I had found a dish to rival my old favorite. The red curry paste maintains the intense heat of the dish, while the red bell peppers and pineapple soften the bite.

Since being in Swaziland for the last four months, there are foods that I have missed from home. And ironically, one of the foods that I miss most from America is that Thai curry. My lovely sister understood very well and was kind enough to send me a huge care package with some of my favorite foods, including containers of both red and panaang curry paste. It only took me about 2 days before I broke open the red curry, and this is what I was able to recreate.

Thai Red Curry with Chicken, Red Peppers, and Pineapple

1 tbsp. olive oil
3 green onions, chopped finely
2 – 5 tbsp. red curry paste (start with 2 and taste it after it has simmered for a while before adding more)
1 15-oz. can coconut milk
1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips
1 small red bell pepper, cut into thin slices
¾ - 1 cup pineapple chunks (if from a can, drain the juice)
1 - 2 tsp. sugar, to taste
¼ - ½ cup boiling water, if extra liquid is necessary to cover all ingredients
salt to taste

Heat the olive oil in a pan and sauté the onions for about 2 – 3 minutes, or until they start to become translucent. Add the curry paste and continue to sauté for another 1 – 2 minutes, stirring it constantly. Add the can of coconut milk and stir well to mix. Heat through and bring to a simmer, and then add the chicken and red bell peppers and stir, then cover and continue to simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Add the sugar to taste.   Add the pineapple chunks and continue to simmer for another 5 minutes. When the chicken is cooked all the way through, add more curry paste, if desired, and salt to taste. Serve with fluffy white jasmine or basmati rice.

Chicken with Roasted Coriander in a Coconut Curry Sauce

This is one of my favorite Indian dishes ever. I first found the recipe in an Indian cookbook I got for my birthday over five years ago, and since then, I have made it dozens and dozens of times, hardly even needing the recipe anymore. It’s a curry that everyone seems to love, as it is not to spicy yet bursts with flavor. The coconut milk in the sauce gives a slightly creamy texture without overpowering the dish. The list of spices may appear daunting, but I promise – this dish is very easy to throw together if you have everything on hand. If you don’t have coriander seeds or peppercorns, just use the ground version of the spices and it will still taste great.

Chicken with Roasted Coriander in a Coconut Curry Sauce

3 tbsp coriander seeds

¼ tsp fenugreek seeds

2 tsp black peppercorns

6 tbsp vegetable oil

1 tsp black mustard seeds

5 cm or 2 inches cinnamon stick

1 kg, or 2.2 lbs chicken

2 onions, peeled and cut in fine rings so that there are slivers and not chunks of onion

4-5 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 tsp peeled, finely grated fresh ginger

1 large tomato, finely chopped

½ tsp ground turmeric

1 tsp cayenne pepper

1 ½ tsp salt

1 tbsp lemon juice

1 400-gram can of coconut milk

2 fresh, hot green chilies, cut into halves

Roast the coriander, fenugreek, and peppercorns until lightly browned, then cool and grind finely. Set aside.

Heat the oil in a pan until it is moderately hot, then add the black mustard seeds, stir once, then add the cinnamon stick. Add the chicken in small, bite-sized pieces to the pan and stir until all pieces are coated with oil, and then continue to cook until the chicken is browned. Add the slivered onions and garlic and continue to cook over medium heat until the onions are almost translucent. Add the tomatoes and ginger and cook until the tomatoes are soft, stirring occasionally. In a small bowl, combine the turmeric, cayenne pepper, and salt with the mixture of roasted spices and add it all to the pot, stirring to coat evenly. Remove the thick cream at the top of the can of coconut milk to a small bowl and set aside. Add the remaining coconut milk plus one can of water, and stir to mix. Add the lemon juice and chilies and stir. Simmer with the lid mostly covering the pot (with a little space for steam to escape) for about 20-25 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove the halves of the green chilies. Turn off the heat, and then add the thick coconut cream removed from the can, stirring to mix evenly.

Serve with rice or Indian bread.

Ashook's Lamb Curry with Sambele

Mmm, my third evening of instruction in the school of curry turned out deliciously, as you can see. Ashook approached me yesterday and said, "Come, we will make a nice curry tonight." And we went to the Gables, one of the higher-end grocery stores here in Swaziland, and he picked out a package of lamb riblets and legs and a box of curry powder. I first had to talk him down from the "extra spicy" to the "hot" curry powder, and I am lucky that I looked at the side of the package of the first one he wanted to buy. It had "wheat cereal (gluten)" very clearly labeled on the side of it, and Ashook looked a little shocked when he saw it. We came back to the guest house and he immediately began assembling ingredients, telling Thomas to chop onions while he searched for oil, ordering potatoes peeled and the lamb chopped as he measured spices and dumped them into the pot. The thing I'm learning about curries is that that really just need time. It doesn't take too long to get everything into the pot that needs to be there, but you must give all of the ingredients time to simmer and blend with each other, to mingle, get to know each other, before you try to take them back out of the pot and onto a plate. So we added onions, chili powder and curry powder, lamb and potatoes, and curry leaves and cilantro and just put the lid on and waited. We waited for over an hour until the sauce had turned into just a thick enough, and lamb and potatoes were tender. So if you are a novice cook, don't worry - this recipe is simple enough. The main ingredient is patience.

Ashook's Lamb Curry

3 - 6 tbsp. oil (we used olive oil, but vegetable or palm oil work fine, too)
2 onions, cut into long slivers
2 tbsp. turmeric
2 tbsp. chili powder (more to taste)
3 - 5 tbsp. hot curry powder
4 cloves garlic
1 piece ginger
1 kg. chopped lamb riblets and leg pieces
3 - 4 cups of water, divided
4 medium potatoes, peeled and quartered
1 large tomato, diced small
2 stalks of curry leaves
5 - 8 stalks of cilantro/coriander leaves

Heat the pot and add the oil. When the oil is hot, add the 2 sliced onions and stir, cooking for about 2 - 3 minutes. Stir in 2 heaping teaspoons of turmeric and continue to cook for about 3 minutes. Add 2 heaping tablespoons of chili powder and 3 - 5 heaping tablespoons of hot curry powder. Stir to mix well and continue to cook. Meanwhile, mash up 4 cloves of garlic and one piece of ginger into a paste, then add about 1/2 cup of water and stir to mix. Add the garlic - ginger mixture to the pot, and then stir in the chopped lamb. Add about 1.5 - 2 more cups of water, enough to cover the lamb, stir well, and add about 1 tablespoon of salt (more to taste later, if desired). Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer over medium heat for about 15 - 20 minutes.

When it has simmered for about 20 minutes, add the quartered potatoes with another 1.5 - 2 cups of water. Stir in the diced tomato as well, and then bring back to a boil. When it is boiling, place the whole stalks of curry leaves and cilantro on top of the curry, but do not stir in. Replace the lid and let it simmer for another 45 minutes - 1 hour. Stir it every 10 minutes or so, and after about 45 minutes, check to see if the lamb is tender enough and the potatoes are done. Continue to simmer until it is the consistency you desire, and then serve with Ashook's Sambele and rice or bread.

Ashook's Pea Curry

Yes, this is as amazing a set-up as it sounds. I love curries and Indian food, and I happen to have landed myself in a guest house where there is another long-term resident here from South Africa from an Indian family - you may remember Ashook of the "Ashook's Chicken Curry" post. He's taken it upon himself to make me a series of authentic curries while I am here at the guest house. I just got the hang of the chicken curry he made a few weeks ago, having made a big pot of it this last weekend, and tonight, he made a simple vegetable curry to share with me. I am coming to a realization that I may have been trying too hard with my attempts at Indian food in the past. Adding spice where not so much was needed for an authentic depth of flavor. While I love the recipes I've tried before, the ones that Ashook is showing me combine very basic flavors and he lets those flavors mingle in the pot for much longer than I am used to, creating a delicious - and refreshingly not overwhelming - end result. This one, for instance, uses only fresh chilis and salt as flavoring for the vegetables, and is (once again) one of the most delicious vegetable curries I've ever had. It is so deceivingly simple, yet so wonderfully tasty. I've been promised a lamb curry next weekend. So, as I learn more from Ashook's School of Curry, I promise to relay it all back to those of you who read this blog and love a good curry as much as I do.


Ashook's Pea Curry

4 - 6 tbsp. vegetable oil, enough to coat the bottom of the pot well
2 onions, cut into long slices
2 large tomatoes, chopped
4 - 6 fresh chilis, cut in half
2 cups frozen peas
Salt to taste

Heat the oil in a pot, and when it is very hot, add the onion slices. When they start to become translucent, add the tomato pieces, stirring over medium-high heat. Add the 4 - 6 chilis (sliced open), and simmer with the tomatoes and onions until the tomatoes are soft. Add the peas and stir the mixture well, and then cover and simmer. Add salt to taste and let the curry simmer for about 45 minutes to 1 hour until the sauce is very thick, and then serve with a cilantro garnish over rice.

Ashook's South African-Indian Chicken Curry

There is a man named Ashook staying at the same guest house I am in Mbabane, Swaziland, who is from South Africa and is of Indian descent. Last week, I was getting out the ingredients to throw together a very simple chicken curry using some store-bought curry paste, and he came into the kitchen and said, "Ach, I'm going to make you some REAL chicken curry." I grabbed a piece of paper, a pen, and my camera and stepped aside to let the man work. We stood in the kitchen, chatting with the other staff here as the curry simmered and bubbled on the stove, sending up delicious aromas of spice into our conversation. Every so often, Ashook would go to the stove, lift the lid gingerly, peek in, and then cover the pot again before rejoining us. Finally, after about an hour and a half of delicately testing the sauce and potatoes, he announced that it was done. He pulled me over to the stove and said, "See how the oil has risen to the top? That means that the curry is ready." He also told me that it is important to let the potatoes sit in the pot without stirring them or they will fall apart before the curry is ready. I spooned some curry into a bowl with the fluffy Jasmine rice I had made (although basmati is the best, in my opinion) and took a bite. And it was heavenly. There is nothing like a good curry, and this one was fantastic. This is very simple to throw together, really - much less complicated than other curries I've made, and it is good. I mean, really good. So, from Swaziland to you, here is the recipe for Ashook's authentic South African-Indian chicken curry.


Ashook's Chicken Curry

4-6 tbsp. vegetable oil
1 whole onion, cut into slices
5 - 7 garlic cloves
1 tbsp. crushed ginger
1 - 2 pounds chicken breasts, cut into chunks
1 1/2 tsp. turmeric
2 tbsp. chili powder
2 tbsp. masala powder
Handful of fresh coriander leaves to taste (cilantro)
1 tomato, chopped
2 large potatoes, skinned and chopped into large chunks
1 1/2 cups of water (and more as needed)
1 tsp. salt

Heat the vegetable oil in a pot and add the onion slices. When the onions are soft, add the chicken, stir, and let cook. Add the turmeric, chili powder, masala powder, and coriander leaves to the chicken and onions and stir to mix. In the meantime, mash 5 - 7 garlic cloves and 1 tbsp. crushed ginger in a small bowl or a mortar and pestle until they have become a paste, and then add 1 /2 cup water to the mixture. Add the garlic-ginger mixture to the pot, and then add another 1/2 cup of water and stir. Let the mixture come to a boil and add the chopped tomato and simmer for 10 - 15 minutes. Add water as needed if the mixture starts getting too thick. When the tomatoes have softened, add the potatoes, chopped into quarters, along with another 1/2 - 1 cup of water. Stir just enough to mix the water in, and then let the curry simmer over medium heat without stirring so the potatoes won't fall apart. The curry is done when the potatoes are soft and the oil has risen to the top; it should simmer for about 45 minutes to 1 hour. Add salt to taste, 1 tsp or more. Serve with rice or naan. Below: The potatoes being added to the curry as it simmers.

Panaang Curry Noodle Bowl with Fried Tofu, Broccoli, and Peppers

My sister and cousins and I have a favorite Thai restaurant in St. Louis that we frequent as often as we can afford it, and probably sometimes when we can't, but our love of Thai curry usually trumps an empty wallet. We each have our usual; my cousins like Masman, my sister prefers yellow curry, and I love the panaang. Of course, for the times when I truly can't afford restaurant Thai food, I have my stock of panaang curry paste at home; a small container that costs $1.79 at an international grocery will literally last you until you can't remember when you bought it. When I made this dish, I was getting ready to move out of my apartment, and I was trying to use all of the food I had in the house already without buying new ingredients, so I grabbed the half empty package of thin rice noodles, some frozen broccoli, half of a red bell pepper, and the fried tofu I'd bought the week before and got to work. Note that this recipe is completely adaptable to whatever type of curry paste you like the best, and with whatever vegetables or meat that you want to add. You could buy extra firm tofu, press it, and bake it instead of using fried tofu as well. What I ended up with was a very delicious and panaang-y noodle bowl that was fast and filling.

Panaang Curry Noodle Bowl with Fried Tofu, Broccoli, and Peppers

1 - 2 tbsp. Panaang curry paste (to taste and depending on how much spice you like)
1 small can of coconut milk (the ones that are roughly 6 ounces)
1/2 - 1 cup plain soy milk or soy creamer
5 - 15 sprays of Bragg's GF Soy Sauce, to taste
1 cup fresh or frozen broccoli, defrosted
1/2 red bell pepper, sliced
1 small block of fried tofu, chopped into bite-size pieces (OR extra firm tofu, pressed, chopped, and baked if you don't want to use fried tofu)
1/3 package thin rice noodles

Cook noodles as directed on package by placing them in boiling water for 2 - 3 minutes. Strain the noodles, then rinse with cold water and leave them in cold water in the pot so they won't stick. Place the fried tofu on a lined cookie sheet in the oven at about 400 F and bake until the tofu is puffed up and crispy. Remove from oven and set aside. In a small pot, heat the curry paste for about 30 seconds, and then add the small can of coconut milk and soy milk or creamer. Stir to mix well and adjust the taste as desired. Add the Bragg's gluten-free soy sauce to taste. Place the fresh or defrosted broccoli and bell pepper into the sauce and cook over medium heat for about 5 - 10 minutes, until the vegetables are tender. Add more soy milk/creamer if you need more of the curry sauce. Place the desired amount of fried tofu into the pot and stir to mix. Drain the rice noodles and add them to the sauce, stirring to coat. Be sure to add them in portions so you don't add more than what your sauce will coat. Garnish with another dab of coconut milk if desired and serve.

Indian Chicken with Tomatoes and Garam Masala

If you're like me, you looooove curry. Indian food tastes like heaven to me, and I love to cook it at home, because only then do you appreciate the delicacy of the flavor balance in Indian cooking, and how to add the spices in intervals to bring out the full depth of flavor in each one. This is a chicken curry recipe that I got from a Madhur Jaffrey Indian cookbook that was given to me by my college roommates for my birthday years ago. I've adapted it slightly over the years, but the flavors in this one are so good that you don't want to mess with it too much! This is not a very curry-heavy curry; there's no curry powder, so if there's someone you know who is wary of Indian food, just don't call this a curry. The flavors are very distinct, and they make for a chicken dish that can be mild or spicy, depending on your tastes. This originally called for whole peppercorns, but I found that, while the flavor was great with them, they'd make for some rather surprised, and sometimes pained, facial expressions around the dinner table, so I usually just use ground pepper instead. The longer you let it simmer, the better and more flavorful this will be. Delicious and naturally gluten- and dairy-free!

Indian Chicken with Tomatoes and Garam Masala

5 tbsp. vegetable oil
3/4 tsp. cumin seeds (or ground cumin)
1 inch cinnamon stick
6 cardamom pods
2 bay leaves
1/4 tsp. peppercorns or ground pepper
1 medium onion, peeled and finely chopped
6-7 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 inch cube fresh ginger, finely chopped
1 lb fresh tomatoes, finely chopped and peeled
2 - 3 lbs chicken pieces, skinned and chopped into bite-size chunks
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1/8-1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/2 - 1 tsp. garam masala

Heat the oil in a large pot; when hot, put in cumin, cinnamon, cardamom, bay leaves, and peppercorns. Stir once, quickly, and then stir in onions, garlic and ginger. Sauté, stirring, until the onions have brown specks. Then put in the tomatoes, chicken, salt and cayenne pepper, stirring to mix. Bring the whole thing to a boil and cover tightly, reduce heat to low, and simmer 25 min until chicken is tender. If you want a stronger tomato flavor or want to thicken the sauce up, you can add tomato paste. Stir occasionally. Remove cover and turn up heat to medium; add garam masala and stir for 5 minutes to reduce water content. Add more garam masala to taste, if desired. Serve over basmati rice or with Indian bread.

Indian Dal

I made this dal to go along with my Indian potatoes, and after letting it simmer for a good 40 minutes, it turned into just the consistency I wanted: a dense, thick porridge-like stew that was rich in flavor and was the perfect complement to the potatoes. I hope you enjoy!

Indian Dal

1 1/2 tbsp. vegetable oil
1 tsp. black mustard seeds
1 red chile (or 2 if you're feeling the need for some extra spice)
1 tbsp. chopped jalapeno or hot pepper
2 tsp. minced garlic
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1/2 tsp. turmeric
1/2 tsp. salt
1 small onion, chopped
1/2 cup yellow lentils
2 cups gluten-free chicken or vegetable broth (I used Pacific Chicken Broth)
1/2 - 1 tsp. garam masala

Heat the oil in a small skillet over medium-high heat. Add the mustard seeds and the red chile, and continue to heat for about 1 1/2 minutes, until the mustard seeds start to pop. Add the garlic, jalapeno, ginger, and turmeric and continue to heat for another minute. Add the onion and salt, reduce heat, and saute until the onion begins to turn translucent.

Add the yellow lentils to the pot and stir into the onion mixture, and then add 1 cup of the chicken broth. Bring to a boil, add the 1/2 - 1 tsp. garam masala, then cover and simmer until most of the broth has been absorbed. Add the other cup of chicken broth, and do the same: bring to a boil, then reduce heat, cover, and simmer. Feel free to add more garam masala if you would like a stronger flavor (I did!).

Once the lentils begin to get soft (this took about 30 minutes for me), you can remove the lid and let some of the liquid evaporate so it will become thicker and less soupy. Serve with Indian bread, rhoti, or with rice. Or with Indian-spiced potatoes!

Chutney-Topped Tofu Curry Cheesecake

Do NOT let yourself be put off this dish just because the name has the word "tofu" in it. If you like curry, you will love this. If you hate tofu, it doesn't matter because you won't taste any! The flavor is immense, and there is a perfect balance between the curry cheesecake and the delicious ginger mango chutney that is slathered over the top of it. I had to force myself to stop eating it, to be honest, but only because there were other people at the table who wanted some. I cannot emphasize the word "force" enough in that sentence,though! Heidi and Ben did a fabulous job with this appetizer.



Chutney-Topped Tofu Curry Cheesecake

1 cup unsalted raw cashews, finely ground
1 8-oz. package regular or tofu cream cheese (Heidi used Tofutti brand)
1 8-oz. package silken tofu
1 tbsp. cornstarch
1 tbsp. curry powder
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 cup mango chutney

Preheat the oven to 400 F. Lightly oil the inside of a 7-inch spring-form pan. Spread the ground cashews over the bottom of the pan and use your hands to press them into an even layer. Place the pan in the oven until cashew crust is lightly toasted, about 5 minutes. Be careful not to burn the nuts. Remove from oven and set aside.

In a food processor or using a hand mixer, process or beat the cream cheese until smooth. Add the tofu, cornstarch, curry powder, salt, and cayenne, and blend until smooth. Pour the mixture evenly into the prepared pan. Cover with aluminum foil, making several holes in the foil for steam to escape. Place a trivet, rack, or a small heatproof bowl in the bottom of a 6-quart slow cooker. Pour an inch of boiling water into the bottom of the cooker. Place the foil-covered spring-form pan on top of the trivet, cover, and cook on Low for 4 hours.

Take the pan out of the cooker, remove the foil, and let it stand until cool. Once cool, cover and refrigerate for at least several hours or overnight. Let cool completely before removing the pan.

To serve, remove the sides of the pan, using a knife to loosen it if necessary. Spread the top of the cheesecake with the chutney and serve with crackers. We used Hazelnut Nut Thins, but the curry cheesecake is so strongly flavored that it probably does not matter too much what you serve this with.