Got Curried Away

A few weeks ago, as Mr. K and I were moving me from Illinois to California, we stopped at a restaurant in Vegas, Red 8.

While Mr. K ordered the amazing BBQ Platter,

I opted for the Vegetable and Tofu Curry. 

The curry was one of the best Thai curries I had ever had, and its flavors and tastes still reminisce in my taste buds and my mind.  The richness, the diversity of flavors coming together.  It was heaven.

As such, I’ve been determined ever since to recreate this curry, but in my own way.  The only reason I haven’t made it yet: I’ve never made a curry before.  And, although I’ve been told its fairly hard to mess up, I’ve been hesitant – not wanting to ruin my perfect perception of how amazing curry can be.

So what did I do?  I started googling recipes looking for one that had similar ingredients to the one I tried at Red 8.  And I found a Thai & Vegetable Curry Recipe at Food and Wine.  But, not being one to follow a recipe out of a book, and not particularly enjoying potatoes in my curries or soups, I made a few enhancements, as I like to put it.

What I ended up with was Broccoli, Eggplant & Snow Pea Curry.

Start by sautéing sliced onion in olive oil in a Dutch oven.

Then, after the onion was soft, add the curry paste and fried for a minute.

Then add the coconut milk & vegetable broth, and bring it to a boil.

Once boiling, add the soy sauce, brown sugar, salt, bamboo shoots, eggplant, snow peas, and broccoli.

Then, reduce the heat and simmer, partially covered, for about 10 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender.

Then, stir in the tomato and cook for about 2 minutes. Then, remove from the heat and add the lime juice and basil.

Serve over rice, and enjoy.

The verdict?!  Incredible and I will definitely make it again.  I will, however make the following changes: Only add the amount of coconut milk — I accidently added almost 2 full cans, which caused the curry to be a little too soupy.  I also would use a little more spices and curry paste than the recipe called for.  Although, I really love lots of flavor and spice to my dishes.

Broccoli, Eggplant & Snow Pea Curry

1. 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
2. 1 onion, thinly sliced
3. 1 1/2 teaspoons Thai green curry paste
4. 1 2/3 cups canned unsweetened coconut milk
5. 1 cup canned low-sodium homemade stock
6. 1 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce
7. 1 teaspoon brown sugar
8. 1 teaspoon salt
9. 1/3 cup drained canned bamboo shoots
10. 1 eggplant, cubed
11. 2-3 handfuls of snow peas
12. 1 pound broccoli, cut into small florets
13. 1 tomato, chopped
14. 1 1/2 teaspoons lime juice
15. 1/3 cup thin-sliced basil leaves

In a Dutch oven, heat the oil over moderate heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until starting to soften, about 3 minutes. Stir in the curry paste and fry, stirring, for 1 minute.

Add the coconut milk and broth and bring to a boil. Stir in the soy sauce, brown sugar, salt, bamboo shoots, eggplant, snow peas broccoli. Reduce the heat and simmer, partially covered for about 10 minutes, or until vegetables are tender.

Stir in the tomato and heat through for about 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and add the lime juice and basil.

I hope you enjoy this as much as I did – and it really proves that making your own curry actually isn’t all that hard.  Feel free to also substitute in or add other vegetables, potatoes or tofu!

What is your favorite kind of curry?  I love a good green curry.  Nothing usually hits the spot like a green curry.  Though, there are some good red curries out there.  The curry I had from Red 8 was a green curry, and definitely one of the better ones that I’ve ever had.