Sweet Potato Red Curry

In this country I don't think we eat curried dishes very often.  I know I certainly didn't until we moved to Europe.  While I was living in Vienna (Austria not Virginia :) I found a tiny place that just served a couple of curries and maybe 3 soups.  They had a few salads as well I think.  It was pretty cheap- about 5-7 Euro a dish.  An hour before they closed though it was a steal as they lowered the price to 3.50 Euro on all dishes to get rid of what was left over!  It was a very simple and clean concept.  You walked up to a counter and ordered say a Chicken Red Curry, they used a deep bowl scooped some rice into the bottom and ladled some curry on top.  Then they asked you if you wanted Coriander or Petersile (cilantro or parsley).  They passed it to you on a tray with a cup and some flatware.  There was a water cooler in the corner for you to help yourself to.  You then sat at a choice of one big communal table or a small bar along the wall.  When you were finished you bussed your tray to the racks at the back.  Done deal.  Simple, Fresh and Yummy.


Since eating there was at least a once a week thing for us I learned to make my own red curries which are really my favorite.  I try to keep them as light and healthy as I can by not adding cream to thicken this yummy stew.



The recipe goes a little like this but you can add in whatever you like.. sort of like cleaning out the fridge or pantry :)

Finely chopped Onion
a couple of chopped garlic cloves
some celery finely chopped
some carrots 
mushrooms
and about 1-2 sweet potatoes, peeled and diced
1 can of coconut milk
1 tablespoon of red curry paste (this can be hot so use more if you like it spicy)
Cilantro/Lime
Frozen Peas
Protein of your choice!


Start by heating up a little oil in your saucepan... make sure you use a pan that you would make a soup in.  Soften up the veggies but don't get any color on them.  Add in (to your taste) the curry paste.  Saute that all together.  Then I add some chicken stock to almost covering the veggies.  Add in the coconut milk and season with s&p.  Cover it and turn down the heat to a simmer once it has initally come to a boil.  Let this go until the veggies are tender and the sweet potato is breaking up.  The reason I add sweet potato to this dish is to thicken it without adding cream.  It works really well in this dish.  Sometimes I use a large spoon to mash up the sweet potato pieces in the pot and sort of stir it all around.  Once this is to the consistency you want- (I like it a little thick) you can take the lid off at any point to help reduce the sauce.  Only at the end do I add the protein.  I like either chicken or tofu in mine.  Then I add the frozen peas as well and I finish cooking it just until the peas are tender but still green and the protein is just cooked through.  Finish it off with chopped cilantro and a squeeze of lime.  


You can most certainly add a little fish sauce or soy sauce to this dish, it will give you a deeper depth of flavor.  Let your creativity take over as well... you can change this to suit your tastes as well as what is in your fridge.  I always do serve this with rice, I especially love Jasmine or Basmati.