How to make spicy curry paste
Thai red curry paste
Ingredients:
1/2 cup chopped fresh ginger
1/4 cup chopped red onion
2 tbsp hot chili-garlic sauce
1 tbsp fish sauce
1 tbsp lime zest
1 tbsp lime juice
1 tbsp brown sugar
2 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp cumin
Directions:
1. Whirl all ingredients in a food processor or blender, scraping down sides as needed, until puréed, 1 to 2 min. Use immediately or refrigerate in a jar for up to a month.
Makes 3/4 cup
Per tbsp: 15 calories, 4 g carbs, 130 mg sodium.
Switch it up
Spicy green curry paste: Instead of red onion, use 1 unseeded, chopped jalapeno. Add 1/4 cup each packed fresh basil leaves and cilantro.
Mild & creamy yellow curry paste: Instead of lime zest and juice, use 1 tbsp lemon juice and 2 tsp lemon zest. Add 3/4 tsp turmeric.
Hot & sour curry paste: Combine 2 tbsp green curry with 1 tbsp yellow curry and 1 tsp vegetable oil.
Two ways to use it
Spicy Thai fish
Heat a large frying pan over medium-high. Add 1 tbsp vegetable oil. Sprinkle 2 firm fish fillets (such as tilapia) with 1/8 tsp salt. Add fish to hot pan. Cook until a knife inserted into the thickest part of fish and held for 10 sec comes out warm, 3 to 5 min per side. Transfer to plates. Reduce heat to medium. Add 1 tsp vegetable oil, 1/2 cup finely chopped red pepper, 2 tbsp Thai red curry paste (recipe on previous page) and 1 to 2 tbsp coconut milk. Cook until pepper is soft, 2 to 3 min. Spoon sauce over fish. Serves 2.
Curried chicken noodles
Soak 200 g medium rice noodles in boiling water for 8 min, stirring occasionally, until soft. Drain and set aside. Heat a large non-stick frying pan over medium-high. Add 1 tbsp vegetable oil, 1 sliced onion, 2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts, sliced into thin strips, and 1 julienned Japanese eggplant. Sauté 5 min. Add 1/3 cup green or yellow curry paste (recipe on previous page), 398-mL can coconut milk, 2 tbsp natural peanut butter, 1 tbsp fish sauce, 2 cups broccoli florets and 1/2 sliced red pepper. Cook until broccoli is tender-crisp, 3 to 5 more min. Stir in noodles until warmed through. Serves 6.
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