Thai Pot Luck Dinner - Saturday, December 3rd

The Thai pot luck dinner was hosted by Shawna Meiser. A vegetarian Massaman curry was made with fried tofu (recipe within blog). We experimented with lemongrass in Fragrant Chicken Curry accompanied with Thai Cucumber Salad with Roasted Peanuts. Vegetarian and shrimp spring rolls were enjoyed and served with various dipping sauces. Everything was delicious and people stayed long afterwards to enjoy each others company and help themselves to second plus servings. The evening ended with tea and coffee and a wonderful selection of holiday cookies along with mango and raspberry sorbet. The tart and sweet flavors of the Thai ingredients definitely took the chill off of a December evening in central PA. Gewürztraminer was a perfect choice to compliment the spiciness and richness of each curry.

Thai Cucumber Salad with Roasted Peanuts

Ingredients:

1/4 cup fresh lime juice

1 1/2 tablespoons fish sauce (nam pla)

1 1/2 tablespoons sugar

1 1/2 tablespoons minced seeded jalapeño chili (about 1 large)

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 1/2 English hothouse cucumbers, halved, seeded, thinly sliced

3/4 cup sliced red onion

3 tablespoons chopped fresh mint

3 tablespoons coarsely chopped lightly salted roasted peanuts

Procedure:

Whisk first 5 ingredients in medium bowl. Place cucumbers, onion, and mint in large bowl. Add dressing and toss to coat. Season salad to taste with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with roasted peanuts and serve.

Fragrant Chicken Curry

This dish is perfect for a party as the chicken and sauce can be prepared in advance and combined and heated at the last minute when required. Some people prefer the sauce to be thicker. To do that, you can just stir in a little more creamed coconut after adding the chicken.


Serves 4

Ingredients:

3 T. canola oil
1 onion, coarsely chopped
1 t. Thai red curry paste
4 C. coconut milk, unsweetened
2 lemon grass stalks, coarsely chopped
6 kaffir lime leaves, chopped
2/3 cup Greek style plain yogurt
2 T. apricot jam
1 cooked chicken
2 T. chopped fresh coriander (cilantro)
salt and ground black pepper
kaffir lime leaves, shredded, toasted coconut, and fresh cilantro to garnish
jasmine or basmati rice to serve

Procedure:

Heat the oil in a large pan. Add the onion and garlic and cook over a low heat for 5-10 minutes until soft. Stir in the red curry paste. Cook, stirring constantly, for 2-3 minutes. Stir in the coconut milk, then add the lemon grass, lime leaves, yogurt and apricot jam. Stir well. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes.

Remove the pan from the heat and leave to cool slightly. Transfer the sauce to a food processor or blender and process to a smooth puree, then strain it back into the rinsed-out pan, pressing as much of the pureed mixture as possible through the sieve with the back of a wooden spoon. Set aside while you prepare the chicken.

Remove the skin from the chicken, slice the meat off the bones and cut it into bite size pieces. Add to the sauce.

Bring the sauce back to simmering point. Stir in the fresh coriander and season with salt and pepper. Garnish with extra lime leaves, shredded coconut and cilantro. Serve with jasmine or basmati rice.