What We Ate For Dinner Last Night— A Curry Situation
Willow woke up at 3:30 am today. With some cuddles and a small bottle, she was right back to sleep. I, however, was not. I thought about putting my show on, The Gilmore Girls, to distract myself just enough that my brain may give in and let me fall back to sleep, but somehow over the past couple weeks I now find this show… captivating? If you watch my stories on IG, you’ll know that I find every character in the show, starting with Lorelei, to be insufferable. Okay, maybe insufferable is a little harsh, how about annoying? Or undeniably cringe? Either way, I’m invested. Do I enjoy it? No. Do I need to know what happens? Yes. Do I still find myself every single episode whispering under my breath “God, grow up Lorelei”? 100000000% yes.
Anyways, instead of watching The Gilmore Girls, I decided at 4:40 am to write up the recipe from our dinner last night. It was awesome— clean ingredients, simple, and delicious.
When I cook, I tend to be a loose cannon. That’s why you may notice the carrot chunk in the photo, is huge. It’s definitely not 1/2-1 inch in size as our recipe calls for. But that’s okay. It still tasted GREAT. There’s a time and place for elegance, precision, and finesse, but a Thursday night dinner with a one year old getting into god knows what is not the place. I like a recipe that has some wiggle room, so to speak.
Last night’s dinner was a curry situation. Kind of a mix between Indian and Thai style, but it was a harmonious ensemble of spices, and layers of flavor that was perfect on a cool, rainy first day of fall. It may not have been true to its roots, and definitely made Gavin’s left eye twitch when I told him about it, but that’s what I had in the fridge/cabinet.
I marinated the chicken in a yogurt curry marinade, while the spices of the sauce are Thai— starting with our Thai Curry COCO bomb as the base layer of flavor.
There are many types of curry, from all across the world, and IMO they’re all good. Curry has a way of warming your body to the bones and leaving you both nourished and satisfied. Is there anything better than a saucy dish served over rice? I don’t think so, my friends.
Last Night's Curry Dinner
Ingredients
- 1- 1.5 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs
- ½ C yogurt
- 1 T olive oil
- 1 T Curry powder
- 1 TSP cumin
- ½ TSP allspice
- 1 fat garlic clove minced
- Salt and pepper to season
- ½ lb carrots
- ½ lb potatoes (gold or fingerling work best)
- Salt and pepper to season
- 1 medium yellow onion, sliced thin (optional)
- 1 red bell pepper, sliced thin (optional)
- 3 Thai Curry COCO Bombs
- 2T coconut oil, olive oil, or butter
- ¼ cup yellow Thai curry paste
- 2 cans (28 ounces) coconut milk
- 1 cup h2o
- Jasmine or brown rice
- Fresh cilantro, fresh jalapeno, and fresh scallions for serving (optional).
- If you want to thicken your sauce you will need equal parts (1/2 c each) cornstarch and water, whisked together into a slurry (optional).
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400ºF.
- In a large bowl, combine ½ C yogurt, 1 T olive oil, 1 T Curry powder, 1 TSP cumin, ½ TSP allspice, and 1 fat garlic clove minced. Add chicken and coat evenly. Allow to marinate for one hour (or more) before cooking.
- Chop your carrots and potatoes into ½ - 1” chunks, and toss in a bowl with some olive or coconut oil, salt, and pepper.
- Lay out onto a sheet tray lined with parchment paper, and bake for 12-15 minutes at 400ºF until tender, but not mushy.
- Arrange the chicken thighs in an evenly spaced single layer on a sheet tray, preferably with a roasting rack. Season with salt and pepper. Roast for 10-12 minutes, until the chicken is fully cooked and has some nice color.
- While your chicken and veggies roast, melt your COCO bombs on medium heat in a large pot. Add the 2T of cooking fat as well.
- Once fragrant and hot, add your onion and bell pepper, and cook until tender, about 4 minutes. These ingredients are optional, as they won’t add much to the flavor of the curry. They do, however, add a nice textural contrast and body to the finished dish.
- Season the sauce with salt and pepper.
- Add ¼ C curry paste, and mix well and fry it out. (Frying out the curry paste allows it to saturate the COCO bombs and coconut oil, delivering flavor throughout all that good fat. BON FAT.)
- Once fragrant and aromatic, add the coconut milk and water, and bring to a simmer. Season with salt and pepper.
- When chicken and veggies are done, chop your chicken thighs into similarly sized pieces as the veggies, and add both to the simmering curry sauce. Simmer for 10 mins (or longer) and give it a final taste for seasoning.
- If you’re happy with the consistency, you can be done at this point! It will be more of a chunky curry soup, but that’s totally fine if it’s what you’re feeling. Just make sure to taste for seasoning and adjust as necessary.
- To thicken a sauce with a slurry is very simple. Make sure your sauce is simmering, and slowly add your slurry, about a tablespoon at a time. Mix well. You should see it thicken up after adding about 3 tablespoons, but feel free to add more if you want it super thick. Just keep in mind that too much slurry can make things rather gluey.
- You’re all done! You’ve got some thick curry (or maybe not, who knows?), and you’re ready to dive right into that pot! Plate up your curry with a ladle over a bed of fluffy rice, grains, or noodles, and top with fresh cilantro, scallions, and jalapenos. Enjoy!
Notes
-Marinating the chicken is optional! You can absolutely just roast your chicken in the oven with olive oil and salt + pepper!
-Once your sauce is done, if you let it simmer for too long the veggies will get softer.
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48 degree morning, 60 degree night, we are making this now – it’s what’s for din din. oxoxoxoxoxo
Yes!! Fall is here and I’m ready for it— the weather, the leaves, and the fooooood 🙂