Coconut Chicken Curry

SCRAPS #38: a delicious, comforting Thai-inspired dish

A comforting, easy to make, Thai-inspired coconut chicken curry: we’ve got creamy coconut milk, chicken, lots of spices and crispy, sticky rice. If you want to keep this vegetarian or vegan, use butter beans, chickpeas, potatoes or cubed tofu instead of the chicken, it’s going to be just as flavorful and comforting. I added a bunch of substitutions below the ingredients, but if you have any additional questions, feel free to leave them in the comments below.

Hope you enjoy!

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In other news, I will be hosting a

live online cooking class for paid subscribers

on SUNDAY, MARCH 26

I wanted to give everyone a heads up that I will be putting on the first of my cooking classes later this month, tentatively on March 26th. There’s no separate fee for the class if you’re a paid subscriber. I will have two classes that day to fit more people’s schedules and different time zones. The time and what we’re cooking will be ironed out in the coming weeks. I will keep everyone posted with the details as they come about. Now if you can’t make it to this class, don’t worry, I’ll be hosting more of them in the future.

And if you want to join the class, subscribe here to receive the invitation in the upcoming weeks:

Best,

Carolina

xx

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RECIPE

Makes: 4 servings

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 40 minutes

Printable recipe here:

Coconut Chicken Curry

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INGREDIENTS

CHICKEN CURRY

• 1 to 1.5 pounds (450 to 700 g) chicken breast or chicken thighs (about 4 to 6), cubed into 1-inch (2.5-cm cubes)

• 2 shallots, finely sliced

• 2 jalapeños or 1 red or yellow bell pepper, finely chopped

• 1 knob ginger, finely chopped

• 5 garlic cloves, finely chopped

• 2 teaspoons tomato paste

• 1 teaspoon coriander seeds

• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds

• 1 teaspoon curry powder

• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground turmeric

• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper, optional

• 6 kaffir lime leaves or 2 teaspoons lime zest (about the zest of one lime)

• 2 tablespoons cornstarch

• 13.5 fl oz (400 ml) coconut milk

• 13.5 fl oz (400 ml) water

• Neutral oil for sautéing

• Kosher salt

• Cilantro and lime, for serving

RICE

• 1 cup basmati rice

• 2 cups water

• 3 cardamom pods

• 2 teaspoons cumin seeds

• Neutral oil for frying

• Kosher salt

SUBSTITUTIONS FOR:

• chicken: cubed tofu, butter beans, chickpeas or cubed potatoes;

  • if skipping the chicken, start the recipe from step 2, where you’re searing all the aromatics in the pan, then add the chicken replacement at step 5

• shallots: one medium yellow onion;

• garlic: 2 teaspoons garlic powder;

• tomato paste: 1/2 cup canned tomatoes or a handful of cherry tomatoes;

• kaffir lime leaves: 2 teaspoons lime or lemon zest (about the zest of one lime);

• cornstarch: 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour;

• coconut milk: anything creamy, from half and half, to heavy cream, to creamy non-dairy milks.

INSTRUCTIONS

Step 1

Heat 3 tablespoons of neutral oil in a 3-qt pot over medium heat. Add the cubed chicken and season with a big pinch of salt. The chicken will boil first, then start searing in oil once most of the water has evaporated. Toss the chicken using a wooden spoon every once in a while and sear on each side.

Step 2

Once most of the cooked chicken is seared and golden brown, push it to the side, add another tablespoon of oil in the pot. Add the pepper, shallot and ginger and sauté for 3 to 4 minutes, until softened. 

Step 3

You’ll notice lots of flavor developing at the bottom of the pan. To prevent those flavorful bits from burning, lower the heat as needed or add a splash of water to the pan to deglaze.

Step 4

Mix the spices and tomato paste with the shallots, ginger, peppers, chicken and cook for 2 to 3 more minutes, until the tomato paste is darker and color and the spices are fragrant. 

Step 5

Add the garlic and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, until fragrant then add the coconut milk to the pot. Fill up the empty can of coconut milk with water and add that to the pan. Add in the lime leaves, or lime zest.  Partially cover the pot with a lid and simmer for 20 minutes. 

Step  6

After 20 minutes of simmering, combine the cornstarch and water in a small bowl. Pour the mixture in the simmering curry. The curry should thicken in no time. 

Step 7

In the meantime, prepare the rice. You can cook the rice anyway you want to, but here’s what I do: I overcook the rice until a clumpy and sticky, then fry it until all those clumps get nice and crispy. You’ll end up with a really fun texture combo, the rice is slightly sticky, crunchy, and absorbs the stew so well. 

Add the rice to a small saucepan or pan. Cover with water then run your fingers through the rice. We’re trying to wash off most of the starch. Pour the starchy water out (while keeping the rice in the pot), and repeat this step 3 to 4 more times, until the water you pour off the rice looks clear. 

Step 8 

Once you’re left with the washed rice in the pot, add 2 cups of water, a pinch of salt, 3 cardamom pods and 2 teaspoons cumin seeds. Cover with a lid and place the pot over medium heat. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 15 to 18 minutes. Keep an eye on it, the liquid might overflow. Remove the pot off the heat and keep the lid on. Allow the rice to steam for the next 10 to 12 minutes. 

Step 9

Add drizzle of neutral oil to a nonstick pan. Add the rice and evenly spread it across the pan. Sear for 6 to 8 minutes. Flip and sear for another 5 to 7 minutes.

Step 10

Plate everything together. Top it off with cilantro and a drizzle of lime juice.  

OTHER GOOD STUFF TO COOK UP

While my website with hundreds of recipes is getting some work done, you can find my previous SCRAPS recipes posted here:

Got leftover soup from last night’s dinner? Make a breakfast soup bowl! It’s comforting, warm and absolutely delicious: we’ve got crispy turkey bacon, fried garlic toast, scallion and a crunchy fried egg.

Creamy, silky no-bake cheesecake topped with candied sour kumquats, beautiful, simple, and so, so delicious.