ROOTS & WINGS

2. Red Thai Curry

This was literally a Christmas present! Hm, still stuck there, eh? But the next 9.5 months till Advent/Christmastime (and kitschy, magical movies, seasonal Yums, markets, decorations, etc.) are still SO long.

But enough wistfulness for now.

I got this dish in a beautiful, traditional-looking wicker-like bag from my Aunt Mo(nika). Actually, she's my late Mom's fave cousin and therefore not... AUNT Mo, basta!

I think it's a "return" as I – since the Corona lockdowns – sent out handmade, eatable Christmas presents to my remaining family and friends scattered across Germany.

Actually, I'm tempted to try out curries but I'm a real wuss when it comes to hot and spicy. And this baby burned my tastebuds quite a bit, BUT: the burn came with the reward of GREAT Yum, too.

So off to the Wacky Kitchen for some Hot Yum!




Serves: 4

Prep Time: 45 minutes Recipe.; 1 hr+ Me.

Degree of Difficulty: Intermediate




WE NEED


IN THE BOX

25 gr / 1 oz. red curry paste
400 gr / 0.9 lb. jasmine rice
400 ml / 13.5 US fl.oz. coconut milk
30 ml / 1 US fl.oz. fish sauce
12 ml / 0.4 US fl.oz. soy sauce That was a bit TOO little. I had to add about 1.5 oz. to decently marinate the meat.
60 gr / 2 oz. palm (date) sugar
6 gr / 0.2 oz. dried herb mix



FRESH INGREDIENTS

460 (400) gr / 1 (0,9) lb. duck breast That was out, so it was (sliced) filet, which was a bit more in quantity than the needed 400 gr / 0.9 lb.. Therefore also the extra need for soy sauce to marinate. See

300 (340) gr / 10.6 (12) oz. Ananas 340 gr / 12 oz. was the smallest available size.
100 gr / 3.5 oz. cherry tomatoes

2 (4) tsp sugar Brown sugar here. Didn't want to buy new white one. Mixed with the soy sauce to marinate the meat. More sauce = more sugar

1 tsp Salt




WE DO


1. PREP THE RICE.


BUT: Before actually cooking it, put it in the pot and wash it. For that you graciously put water on top and perturb the water by moving your hand through it. The water will become whitish opaque. CAREFULLY drain it – the rice shall stay in the pot; then repeat.

THIS is something I learned about rice SPECIFICALLY by prepping THIS dish It's because the soil on which rice is grown can be heavy on – natural! – ARSENIC So if you want a SAFE food, you gotta rinse it. THAT way also excess starch is removed which would make the rice mushy / gooey. Don't do it more than twice, though, as the rice has to be cooked yet.


After the washing, fill 1.5 times water on top of the rice, put the lid on the pot and bring it to the boil. Then reduce the temperature to middle heat, cook for 23 minutes, pull the pot from the heat, and let it rest for another 10 minutes. NEVER remove the lid. No idea why... I was tempted often, fearing it might burn into the pot's base. It didn't, thank God, as burned rice / pasta / etc. is a REAL B– to remove from pots and pans.




2. PREP THE MEAT.


a) Make the Marinade: for that you MIX 12 ml / 0.4 US fl.oz. soy sauce and 2 tsp (brown) sugar. Shall you need more, try to stick roughly to the ratio. I, for example, needed roughly triple sauce (but took a little less sugar overall).


b) Preheat the oven to 230°C / 450°F. I only heated the oven to 210°C / 410°F because I put the meat on baking paper that burns at 220°C / 430°F


For the Meat, you have TWO options.


I DID: thoroughly coat the duck breast / filet strips with the marinade and place it on a baking sheet lined with baking paper. See above.

Bake it for 13 minutes. Cooking time can vary, depending on size + thickness of the meat. It shall still be slightly pinkish inside. This refers to duck breast For the duck filets probably 5-10 minutes would've done. Mine were done, but no shoe soles (in case that helps).


OR: you shall have like 45 minutes extra time


Cut the duck breast's skin in a rhombic pattern and baste it with salt water. (No further explanation in the recipe, sorry.) Then marinate it with the soy-sugar-mix. Without adding oil, fry the meat on the skin side, then turn and fry it for another 2 minutes. At 80°C / 180°F top/bottom heat OR 60°C / 140°F fan/convection, bake the meat for 35-45 minutes in the oven. At last, put it under the grill for 4 minutes on highest level (of the grill function, I suppose.



IN THE MEANTIME – while meat and rice are "taken care of – I DID:


3. Remove the ananas slices from the tin, drain them and cut them into bite-sized pieces. Select the cherry tomatoes. They should be the smallest of the bunch, so you don't have to chop them. => potential Sauerei


4. If you did the EASY variation, remove the meat from the oven. Give it some rest, then cut it into bite-sized pieces. For the "longer" variation, you can take more time, I suppose.


5. For the curry SAUCE, you roast the red curry paste briefly in a little oil – so the aroma develops more fully; I used 1 tsp Canola oil. – then add the coconut milk + dried herb mix. The latter must be removed before serving as they're not eaten.

6. Bring the curry sauce to the boil and stir in meat + ananas. Then bring to the boil once more and stir in fish sauce + palm sugar. Bring to the boil a last time and stir in cherry tomatoes + salt.



Oh. My. Gawd! That we REALLY live to see it, guys, BUT: we're FINISHED. It's SERVING time!



8. Add half rice and half curry to the plate / bowl.



GUTEN HUNGER!