curry – Sheikah Plate

For my very first Thankful post in 2019 I wanted to write about someone who has been very dear to me ever since I started my blog. Kim at Later Levels was one of the first people to follow, comment on, and give advice about my blog. She is one of the most supportive and kind people I have had contact with in recent years. Her dedication to staying positive in the confusing and sometimes toxic world of gaming is an inspiration. She regularly volunteers her time and runs charity streams on Twitch to support good causes (like Game Blast). And her creation and maintenance of a wonderfully accepting community within gaming bloggers has been extraordinary.

But more recently, Kim has become a real friend. I don’t have many friends who want to sit around and talk about gaming, even fewer who are women. But I have one in Kim. And we can not only chat about games, but we talk about baking, politics, culture, and understanding the different lives we lead across a wide ocean. And that is why she’s getting a highlight this month! If you don’t already follow her blog, make sure you go check it out. You’ll probably find something worth reading within a few minutes.

Kim’s Thai Red Curry

When I asked Kim what her favorite food was, something she could eat forever, of course she would pick something I’ve never even had in a restaurant, let along something I’ve never made. So with all my guessing, scouring the web for the similarities between recipes, and begging Mr. Sheikah Plate to tell me EXACTLY what he thought, this could be the first recipe I’m 100% unsure of. So Kim/anyone else, if you give this a go – please let me know how it tastes and if it’s even remotely similar to a Thai Red Curry.

If it happens to be right, the logistics of this recipe are pretty simple. Start by getting the rice going. This recipe doesn’t actually take that long, so we want the rice to be done when we finish! Simply rinse the rice (as we’ve done MANY times before!), add water to the first knuckle of your finger when it rests on top of the rice, and turn on the rice cooker. I promise guys, one day I’ll make rice in a pot for those of you without a rice cooker… I’m just not brave enough!

Then move on to the chopping by dicing the peppers and broccoli into bite-size pieces. Then slice the green onions into 1/4 inch pieces, much smaller than we usually do. Mince the garlic and ginger (if you’re using fresh garlic and ginger). You can then use the same cutting board to dice the chicken. Now, for food safety, it’s very important that you do the chicken last. Otherwise you should dice the chicken, wash the cutting board and knife, and then cut the veggies. We don’t to cross contaminate anything.

Heat some oil into a heavy bottom pot/dutch oven on medium. When the oil is nice and hot add the chicken. Cook the chicken until there’s no more pink showing on the outside, about 3 minutes. The inside, however, should still be raw. Add all the salt and pepper and stir it around a bit. Then add the garlic, ginger, half the green onions, and red curry powder or paste. Stir that around until everything is coated in the seasonings.

Add the coconut milk. Sometimes coconut milk separates in the can and you may need to whisk it together in a separate bowl to get it combined first. Stir the chicken, soy sauce, and coconut milk until combined. Then bring it to a nice simmer and turn down the heat slightly so it’s just barely simmering. Allow to simmer for about 10-15 minutes.

At this point add all the veggies and stir them around until everything is coated. Bring back up to a simmer and allow to cook for 3-5 minutes more, or until everything is soft and the chicken is cooked through.

Add the remaining green onions and, if desired, lime juice at this point and stir briefly. Serve over (or next to) rice!

Kim's Thai Red Curry

Servings: 5
Time: 1 hour
Difficulty: moderately easy
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A spicy, savory Thai Red Curry sauce with rice

Ingredients

2 large chicken breasts (about 1.5 pounds)
1 bunch green onions
1 red bell pepper
1 green bell pepper
1 large crown of broccoli
1 teaspoon fresh ginger (or 1/2 teaspoon dried ginger)
1 teaspoon fresh garlic (or 1/2 teaspoon dried garlic)
2-3 tablespoons red curry powder (2 for mild, 3 for medium) or 3 tablespoons red curry paste
1 tablespoon kosher salt (or more to taste)
1 teaspoon black pepper (or more to taste)
1.5 cans full-fat coconut milk
1.5 tablespoons vegetable or canola oil
2.5 cups rice
enough water to rinse and cover the rice

Directions

Rinse the rice several times, add water up to your first knuckle of your finger when it rests on top of the rice, and press start on your rice cooker. Or cook according the manufacturer’s directions.
Dice the red and green peppers into bite-size pieces. Chop the broccoli into small pieces, with most of the stalk removed.
Slice the green onions into 1/4 inch pieces.
Mince the fresh garlic and ginger.
Dice the chicken into 1 inch pieces.
Heat the oil in a heavy bottom pot or dutch oven on medium.
When the oil is hot add the chicken and cook until there’s no more pink showing on the outside, about 3 minutes. The inside should still be raw.
Add all the salt and pepper and stir to coat the chicken.
Add the garlic, ginger, half the green onions, and red curry powder or paste. Stir until everything is coated in the seasonings.
Add all the coconut milk, which may need to be whisked to combine in a separate bowl.
Stir the chicken, soy sauce, and coconut milk until combined. Bring to a simmer and turn down the heat slightly so it’s just barely simmering. Allow to simmer for about 10-15 minutes.
Add all the vegetables and stir until combined. Bring back up to a simmer and allow to cook for 3-5 minutes more, or until everything is soft and the chicken is cooked through
Add the remaining green onions and lime juice and stir briefly. Serve over rice!

Guys, there’s no such thing as Monster Extract. We all know this. It’s severely disappointing, but it’s true. So, after much deliberation, I decided that Monster Extract was simply going to be unusual ingredients thrown into regular meals that either A) dye the food a more purple color or B) add a unique/unexpected purple food to the meal. The goal is to actually do both. And while some recipes will require the use of food coloring to achieve the right effect, this one, I am proud to say, does not! Now, to make that happen, this meal isn’t quite as purple as I wish it could have been. But we make do…

Monster Curry

We need to start with the chicken and the marinade. This allows the spices to mix together for long enough that the marinade takes on the flavor of the spices and they don’t taste quite so raw and it also allows the chicken to soak up the flavor of the marinade. It’s like… giving the chicken the Zora Tunic – all of a sudden Link takes on the characteristics of the Zora and can breathe underwater. Thank goodness.

So cut up the thigh meat (technically you can use breast, too, but thigh tends to retain moisture better) into 1/2 inch cubes. Doesn’t have to be perfect, we just want them similar in shape so they cook at the same time. Then peel and cut the garlic and fresh ginger.

Next we add all the spices, the tomato paste, and the yogurt to a blender (or food processor if you’re cool like that). Blend until completely combined. You may have to stop occasionally, even in a high-powered blender like a Vitamix, and shake and scrape everything around to make sure the garlic and ginger get thoroughly chopped.

Add the spice mixture to a bowl with the chicken and stir to completely coat the chicken. Cover and let it marinate in the fridge for at least 1 hour, preferably 2.

When the chicken is nearly done marinating let’s take the onion, carrot, and beets, wash them, and dice them. A word of caution – if you cut the beets into large or thick pieces they will take FOREVER to cook. Don’t make my mistakes, cut them up nice and skinny.

Start the rice about the time you’re ready to start cooking. We’ve gone over this – add rice, wash rice, add water, press start. You guys are experts by this point!

When you’re done dicing and slicing, take the chicken out of the fridge to warm up a bit. Add half the butter and oil to a pan – I prefer my good, old-fashioned cast iron pans. I’m kind of obsessed with them… When the butter is melted add the onion and cook for maybe 1-2 minutes. Next add the carrots and beets and cook until they’re tender, about 10 minutes.

Remove the veggies from the pan and add the remaining butter and oil. When the butter is, you got it, melted, add the chicken and all the marinade. It feels like a lot. It feels thick and goopy. It feels weird. But trust me, it all works out in the end.

Cook until the chicken is completely cooked through. Depending on the size of your chicken pieces it should take about 10 minutes. Just make sure there’s no pink in the middle of a piece if you cut it open, okay? Add back all the veggies and stir and cook for another 3-5 minutes, until everything is nice and combined.

At this point, add your heavy cream. Stir and mix until it’s completely combined and then simmer for about 15 minutes. We want to give the flavors time to combine and we want to give the curry time to change colors from yellow to… a more purplish yellow… It’s all I could do, folks.

Serve with the rice and be happy!

Link’s Monster Curry recipe:

- Hylian Rice
- Goron Spice
- Monster Extract

Monster Curry

Servings: 5
Time: 1.5 hours, plus 2 hour marinade
Difficulty: moderately easy
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A chicken korma curry with beets and carrots

Recipe adapted from Indian Chicken Korma by Sabrina from Dinner Then Dessert

Ingredients

8 chicken thighs boneless and skinless
5 medium carrots
8-10 beets
1 medium yellow onion
2 tablespoons cooking oil i.e. canola
6 tablespoons butter
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
2.5 cups dry rice
water to cook rice

Marinade

3 tablespoons tomato paste
1.5 tablespoon-sized piece of fresh ginger, peeled
3 large garlic cloves
1.5 tablespoon garam masala
1/3 teaspoon crushed red pepper (or more for a spicier meal)
3/4 teaspoon paprika
1.5 teaspoon ground cardamom
1 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 cup almonds
1 1/4 cup greek yogurt

Directions

Cut up the chicken thighs into 1/2 inch cubes.
Add all the spices, tomato paste, and yogurt to a blender or food processor.
Add the spice mixture to a bowl with the chicken and stir to completely coat the chicken. Cover and let it marinate in the fridge for at least 1-2 hours.
Wash and dice the onion, carrot, and beets. Dice the beets into thin, bite-size pieces in order to shorten cooking times.
Start the rice when you’re ready to start cooking. Rinse the rice several times, add water up to your first knuckle of your finger when it rests on top of the rice, and press start on your rice cooker.
Take the chicken out of the fridge to warm up while you cook the vegetables.
Add half the butter and oil to a pan. When the butter is melted add the onion and cook for 1-2 minutes. Add the carrots and beets and cook until they’re tender, about 10 minutes.
Remove the veggies from the pan.
Add the remaining butter and oil. When the butter is melted add the chicken and all the marinade.
Cook until the chicken is completely cooked through, ensuring there is no pink in the center of the chicken – about 10 minutes.
Add back all the veggies and stir and cook for another 3-5 minutes, until everything is combined.
Add the heavy cream. Stir and mix until it’s completely combined and then simmer for about 15 minutes.
Serve with the rice and be happy!