If you like the flavors of Thai food but can’t be bothered to drive somewhere then this recipe is for you; it’s quick, easy and healthy. You can also make it with tofu but be aware that ‘Nam Pla’ aka Thai fish sauce which is a necessary ingredient contains… fish; anchovies in fact. Unsuitable for strict vegetarians.

I’m also bit averse to farmed shrimp from Thailand. You’d think it would be a perfect match and it probably tastes that way but until there are guarantees that farmed Thai shrimp are raised in clean, drug free and happy-shrimp-friendly environments, I’ll be avoiding farmed shrimp from overseas like the plague. If you buy raw shrimp it will usually say where it came from on the packaging in tiny print, so caveat emptor!

I use organic chicken. Or wild shrimp (an aside; seeing shrimp labeled ‘wild caught’ is confounding as I’d thought they all were but then did you know most of the shrimp we eat comes from farms these days?)…or I’ll use extra firm tofu that hasn’t been GMO’d – i.e. genetically modified such as being merged with shrimp DNA so that it keeps longer in water, etc. Okay I just made that up but I’ve heard weird sci-fi tales of that sort. Go for the ‘non-GMO’ tofu.

You can serve it with rice or rice noodles and most supermarkets sell all the ingredients you’ll need.

Quick Thai Chicken or Shrimp Curry

QUICK THAI CHICKEN or SHRIMP CURRY

(Serves 4-6)

Ingredients:

14 oz / 400g can of ‘Lite’ coconut milk

1 tablespoon of Thai red curry paste

1 tablespoon of freshly grated gingerroot

1 cup of chicken broth

1 tablespoon of arrowroot or cornstarch

1 ½ lbs / 680g chicken breast cut into ½ inch thick slices – tofu or shrimp

2 tablespoons of ‘Nam Pla’/Thai fish sauce

2 tablespoons of fresh lime juice

1 smallish red pepper/pimento, diced

1 cup of sliced green onions/scallions/spring onions

1 ¼ cups of fresh basil leaves, shredded

2 cups of broccoli florets, lightly steamed until ‘al dente’

8 oz / 227g of rice noodles or rice, cooked according to instructions

Action:

Add the first 3 ingredients to a skillet and stir until the curry paste has dissolved

Dissolve the arrowroot or cornstarch in the chicken broth and add to the above – cook a couple of minutes, stirring until it thickens slightly

Add the thinly sliced chicken breast or tofu, fish sauce and lime juice. Cook, stirring until the chicken or tofu is cooked through – approx 4 -5 minutes (note: shrimp take less time to cook)

Add the diced red pepper, green onions and basil – cook another 2 minutes and add the steamed broccoli just before serving to heat through

Adjust seasoning and serve with rice or tossed with noodles.