DIY Foodie

I love me some Thai food.  When I lived in Seattle, I got spoiled.  I got used to seeing two thai joints on every corner and grocers who know the word “kaffir” – but now that I’m back in the Southeast-Asian-food-desert that is the South, I found the need to improvise.

Okay, so the rest of you living in apartments above places with names like Thai One On or Thai Thai Again may be asking why you should bother making Thai at home when you can just hop downstairs for a $7 pad thai.  The answer?  Three words: light coconut milk.  Cooking Thai food yourself means you can cut 200 calories simply by using light coconut milk instead of the regular, heavy stuff.  Not to mention that you can go light on the greasy oils that usually soak through those little white to-go boxes.

Also, red curry is surprisingly easy. The hardest part of this recipe is finding the ingredients – many groceries carry red curry paste and coconut milk these days, but you’ll probably have to trek to your nearest Asian grocery for the bamboo shoots, kaffir lime leaves, and oyster sauce.

Traditionally, this dish is served with either fried tofu or meat. I love using pre-baked tofu, which, while a little untraditional, cuts down on calories. And oil burns.

I adapted this recipe from a video that called for Thai eggplant and fish. If you want to use fish instead of tofu, check out the video for adjusted cooking times.

THAI RED CURRY (serves 3-4)
adapted from Cooking With Kai

2 small carrots, sliced thin
1/2 can bamboo shoots, sliced thin
1 can light coconut milk
2 T red curry paste* (I use Mae Ploy)
~12 oz pre-baked tofu
4 kaffir lime leaves
2 T brown sugar
2 T mushroom sauce

1. Par-steam (that’s a word, right?) your veggies.
2. Heat the wok to medium-high heat.
3. Add 1/2 can of coconut milk and the red curry. Stir and wait for the oil to separate (about 30 seconds).
4. Add the kaffir lime leaves. Wait 3 to 5 minutes or until the meat is done.
5. Add the veggies, brown sugar, fish sauce, and the rest of the can of coconut milk. Wait 5 to 7 minutes.
6. Serve over jasmine rice.

*I’d rate this recipe at about 2-3 stars on the hotness scale – just adjust the amount of red curry to up or down the ante.