Cheater Chef Thai Curry lets you have all the vegetables you want in your curry, not just what they give you. Woo Hoo!
We think a good measure of value at a restaurant is a balanced plate that doesn’t require “a la carte” add-ons. Like vegetables.
Take Chinese, Vietnamese, Thai, and Japanese restaurants — the original “less meat, more greens” cuisines. How many tasteless mini corns and water chestnuts can one consume in a sitting? The mile-long Chinese buffet is heavy with fried meats in sticky sauces. Japanese teriyaki is usually a little meat buried in droopy sauced onions.
Even the entrees at PF Chang’s look like the cooks quit too soon. We ordered a beef stir fry that came to the table laden with their idea of greens — just onion tops. We haven’t quit chuckling about this. For actual vegetables you must pay for a side dish.
So, one answer is to make your own perfect plate feng shui. Cheater Chef Thai Curry is a stew (or can become a soup) with added broth. It starts with simple Thai pantry staples–canned coconut milk (not to be confused with pina colada cream of coconut) and Thai curry paste. The exotic creamy flavor of that Tom Ka Kai soup you always order is coconut milk. Add curry paste and you’ve got a Thai curry pot.
The rest is up to you–meat or no meat, seasonal vegetables, tofu, and that critical Thai Umami ingredient—fish sauce. Start with this basic curry template and load it up with Asian greens, peppers, carrots, pea pods, asparagus, anything. Add the tender vegetables after the liquid begins to simmer. You won’t believe you made this at home.
Canned coconut milk, Thai curry pastes, and fish sauce is readily available in the international section of any supermarket. For even better value, shop at your favorite international grocery.
