Homemade Thai red curry sauce

February 6, 2014September 8, 2022 Belinda

This is from fellow blogger “Pinch of Yum” and is just a wonderful sauce to have around.

The flavors of this sauce are pretty addictive and you will want plenty on hand to pour over everything!

Serves 4
1 can light coconut milk
2 tbsp peanut butter
2 tbsp curry paste
1 1/2 tbsp Thai fish sauce
2 tbsp fresh lime juice
3 tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp minced garlic
1/3 cup crushed peanuts
up to 1/2 cup water of broth
extra crushed peanuts and scallions for topping

Pour the coconut milk into a small saucepan over high heat. When the coconut milk reaches a gentle simmer, add the peanut butter, curry paste, fish sauce, lime juice, brown sugar and garlic.
Whisk and keep on high heat for 15 minutes or until the sauce has reduced and thickened.

Add the peanuts and simmer for another 5 to 10 minutes.
When the sauce coats the back of a spoon, add small amounts of broth or water and whisk to adjust the consistency depending on how you will use it and how thick you want it.

If the sauce separates, just whisk vigorously to smooth out again.
Serve this sauce over rice noodles, chicken, fish, vegetables or any other way that sounds good to you!
Top with crushed peanuts and scallions

Notes
More time simmering = thicker, creamier and more flavorful sauce.
If you want a thinner sauce, simmer it for less time and plan to add a bit of additional liquid.
I’ve noticed that when I add the crushed peanuts, the consistency really thickens quite a bit, so you could omit the peanut butter and / or peanuts to also adjust to your desired consistency

Baking · Do-ahead

Coconut lemon traybake

January 11, 2014September 8, 2022 Belinda

These are very lemony, “coconutty”, soft and gooey, Very easy to make with no “creaming the butter and sugar” something I am allergic to doing!

Combine;

1 1/2 cups flour
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter

Crumble it together lightly with your hands until it resembles fine bread crumbs and press it into a 9 x 9” baking pan.
Bake at 350 F for 20 minutes. Set aside for 20 minutes to cool a little.

Mix together;

2 slightly beaten eggs
3 tbsp lemon juice or more if you like things really tart and lemony.
1 cup sugar
2 tbsp flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 cup sweetened desiccated coconut (and extra for sprinkling n the top)
1/4 tsp salt

Pour this over the baked crust.
Put in the oven for 30 minutes

If you want it to look really nice, sprinkle it with icing sugar or more coconut when it has cooked so it looks like a snowfall.
You can also sprinkle the top with more coconut “before” cooking and it will brown a little, but be careful it doesn’t burn

Asian flavors · Gluten Free · Pasta · Salad · Vegan

Avocado green curry noodles with toasted coconut and cashews

January 8, 2014January 10, 2016 Belinda

Thank you Aida Mollenkamp for this gorgeous, tasty healthy combination.

Makes 2 to 3 servings

8 oz dried soba noodles or udon noodles
2 tbsp extra virgin coconut oil
4 medium shallots, peeled and minced
Kosher salt and ground black pepper
1 very ripe avocado, peeled and pitted
3 tbsp green curry paste
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
2 tsp honey
1 bunch stemmed kale, torn into bite sized pieces, (about 4 cups packed)
1/3 cup raw coconut flakes, toasted
1/2 cup roasted and salted cashews, roughly chopped
1 1/2 tsp raw flax seeds

Bring a medium pot of salted water to the boil over high heat and cook noodles according to the package instructions.
Meanwhile, heat the coconut oil in a medium frying pan over medium heat. Add the shallots, season with salt and pepper and cook until golden brown, about 4 minutes.
Add the kale and cook until crisp, about 2 minutes.

Drain the noodles when they are done, saving 1 cup of the cooking water.
Combine the avocado, curry paste, lime juice and honey in a small food processor and puree until smooth.
Add salt and pepper to taste and thin out, as needed, with the reserved cooking water.

Toss the noodles with the sauce, turning to coat all the noodles. Add the shallots and kale and turn to coat everything.

Divide among serving plates, top with the cashews, coconut and flax seeds and serve.

Asian flavors · Curry · Fish · Whole30 compliant

Thai-style halibut (or other white fish) in a coconut-curry broth

January 8, 2014September 13, 2018 Belinda

Light and very flavorful.

Serves 4

2 tsp vegetable oil
4 shallots, finely chopped (about 3/4 cup)
2 1/2 tsp red curry paste (or 2 tsp curry powder)
2 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup light coconut milk
1/2 tsp salt, plus 1/4 tsp, plus more for seasoning
4 (6 oz) fillets of halibut or any other flaky white fish, like cod or chilean sea bass
1/2 cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro leaves
2 scallions green part only, thinly sliced
2 tbsp fresh lime juice
freshly ground black pepper

*2 cups cooked brown rice, for serving
* 1lb steamed spinach for serving

In a large saute pan, heat the oil over moderate heat.
Add the shallots and cook, stirring occasionally, until beginning to brown, 3 to 5 minutes.
Add the curry paste (or powder) and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
Add the chicken broth, coconut milk, 1/2 tsp salt and simmer until reduced to 2 cups, about 5 minutes.

Season the fish fillets with 1/2 tsp salt. Arrange the fish in the pan and gently shake the pan so the fish is coated with the sauce.
Cover and cook until the fish flakes easily with a fork, about 7 minutes

Arrange a pile of steamed spinach in the bottom of 4 soup plates. Top with the fish fillets. Stir the cilantro, scallions and lime juice into the sauce and season, to taste with salt and pepper.
Ladle the sauce over the fish and serve with rice.

Appetizers · Gluten Free · Pasta · Poultry · Salad

Chicken and rice noodle salad

January 6, 2014February 7, 2016 Belinda

From the wonderful Australian chef, Donna Hay. Simple, elegant, healthy and light.

Serves 2

6 oz rice noodles (the wide ones are nice)
2 x 7 oz cooked chicken breast fillets, sliced
2 long red chillies, deseeded and finely sliced
4 kaffir lime leaves, finely shredded
3 scallions, finely sliced
A handful of fresh cilantro leaves
A handful of fresh mint leaves
A handful of fresh basil leaves

Coconut milk dressing

1/2 cup coconut milk
1 tbsp fish sauce
2 tbsp fresh lime juice
1 tbsp caster sugar (superfine)

Place the rice noodles in a large bowl and cover with boiling water and stand for 4 to 6 minutes or until soft. Drain and rinse

Toss the noodles with the chicken, chili, lime leaf, onion, cilantro, mint and basil.

To make the coconut dressing, combine the coconut milk, fish sauce, juice and sugar.
Pur over the salad and serve

Asian flavors · Curry · Gluten Free · Meat

Thai pork and peanut curry

December 31, 2013September 13, 2018 Belinda

This is the last recipe for 2013! Happy New Year to you all and thank you so much for signing up to the blog.

This was the top BBC Good Food recipe for 2013 and is well worth doing.

Serves 4

Use a fragrant hot red curry base (available in Asian markets) as the base to this curry dish with baby sweet corn, cilantro and soy sauce.

1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 bunch scallions (spring onions) sliced
a small bunch fresh cilantro, stalks finely chopped, leaves picked
1 lb pork tenderloin, sliced
4 tbsp Thai red curry paste
4 tbsp peanut butter
1 tbsp soft brown sugar
1 tbsp soy sauce
a 14 fl oz can of coconut milk (you can use light coconut milk too)
1/2 a 14 oz tin of baby corn, drained
juice of 1 lime
steamed Jasmine rice, to serve

Heat the oil in a large saucepan or flameproof Dutch oven.
Add the scallions and cilantro stalks and cook for 1 minute. Add the pork slices and cook for 5 mins until starting to brown.
Stir in the curry paste and peanut butter.
After 30 seconds, add the sugar, soy sauce and coconut milk, plus 1/2 can water.
Mix well, put a lid on and leave to simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Remove the lid, add the baby corn and increase the heat.
Bubble for 3 minutes until the corn is heated through and the sauce has thickened a little.
Stir in the lime juice and check the seasoning.

* It can now be frozen for up to 2 months at this point

To cook from frozen, thoroughly defrost, then heat in a pan on the hob until the curry is hot all the way through.
Serve scattered with the cilantro leaves and steamy hot Jasmine rice

Baking · Do-ahead

Blackberry and coconut tray bake

November 9, 2013September 9, 2022 Belinda

Tray bakes are very “Commonwealth.” I was brought up with them in New Zealand and they are also very popular in Great Britain. They are usually very easy to make and so delicious. My son, Oliver made this to take to work, it was spectacular and everyone wanted more.

8 oz self-raising flour
4 oz oats
5 oz soft brown sugar
1/4 tsp salt
7 oz cold butter, cut into pieces
4 oz sweetened shredded coconut
2 large eggs
14 oz fresh blackberries

Heat the oven to 350 F

Tip the flour, oats, salt and sugar into a large bowl. Rub the butter into the flour mixture using your fingertips until only pea sized pieces remain.

Stir through the coconut, then fill a tea cup with the mixture and set this aside.

Stir the eggs into the bowl of mixture, then spread over the bottom of a lined baking tin, (like a 9” by 13” shallow Swiss roll tin or a square tin)
Smooth the surface with the back of a spoon, then scatter over the blackberries so they cover the mixture.

Scatter over the reserved teacup mixture and bake for 1 hour – 1 hour 20 minutes until golden and cooked through (if you poke a skewer in, it should come out with moist crumbs but no wet mixture).

Leave to cook, then remove from the tin and cut into squares.
Serve with some extra berries, if you like.

Asian flavors · Do-ahead · Soup · Whole30 compliant

Thai Pumpkin soup

October 28, 2013September 9, 2022 Belinda

3 1/2 lb winter squash, peeled and roughly chopped
2 tbsp sunflower oil
1 onion, sliced
1 tbsp grated ginger
1 lemongrass, bashed a bit
3 – 4 tbsp Thai red curry paste
14 or 15 oz can coconut milk
4 cups chicken stock
fresh lime juice and sugar for seasoning
1 red chile, sliced, to serve

Heat the oven to 400 F

Toss the winter squash in a roasting tin with half the oil and seasoning, then roast for 30 minutes until golden and tender.

Meanwhile, put the remaining oil in a pan with the onion, ginger and lemongrass.
Gently cook for 8 to 10 minutes until softened.
Stir in the curry paste for 1 minute, followed by the roasted squash, all but 3 tbsp of coconut milk and the stock.
Bring to a simmer, cook for 5 minutes, then fish out the lemongrass.
Cool for a few minutes, then whizz until smooth in the blender.
Return to the pan to heat through, seasoning with salt, pepper, lime juice and sugar, if it needs it.

Serve drizzled with the remaining coconut milk and scattered with chile, if you like

Beverage

Coquito (A gorgeous Latin cocktail)

October 21, 2013February 8, 2016 Belinda

Delicious and a show stopper! Try it for a Thanksgiving or Christmas cocktail instead of the usual eggnog!

Makes about 8 servings

3 egg yolks
15 oz cream of coconut (Use the Coco Lopez brand from the supermarket)
15 oz evaporated milk
8 oz condensed milk
1/2 pint vanilla ice cream
2 cups white rum (like Bacardi)
1/2 tbsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

In a large blender combine all the ingredients.
Pour into a large pitcher and place in the refrigerator for about 2 hours.
Serve chilled