lovely chicken.

My husband and I LOVE Thai food! Well...if we're being honest with one another, we love ALL food...but Thai is definitely a favourite. We've been going to a local Thai restaurant in our home town for years now, and whether we eat in or grab some take-out, we've got our order down to a science. I know it sounds really boring, but every time we go, Joe will order the Red Curry Chicken, I'll order the Lovely Chicken, and we'll split an order of Summer Rolls (My mouth is water just thinking about it!). Wow...we've already become that old predictable married couple...and it hasn't even been a year! Boring or not, we'll share both of our dishes and it's the perfect combination of spicy, peanut-y Thai goodness.

Since moving to Montreal, I've really been missing out on my Sahla Thai fix, so I thought I'd attempt a little "Lovely Chicken" of my own. After a little experimenting in the kitchen, I do believe I've hit the jackpot! I may have even heard the words "best yet" come out of Joe's mouth, but he's a little biased :). We like a little spice in our food, so I definitely bumped up the amount of Sambal for our dish, but you can make it as mild or spicy as you like.


 Thai Peanut Chicken

- (1) tbsp of extra virgin olive oil
- (2) cloves of garlic, minced
- (1) tbsp of minced ginger root
- (2) boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into strips
- (1/4) cup of diced red onion
- (2) cups of broccoli florets (approximately 1-2 heads)
- (1/2) cup of julienned carrots

Peanut Sauce
- (3/4) cup of peanut butter
- (2) tbsp soy sauce
- (1) tsp sesame oil
- (1/2) tsp ginger root powder
- (1) tbsp brown sugar
- (1/4) tsp black pepper
- (1) tsp of sambal olek, or hot pepper sauce (double or even triple this amount if you like spice)
- (1) cup of chicken broth

Start by making the peanut sauce. For this sauce, I used natural peanut butter that had no sugar or salt added. In this case you may need to increase the soy sauce just a tad, but using regular (not light) peanut butter works well too.
 

 
Add all the ingredients in a small bowl other than the chicken broth. Stir with a whisk until completely blended. Slowly add the broth, stirring continually until the peanut sauce becomes smooth. Set aside.

Because this recipe is slightly time-sensitive and you don't want to overcook the vegetables, it is easiest to cut up all the vegetables and chicken before you begin. 

Heat half of the oil in a large frying pan or wok over medium heat. Add the strips of chicken and saute until fully cooked. 

Add the garlic and ginger and saute for about 2 minutes to soften. Make sure not to burn. Stir in the red onion and saute for another 2 minutes. 

 
Add in the broccoli and carrots and stir to combine. Saute just until the veggies become tender crisp and the broccoli turns a vibrant green. You don't want the overcook the veggies as they will become too mushy as opposed to the crispness you want.

 

Pour the peanut sauce over everything. Stir and cook for another couple minutes until the sauce has been heated and the flavours have incorporated into the chicken and vegetables.

Remove from heat and serve over a bed of jasmine rice.

coconut curry fish.

This recipe was passed down to me from my mom (as many good recipes are) and is courtesy of the Canadian Living Kitchen. I grew up on this dish and for many years, this was the only way I'd EVER eat fish. My palette is much more refined these days :)

While any type of white fleshed fish will work in this recipe, Tilapia (also known as St. Peter's fish) is my favourite. It's a firm fish, so it won't flake apart in the curry sauce, and you'll barely even know you're eating fish!

Coconut Curry Fish

- (1) tbsp. vegetable oil
- (2) onions, chopped
- (3) cloves of garlic, minced
- (2) tsp. curry powder
- (1) tsp. salt
- (1/2) tsp. pepper
- (1) can (400ml) coconut milk
- (1) cup diced tomato, skin removed*
- (1/2) cup of chicken stock
- (10) whole allspice
- (2) lbs. white-fleshed fish (kingfish, grouper, tilapia, or red snapper)
- (1/2) tsp. lime juice
 - (2) green onions, sliced

In a shallow Dutch oven, heat oil over medium heat. Cook onions and garlic for approximately 5 minutes, or until softened. Add curry powder, salt and pepper. Stir for 1 minute. Pour in coconut milk and chicken broth and stir. Add in diced tomato and allspice. Bring to a boil.

* The easiest way to peel a tomato :

Score the skin of the tomato into four quarters using a sharp knife. This will allow you to remove the skin easily in four sections.

Place the tomato into a deep container and cover with boiling water. Be sure that the entire tomato remains covered by the water. Using a container with a lid can be helpful. Let the tomato sit in the water for at least 5 minutes

 Remove the tomato from the water and allow to cool for a minute or so. At this point you should be able to pull the skin off the tomato very easily with your hands.

Reduce heat and simmer curry sauce for 25 minutes. Add fish to sauce, cover and cook for 10 minutes or until fish flakes apart with a fork. Discard allspice. 

Serve fish and curry sauce over a bed of jasmine rice. Sprinkle with green onions and season with a dash of lime juice.

Cutting Back?
If you're looking for a way to cut a few calories from this recipe, try substituting light coconut milk for the original. Light coconut milk has 60% less fat than the original without sacrificing the taste.
Using brown or whole grain rice will also cut back on the sugar and increase your intake of fibre.