Salmon with Thai Rice Salad

We had this salmon with rice salad back in December, when the season wasn't right but it sounded good anyway. This is a fantastic spring/summer dish, with the cold and flavorful rice salad underneath a nice piece of salmon.

If you're not used to the flavor of fish sauce, the first bite of rice might taste a bit odd, but just keep eating it in between bites of salmon and you will fall in love...that's what happened to me. I can't wait to have this again when the weather warms up!


Salmon with Thai Rice Salad

Rich broiled salmon rests atop a lean vegetable-and-rice salad to make a beautifully balanced meal. The Asian dressing includes big impact flavors--fish sauce, lime juice and cayenne--but very little oil. Wine Recommendation: Rieslings are among the most versatile of white wines and one of the few that work well with salads. With this Thai-inspired dish, try a simple kabinett from Germany's Mosel region.

Serves 4

1 1/2 cups long-grain rice
3 tablespoons lime juice (from about 2 limes)
3 tablespoons Asian fish sauce (nam pla or nuoc mam)
2 tablespoons cooking oil
3 1/2 teaspoons sugar
Pinch cayenne
1 cucumber, peeled, halved lengthwise, seeded and cut into 1/4-inch dice
3 carrots, grated
4 scallions including green tops, chopped
6 tablespoons chopped cilantro or fresh parsley
2 pounds skinless center-cut salmon fillet, cut into 4 pieces
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Stir the rice into a medium pot of boiling salted water and cook until just done, about 10 minutes. Drain. Rinse with cold water and drain thoroughly.

In a large glass or stainless steel bowl, combine the lime juice, fish sauce, 1 tablespoon of the oil, the sugar and cayenne. Let sit for about 5 minutes. Stir in the rice, cucumber, carrots, scallions and cilantro.

Heat the broiler. Oil a broiler pan or baking sheet. Coat the salmon with the remaining 1 tablespoon oil and sprinkle with the salt and pepper. Put the salmon on the pan. Broil until just barely done (fish should still be translucent in the center), about 5 minutes for a 1-inch-thick fillet. Put the rice salad on plates and top with the salmon.

Braised Chicken in Yellow Curry

In an effort to clear my sinuses, and because I was really hungry, I turned to my Quick & Easy Thai cookbook. I couldn't find the boneless chicken breasts I swear I bought, so Yellow Curry Chicken was out. I debated improvising--with a cuisine I don't know much about--and decided against it. I was intrigued by a recipe called Son-in-Law Eggs with Crispy Shallots, in which you fry hard-boiled eggs and top them with a savory tamarind sauce, but I'll save that for another time.

I chose Braised Chicken in Yellow Curry. While I was reading the recipe, I thought to myself, 3 tablespoons of red curry is a lot! But then I forgot I had thought that, and stirred in 3 tablespoons when the time was right. You know, 3 tablespoons is a LOT of red curry! If you like it extra spicy, go ahead and add that much. Next time I'll cut it down by half. I had to stir in some yogurt (as usual) and it still cleared my sinuses!

But, the dish is tasty and not too hard to throw together. Try it and see!



Braised Chicken in Yellow Curry
gai goh-lae

2 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 pounds chicken thighs or any combination of chicken pieces (we used some legs)
3 tablespoons yellow curry paste, OR 3 tablespoons red curry paste plus 1 tablespoon curry powder
1 1/2 cups unsweetened coconut milk
2 1/2 cups chicken broth
2 tablespoons fish sauce
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice, OR 2 tablespoons white vinegar plus 2 teaspoons sugar (we used lime)
1 tablespoon palm sugar OR brown sugar (we used palm)

In a 3-quart saucepan, heat the vegetable oil over medium-high heat. Brown the chicken pieces in two batches, turning once or twice until golden and then transferring the browned pieces to a medium bowl.

Reduce heat to medium and add the curry paste to the saucepan. Cook, stirring and mashing, until the paste is fragrant and softened, about 2 minutes. Return the chicken and its juices to the pan and add the coconut milk and chicken broth. Bring to a gentle boil, adjust heat to maintain a lively simmer, and cook 15 to 20 minutes, until chicken is tender and cooked through. Stir in the fish sauce, lime juice, and palm sugar and remove from heat. Transfer to a serving bowl and serve hot or warm.

Thai-Style Chicken with Coconut Curry

Taste & Create is such a great event. It helps me discover sooo many new recipes. This recipe isn't even from my partner(s) this month, I just saw it, had all the ingredients and thought it would make a fabulous dinner. And it did!

Go to the Taste & Create website and see what scrumptious dishes you are tempted to make!

The recipe comes from Christine of Kits Chow, who got it from Marthe of Culinary Delights, both of whom participated in T&C last month. I modified a couple of ingredients, so here's how I made it.

It was a beautiful dish, easy and delicious , we couldn't stop eating it! We ate our chicken with artisan bread to soak up the curry.


Thai-Style Chicken with Coconut Curry

1 shallot, thinly sliced
3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
2 teaspoons curry paste (I used green)
2 cups chicken broth
1 can coconut milk
6 chicken thighs
1 lime
2 green onions, chopped

Fry shallot in oil until beginning to brown. Add garlic and curry paste, stir and cook for 2 minutes. Add chicken broth, simmer for 5 minutes. Add coconut milk, stir until combined, then add chicken. Bring mixture to a boil, cover and reduce heat. Simmer for 20 minutes or until chicken is done. Stir in juice of one lime and green onions; serve.

Chicken Curry with Cashews

We love curries. They are sooooo good. I found this recipe several years ago, somewhere on the Internets when we were having a dinner guest who can't eat gluten. I really wanted to make a curry, but everything was thickened with flour. Until I came across this recipe. Unfortunately I didn't record the internet source, so if you happen to run across a similar recipe, it could very well be the one.

This recipe is fairly easy, and the cashews give it extra flavor. It is a wonderful curry, and even the kids liked the chicken. Tonight I used chicken thighs, but I've also used boneless chicken, diced into bite-size pieces. (Basically just use whatever chicken you have, as long as the quantity is around 4 pounds). Despite the fact that the only liquid comes from the tomatoes, this curry simmers down into a lovely, generous sauce, with plenty for soaking into rice or bread.

CHICKEN CURRY WITH CASHEWS
Makes 4 to 6 servings.

In this recipe adapted from Charmaine Solomon's The Complete Asian Cookbook
, ground cashews thicken the curry and give it a rich, nutty flavor. Both roasted and raw cashews work well, so use whichever you prefer.

1/2 stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter
2 medium onions, finely chopped (2 cups)
2 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 tablespoon finely chopped peeled fresh ginger
3 tablespoons curry powder
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon cayenne
1 (3 1/2- to 4-pound) chicken, cut into 10 serving pieces
1 (14.5-oz) can diced tomatoes
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro (I don't add this)
3/4 cup cashews (1/4 lb)
3/4 cup plain whole-milk yogurt

Accompaniment: cooked basmati or jasmine rice
Garnish: chopped fresh cilantro

Heat butter in a 5- to 6-quart wide heavy pot over moderately low heat until foam subsides, then cook onions, garlic, and ginger, stirring, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add curry powder, salt, cumin, and cayenne and cook, stirring, 2 minutes. Add chicken and cook, stirring to coat, 3 minutes. Add tomatoes, including juice, and cilantro and bring to a simmer, then cover and simmer gently, stirring occasionally, until chicken is cooked through, about 40 minutes. (If making ahead, see cooks' note, below.)

Just before serving:
Pulse cashews in a food processor or electric coffee/spice grinder until very finely ground, then add to curry along with yogurt and simmer gently, uncovered, stirring, until sauce is thickened, about 5 minutes.

Cooks' note:
Curry, without yogurt and cashews, can be made 5 days ahead and cooled completely, uncovered, then chilled, covered. Reheat over low heat before stirring in yogurt and ground cashews.

yellow curry chicken with potatoes

gaeng kah-ree gai

Of course I don't speak Thai, so don't ask me how to say that. (If you want a hint at pronunciation, there are some audio food files here-kind of fun). This is what we had for dinner last night.

This delicious curry recipe comes from a cookbook I need to pull out more often, Quick & Easy Thai from Chronicle Books. (An aside, here: I don't know if you're familiar with Chronicle Books, but they are so artfully done. I love them. They are now selling my favorite, Moleskine Notebooks, and they have great clearance sales!) Is that enough links for ya?


On to the curry. We just love curry. As usual, I've made some modifications. You'll see.


2 3/4 cups unsweetened coconut milk (I just used two whole cans)

3 Tablespoons yellow (kah-ree) curry paste, OR 3 Tablespoons red curry paste plus 1 Tablespoon curry powder (We don't have yellow paste, so I used the red + powder. Next time, I will back it off to 2 Tablespoons of red paste, this was a bit spicy for the kids.)

6 boneless chicken thighs, cut into big, bite-sized chunks, or about 1 pound boneless chicken breast, sliced crosswise into 2-inch strips

2 cups chicken broth or water (I used 1can chicken broth)

2 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into big, bite-sized chunks (about 1 1/2 cups)

1 medium onion, cut lengthwise into thick wedges (about 1 cup)

2 Tablespoons fish sauce

1 tablespoon palm sugar OR brown sugar


In a medium saucepan or heavy skillet, bring 1 cup of coconut milk to a gentle boil over medium-high heat. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, until it begins to thicken and becomes fragrant. Add the curry paste and cook 2 to 3 minutes, pressing and stirring to dissolve it into the coconut milk. Add the chicken and cook another minute or two, tossing to coat it with the sauce. (I cooked my chicken a bit longer here because some of it was still frozen--oops! And, I had to put in a couple "in process" pictures because the color is so vivid and beautiful!)


Add the remaining 1 3/4 cups coconut milk, the chicken broth, potatoes, onion, fish sauce, and sugar, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to maintain a lively simmer and cook, stirring now and then, until the chicken is cooked and the potatoes are tender but still firm, 6 to 8 minutes. Remove from the heat and serve hot or warm.


We served ours with rice and sliced cucumbers. It was delicious.