Thai Obsession

The past three weeks have been a hectic whirlwind of lectures, trying to stay caught up, laundry piles growing out of control, studying, studying, and more studying! I took my first midterm on Monday - it was scary simply because I had no idea what to expect. My dad's mantra applied to this midterm, as it applies to most challenges in my life: put your mind to it, and you will do great.

On Monday night after the midterm, a group of friends and I went out to celebrate. We decided to try Lulu's, a Thai restaurant in the Crossroads arts district of Kansas City. I got the wild mushroom curry with tofu and we shared a couple of bottles of sake. The food was amazing and the drinks were a nice bonus! 

Since Monday night, I've been reminiscing about the delicious smooth flavors of coconut milk curry, and so today I decided to make some Thai inspired cuisine of my own.

Sweet Potato and Mango Curry (Adapted from Nigella Express)

Yields 4 servings

1 scallion (finely chopped)

1 tbsp garlic infused oil (I used Wegmans basting oil) (if you don't have garlic infused oil, just use canola oil and add a little minced garlic)

1 1/2 tbsp red Thai curry paste

In a large, deep frying pan, saute the scallion in the oil for one minute, on medium high heat. Add the curry paste and mix.

1 c coconut milk

1 c vegetable stock

(can add 2 tsp of fish sauce if not concerned about keeping it vegan)

Add the coconut milk, vegetable stock, and optional fish sauce and bring to a boil.

2 1/2 c sweet potato (peeled and diced)

Add the sweet potato and simmer, partially covered for 15 minutes, or until potato is tender.

1 package extra firm tofu (instead of tofu, can use 7 oz. precooked frozen shrimp, if not concerned about keeping it vegan)

While the sweet potato mixture is simmering, slice the tofu into 1/2 inch thick slices. Oil a skillet and fry the tofu for about 7 minutes on both sides, until tofu is golden. When tofu is golden, remove from skillet, let cool for several minutes, and slice into bite sized cubes. Add tofu to the sweet potato mixture.

1 c mango (fresh or thawed from frozen, cubed)

1 tsp lime juice

4 tbsp chopped fresh basil

Add the mango and lime juice to the mixture, stir, and cook for one minute. Season with salt and red pepper flakes to taste.

Serve over brown rice and garnish with basil. 

ENJOY!