Thai Yellow Curry with Chicken

4 chicken breasts, hammered flat and cut into 1x1” squares   (also may use any leftover cooked chicken).

2 tsp. salt

1 or 2 Tbsp. Oil (vegetable is fine)

2 small yellow onions, chopped

½ tsp ground ginger

4 garlic cloves, minced

3 Tbs. curry powder

2 cans (13 1/2 fl oz.) coconut milk, well shaken

3 cups water

Juice of 1 lemon (1/4 cup lemon juice)

4 large boiling potatoes, peeled and cut into ½” cubes

Steamed rice for serving

I started the rice in a rice cooker then proceeded with the rest.  It was able to sit in the cooker and stay warm.  Then, determine what you have to do for the chicken.  Do you need to cook it?  Or do you have leftover?  Then proceed:

Saute onion and garlic in 1-2 tbsp oil until soft, set aside.  (note to self: do this outside on the burner, otherwise you stink up your clothes, remember?)

Saute chicken to just unpink, meaning it isn’t rubbery-done, just no pinkness left, but not quite “done” (you will cook it more later).  Set aside with the onions/garlic (add any leftover cooked chicken if you have it, or canned cooked chicken).

Open the cans of coconut milk, leave them on standby.  Then, to the hot pan you just used for the chicken, add the curry powder, over medium heat.  Dry sauté the curry powder alone for ten seconds, spreading around with a whisk, picking up any brown bits from the bottom of the pan.  Add coconut milk.  Whisk well.  Add the water, ¼ cup lemon juice or juice from one lemon, and 1 tsp salt. (I ended up using 2 tsp salt total for this dish, but don’t go crazy at first.)

To this liquid mixture in the pan, add all the potatoes.  Bring to a boil, covered, and boil for about 7 minutes to soften the potatoes.  Then add the chicken/onion/garlic that you had set aside earlier.

Simmer for a while, probably 20 minutes, until the flavors blend and the potatoes and chicken are nice and tender.  (Cover or don’t cover, uncover if you want the sauce to thicken a bit, I uncovered) .  As you go, taste it season at will with more salt if needed.  For heat, I added 1 Tbsp hot curry spice mixture that I bought at the farmers market, 1/4 tsp cayenne would also add nice heat.

Oh yeah, serve over the rice.