(no subject)

[axelrod]

Short version of my question: what's an easy way to make a curry, especially a Thai-style/Thai-inspired coconut curry, especially using a slow cooker?

Slightly longer version: 

I put three chicken breasts, a can of coconut milk, a couple teaspoons of curry powder, and some veggies into my slow cooker and cooked until the meat and veg were done. The result is way too soupy; I want a curry sauce, not a curry broth. I could strain out the liquid and cook it down on the stove, I guess ...

Maybe I should just cook the chicken and veg in a bit of water in the slow cooker, and make the sauce separately on the stove? Any easy recipes for curry sauce that way?

Thanks in advance for any and all suggestions!

Comments

[amethystfirefly]

Were the chicken and veg frozen? That'd up your liquid level quite a bit.

[axelrod]

Nope, both were fresh (potatoes, carrot, and onion, for the record).

[amethystfirefly]

Hm. No idea then. -headskritch-

[axelrod]

I mean, I'm not surprised it's more soup than sauce, just trying to figure out how to get it to be sauce-y the easiest way :)

[amethystfirefly]

You might have to throw in a thickener. And, even better, with the thickener, you could control how thick you want it.

[0jack]

A can of coconut milk is a fair amt of liquid. You could half it in future. If you have a stick blender, you could take out the chicken and puree the veg to thicken the sauce. Also an option, dissolve some corn starch in the coconut milk before you start, it should thicken as it cooks.

[axelrod]

Good ideas! I can add coconut oil if I want it more coconut-y (I get my coconut milk from Trader Joe's and they only carry light coconut milk, so the consistency is pretty thin). Pureeing the veg sounds good, too.

[0jack]

Depending on how long you cook it for, cutting your potatoes into small dice or thin slices may be enough to have them fall apart in the pot. I recommend trying russet or yukon gold potatoes for that—new potatoes are your worst bet if you want them to come apart. You could also consider cooking with rice or another cereal grain, with or without the potatoes, to absorb the water in the coconut milk and leave you with the thicker elements. This will also add to the fibre and protein of the meal.

[axelrod]

Thanks for the suggestions! I think brown rice will add to the flavor, too, in a subtle way.

[0jack]

Absolutely. When in doubt, I add a nutritious grain like brown rice or quinoa.

[mdlbear]

Second the rice. Mom's one-pot curry was a chicken, an onion, curry powder, water, and rice.

[technoshaman]

What kinda curry powder? Being new to actually making curry, there's a bazillion different kinds, and the choices make my head swim...

[axelrod]

Trader Joe's curry powder, which is a yellow curry and I'm pretty sure is Indian. I add red pepper, coconut milk and coconut oil, and cilantro.

[technoshaman]

Thanks! Looking forward to trying that once I get my new kitchen settled.

[mdlbear]

We have a lot of choice these days, and it depends on how we're feeling; back when I was in high school I think Mom usually used Spice Islands.

[willow]

Frozen blended pumpkin or squash might help thicken things up for you - that's how I do it for sauce when I make style slow-cooker curry with coconut milk. Also helpful is if you chill the coconut milk first, and use mostly the solidified fat, thus adding less water to the mix. Sometimes, however, it is a matter of faith and simply also adding less water at the start, trusting the vegetables and meat to release what you need.

[axelrod]

I didn't add any water. I did use light coconut milk, just bc that's the only kind Trader Joe's sells and it's cheaper per can than the other place I regularly shop. Squash as a thickener sounds delicious, though.

What's your recipe when you're not making your curry in the slow cooker?

[willow]

I fly by the seat of my pants when I'm making pot curry; depending on my mood, the meat available etc. I tend to make thickened curry or dark gravy curries. Gravy curry is browning meat in onions, garlic & herbs, with a little dry curry powder and cumin, and oil and then after that simmers a bit, adding in some water and veggies and low cooking. It's like making a stew.

Thickened curry I tend to make more like a soup, where everything goes in at once, but with less water( near 3 parts coconut milk to 1 part water - but my milk is Goya and thic). This is the curry where I use channa (chick peas), usually from a can (added last).

[axelrod]

Sounds good, and pretty simple. Thanks!

[daughtercell]

I have a recipe which I haven't tried yet that involves buying some sort of curry paste (which I found at an Asian market, you may or may not have easy access to one of those...), which gets blended with a couple cans of coconut milk in a frying pan before being added to the slow cooker. If you're interested in the recipe I can copy and paste it to you in a comment here. :)

[axelrod]

I know where I can get curry paste - big grocery store chain with a relatively decent "ethnic" section. And I'd love to see the recipe.

[daughtercell]

Tofu Massaman Curry (slow cooker)

Ingredients:

2 (15oz) cans of coconut milk (whole)
½ can of Maesri Massaman curry paste
1 large potato, cut into 1 inch cubes
1 onion (medium) chopped
1 red pepper, sliced lengthwise in ½ inch strips (optional)
½ cup chopped peanuts or cashews (optional)
1 package extra firm tofu, drained and cut into 1 inch cubes
Salt to taste

Directions:

1. Prepare all vegetables and tofu and set aside in a large bowl, with the red peppers in a separate bowl to add later.
2. Start warming slow cooker on high heat.
3. With large skillet or wok set to medium heat, add ½ can of Massaman curry paste to skillet/wok, allow it to cook for about one minute, stirring constantly.
4. Add one can of coconut milk to curry paste, stir and blend the curry paste with the coconut milk until uniform. I find this works best with a silicone spatula that tolerates high heat.
5. Once curry paste and coconut milk are well blended, pour liquid into slow cooker, add second can of coconut milk and vegetables with tofu.
6. Allow to cook 5-6 hours, stirring occasionally.
7. At about hour 3, add the red peppers.
8. 30 minutes before serving, add cashews or peanuts to slow cooker.
9. Serve over basmati rice, per instructions. Enjoy!

[axelrod]

Thank you! *bookmarks*

[daughtercell]

You can also substitute beef or chicken cubes for the tofu, of course, if you don't want a vegetarian dish. :) (you may have assumed that but thought I'd tell you just in case, haha)

[axelrod]

Yeah, I'm not into tofu that much :) Though I do like the texture of it in a good curry.

[lauredhel]

I put the onions/garlic/ginger and fairly small diced vegies in the bottom in some oil and/or ghee, and cook on High for an hour or two which softens them nicely (saves frying them off separately). I add the Thai curry paste - red or green - about halfway through that, and stir it in well.

Then I add the protein - I never use chicken breasts, I find them too cardboardy and tasteless, but dark meat or any other protein (lamb, beef, chickpeas all get a look-in here). Salt, bruised lemongrass stalks, and coconut cream on top of that.

If I add a whole large can, or use milk instead of cream, I know i'm going to be thickening it near the end, usually by pulling out about a quarter cup and adding corn cornflour to make a paste, then adding that back. This then needs to be cooked in a bit - don't do it just before serving. Another way to thicken is with mashed potato (either a few soft potatoes you've hoiked out of the pot for that purpose, or from elsewhere, maybe when you have leftover mash).

If I'm using green curry paste, I'll add snow peas or sugar snap peas or green beans near the end, and coriander at serving. Sometimes some grated zucchini in the pot if I'm trying to pad out the vegie content. If red curry, I'll include carrots and sweet potatoes in the vegies. A little dab of palm sugar and citrus zest never goes astray, either (adding the juice when serving).

And a fair few of these ingredients are optional - curries are pretty versatile. I've never seen a Thai curry powder though, I don't think we have them here? Only pastes.

[axelrod]

Thanks for all this! Didn't think to "fry" vegetables in the slow cooker.

I've been using Indian curry powder, actually - trying to get through the bottle of that I've got.

[susan8020]

I use regular coconut milk, not 'lite'. The regular separates in the can when cool, so you can choose whether you want the rich, thick cream on the top of the can or the liquid from the bottom.

I made a pot of slow cooker veg soup with the fat end of the coconut milk can and it came out very thick, too thick really.

My impression is that whatever coconut milk you start with, the longer and hotter it's cooked, the thinner it gets. Many coconut milk curries in Thai restaurants are very thin.