A Simple Curry with Coconut Milk

This adaptable curry recipe enables you to make curry with whatever you have on hand — as long as you have the core ingredients of coconut milk, canned tomatoes and curry powder, all of which should be pantry staples. You can even vary it from Indian-style curry to Thai-style just by substituting curry paste for curry powder and adding a little fish sauce at the end.

This recipe takes well to all kinds of vegetables, from eggplant to sweet potatoes. Last night I used kale. I usually make curry with diced boneless chicken, but you could substitute pretty much any meat or seafood as well, or omit it altogether; just alter the cooking time accordingly. Serve with rice or noodles for a full meal.

Curry with Coconut Milk

Yields: 4 servings
Time to make: ~30 minutes

• 2 tbsp. peanut or vegetable oil
• 1 onion, sliced thinly
• 2 boneless chicken breasts, cubed
• 1 or more other vegetables as desired, sliced or cubed
• 1 can coconut milk
• 1 tsp. curry powder or curry paste
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 sm. can diced tomatoes
• 1 tbsp. fish or soy sauce (optional for Thai-style curry)
• rice or noodles to serve
• various garnishes as desired: fresh basil or mint, cashews or other nuts, diced hard-boiled egg, shredded coconut (optional)

Heat the oil over medium. Add the onion and cook until browned, about 10 minutes. Add the chicken and vegetables, and brown, stirring frequently. Add the curry paste or powder and garlic, and stir-fry 1 minute. Pour in the coconut milk and bring to a bubble. Add the tomatoes and fish or soy sauce, if using. Stir, cover and reduce the heat. Simmer 10 minutes. Garnish as desired. If making an Indian-style curry, I like a selection of hearty garnishes, such as cashews, hard-boiled egg and coconut. For a Thai-style curry, I prefer fresh herbs and perhaps peanuts.

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