Thai Seafood and Squash Curry

This simple curry is absolutely delicious and colorful.

Thai Seafood and Squash Curry (based on this recipe)

Prep Time: 40 minutes

Cooking Time: 1 hour

Serves: 4-6

Ingredients:

1 14 oz can coconut milk

2 tbsp thai yellow curry paste

1 1/2 cups fish stock or water

3 tbsp fish sauce

2 tbsp curry

3 lemongrass stalks, cut into thirds and bruised

3 kaffir lime leaves

1/2 tsp turmeric

2 1/4 lbs butternut squash, cut into cunks

1 lb fish, cut into chunks

1 lbs peeled, de-veined raw shrimp

1 bunch bok choy, shredded

1 lime, juiced

cilantro, chopped

Substitutions:

kaffir lime - basil with a splash of lime juice

bok choy - kale

fish sauce - worcestershire sauce

Cooking:

Skim the coconut cream off of the coconut milk, and mix it in a pan with the curry paste.Bring it to a sizzle, then whisk in the coconut milk, fish stock or water, fish sauce, sugar, lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves, and turmeric.

Bring to a boil, add the pumpkin, and then simmer for 15 minutes (or until squash is tender). Add the fish and shrimp, and simmer for five minutes.

Add the greens,and boil another three minutes. Squeeze in lime juice. Remove from heat, and sprinkle cilantro over the dish.

Serve with Thai or basmati rice.

The Stir Fry Bok Choy of Li Shizhen

Somewhere in the back of Mr. Lee's Greater Hong Kong, tucked in between Century Death Eggs and Pork Dust (or Pork Fu, as the label calls it) we found Bok Choy, a version of cabbage that's leafy and more closely resembles spinach. Its delicate flavor and crunchy texture mix well with stir fry, and no doubt contains all of cabbage's health benefits and ability to scare small children. They contain glucosinolates, which prevent cancer in small doses and kill you in large, so never eat cabbage, or bok choy, raw. It also has tons of fiber, so you can poop!

We found a stir fry recipe and modified it a bit, but you probably can't go wrong by changing it a lot.

Stir Fry Bok Choy:
Serves: 4-5 with rice
Time: 15 minutes

Equipment:
large wok or large uncoated frying pan

Ingredients:
1 1/2 tbsp cooking oil
1 tsp minced ginger
1 small onion, finely chopped
4 bundles bok choy, chopped, separate leaf from white stem
2 scallions, sliced, separate leaf from white stem
2 tbsp dark soy sauce
1 tbsp light soy sauce
1 tsp sugar
1/4 cup water
sesame oil

Step 1:
Heat cooking oil on the wok until hot, and then add the ginger and onions. Cook until soft (less than a minute).

Step 2:
Add the white of the bok choy and scallions. Cook for a minute.

Step 3:
Add the greens of the bok choy and scallions. Cook until wilted (2 minutes).

Step 4:
Add the dark and light soy sauces, and the water. Cook for a couple of minutes, until dish is soft and aromatic.Drizzle with sesame oil.

The dish was tasty and light, but with the rice made a reasonable meal. We drank unsweetened green tea alongside it, which matched well.

Next time: Sean and Katrina explore drinks made form hand lotion, and candy made from mashed rice. Be there!