Making red curry for the first time, with chicken

[dullard]

I have an Indian friend who brought me red curry (tofu) leftovers a couple weeks back. I always like Asian foods, but I had never had red curry before. I really loved it, and later she gave me red curry paste, tofu, coconut milk, and said to add some veggies such as potatoes/beans/baby corn. She gave me instructions on how to make the tofu less wattery, then to lightly fry it, and finally boil it in the red curry sauce. I'm not a tofu fan and wanted something a bit more meaty. The red curry can instructions say "add chicken if desired" but it doesn't say how to cook the chicken.

My question is, how do I cook the chicken? She isn't around today and she is vegetarian, so I can't ask her about the chicken. Should I just boil it in with the vegetables in the red curry? Should I also lightly fry the chicken first? Or is there some other option that I haven't thought of?

 

[Lola]

I would sautee the chicken in pieces first to cook them a bit and to give them some better flavor. (sautee until chicken is lightly browned on the outside.)
then add them in with the veggies!

 

[dug777]

I'd just cut it to the desired size & shape, then fry it until cooked throughout myself

Vegies next, then sauce.

 

[dullard]

Originally posted by: LolaWiz
then add them in with the veggies!

Originally posted by: dug777
Vegies next, then sauce.

Ok, you are in agreement to fry the chicken (I'll probably pan fry it because my deep frier is missing a filter). Pan fry the veggies too? Or just boil them in the curry?

 

[loup garou]

I like to season the chicken with a mild curry powder and brown it in oil first (especially if you're not using boneless/skinless cutlets), remove, sautee onions and garlic in some of the leftover fat, then add paste, stock, coconut milk and other vegetables and let it simmer for 20-30 minutes.

 

[dug777]

Originally posted by: dullard

Originally posted by: LolaWiz
then add them in with the veggies!

Originally posted by: dug777
Vegies next, then sauce.

Ok, you are in agreement to fry the chicken (I'll probably pan fry it because my deep frier is missing a filter). Pan fry the veggies too? Or just boil them in the curry?

i pan fry the veggies with the chicken briefly, then add the suace last & simmer for a few mins, depends on how crisp you want the veggies really

 

[JulesMaximus]

Put it all into an oven safe dish and bake it for about an hour at 350 degrees or until done. Use chicken stock (enough to cover chicken) to keep it nice and moist. Serve over rice.

 

[Lola]

Originally posted by: dullard

Originally posted by: LolaWiz
then add them in with the veggies!

Originally posted by: dug777
Vegies next, then sauce.

Ok, you are in agreement to fry the chicken (I'll probably pan fry it because my deep frier is missing a filter). Pan fry the veggies too? Or just boil them in the curry?

yes, fry/sautee it in your favorite oil first. (peanut, veggie, olive, etc) with some curry and garlic then put it in with the veggies.

BUT, do not cook it ALL the way through. It will finish cooking with the veggies.

 

[loup garou]

Originally posted by: JulesMaximus
Put it all into an oven safe dish and bake it for about an hour at 350 degrees or until done. Use chicken stock (enough to cover chicken) to keep it nice and moist. Serve over rice.

Also a good way to do it. This is how I used to cook curry before I broke my clay roaster. I would still brown the chicken and onions first, though.

 

[DaShen]

You guys are making me hungry.

 

[dullard]

Results: Decent taste, not quite as good as when I last had it. Everyone liked it, but it wasn't fantastic. For the GF and I, it was a bit disappointing in the weak level of heat. The one I had last time was overpowering in heat, maybe I added too many veggies, I'll cut back on them next time. GF's sister was sweating and complaining that it was too spicy though.

The chicken went quite well. I ended up doing LolaWiz's suggestion. Sprinked curry powder and garlic powder on the chicken and lightly sauteed it.

Unfortunately, the tofu broke up into tiny pieces. Maybe I didn't get enough water out of it.

I had one problem. The leftover oil from frying the tofu and sauteeing the chicken caused the red curry/coconut milk sauce to separate into two thin watery messy layers. I had to add a touch of flour to make the two phases come back together into a thick sauce. Not much flour, but I needed a little bit.