Chicken Curry - Gang Gai

Chicken curry is so common that you will find it at any to-go curry vendors in Thailand. Chicken curry is eaten with rice or 'kanom jeen' noodles.

You can see chicken curry's popularity when you go to a temple in Thailand; Thai people frequently bring the classic dishes like chicken curry to feed the monks and other temple patrons.

Thai Chicken Curry - Gang Gai

3 cups water
3-5 sprigs Thai basil
2 tablespoons fish sauce
1/2 lb eggplant
1 tablespoon red curry paste
1 cup coconut milk
1 chicken breast

I use Thai eggplants, the golf ball size ones. But, they can be difficult to find. Regular eggplants that you find in supermarkets are a good substitute. If you have the Thai eggplants, cut them up into quarters. If you have the regular eggplants, cut them into bite size pieces. Wash and pick the basil leaves.

Cut up the chicken into bite size pieces. If you have this dish in Thailand, you will see that the chicken comes with bones. All parts such as legs and thighs can be used. The bones make the curry more flavorful.

Pour half of the coconut milk into a large pot, over low to medium low heat. Add the red curry paste. Break up the paste and mix it with coconut milk. Stir constantly. Lower the heat if it splatters too much. Add chicken when you see red oil bubbling on top. Stir and coat chicken with curry sauce. Add the eggplant when chicken starts to turn white. Add the rest of the coconut milk and water and the fish sauce. Let it boil until all the eggplant pieces turn dark and tender. The longer you boil the curry, the thicker the curry becomes because the eggplant disintegrates and thickens the sauce. Add the basil leaves just before you serve and make sure the leaves are submerged quickly in the curry to preserve the color.

Serve hot with rice or rice noodles.



Tofu in Sweet Ginger Sauce - Tau Huay

3 cups water
1 package tofu - soft silken
1 piece ginger, crushed
1/3 cup brown sugar
fried Chinese dough Optional

Use a piece of ginger, about 2 inches long or more. Add more ginger if you like its spicy hot. Smash the ginger with the flat part of your knife or use meat tenderizer. Boil the ginger, water and sugar for at least 10 minutes. The longer you boil, the spicier it gets.

Spoon 5-7 pieces of the soft tofu into a bowl. Add ginger sauce. Serve hot.

In Thailand, Tau Huay is topped with small crunchy fried Chinese dough. You can find Chinese dough here in Chinese groceries. However, I usually don't include it for various reasons. One is that I don't have to go to an oriental grocery for this dessert. Two, it is oily. But this can be overcome by baking it until it is crispy and setting the pieces on paper towel to remove excess oil. If you decide to include the fried dough, just bake it and cut them up into small pieces.


Source: www.thaitable.com