This recipe came about because: 1) I have and excessive number of jars of green curry paste desperately needing to be used (I'm not really sure why I ended up with so many, but if I had to point fingers I'd guess my dad picked them up when he visited - lest we run out of curry paste).  And, 2) We had a delicious vegetable green curry at a Thai restaurant in Halifax and they used eggplant and bamboo shoots in it. Then, 3) I found the most adorable little eggplants at a grocery store.  Voila! Meant to be!  Enjoy! 

Eggplant and veggie-filled green curry over rice! Yum!

Green Curry with Eggplant

Sauté 3-4 min: 

2-3 Tbsp olive oil

1 onion, sliced

2-3 carrots, thinly sliced

Add, sauté 3-4 minutes

4 mini eggplants, coarsely diced (OR 1 large eggplant)

Add, sauté 2-3 min

2 small zucchinis

1-2 tsp minced fresh garlic (or 2 tsp freeze-dried minced garlic)

Add and stir 1 minute: 

1/2 container bamboo shoots, drained & rinsed

200 - 300 g Thai green chili paste

Add, bring to boil, lower and simmer ~20 minutes until vegetables are desired softness, stirring occasionally:

1 can coconut milk

2 - 3 cup GF chicken broth/stock

1 Tbsp GF fish sauce

1 - 2 tsp GF soy sauce or Bragg's soy seasoning

1/2 tsp red chili flakes

1 or 2 kaffir lime leaves (remove before serving) OR juice of 1/2 fresh lime

1/2 - 1 tsp dried basil (or 1 Tbsp fresh Thai basil leaves, diced)

1/2 - 1 tsp dried cilantro (or 1 Tbsp fresh cilantro, diced)

Serve over rice. Enjoy! 

Green Curry with Eggplant Recipe by Successfully Gluten Free! 

A twist on my speedy chicken curry and vegetables recipe.  This one uses cod, and adds a wonderful flavor to an easy dish.  My dad was the one who first suggested it.  Great idea, dad!  It's delicious! Enjoy! 

Cod Curry, ready to serve over rice or with some homemade GF Naan bread! 

Quick Cod & Vegetable Curry

Serves ~4-6

This takes ~40 minutes to cook & simmer.  So, start some brown or plain basmati rice cooking, if desired.  You can also serve this with some quick GF Naan bread.

Heat in a large high-sided frying pan over medium to medium-high heat:
2 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp olive oil 

Add & cook ~2-3 minutes, until starting to become tender:
1/2 onion, chopped

Add and cook 1 minute:
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped

Add, cooking 2-3 minutes:
1 medium zucchini, chopped

Add to the pan and allow to cook, stirring regularly for ~3 minutes:
4 Tbsp curry powder (more or less, to taste - it really depends on the strength of your curry powder blend) OR curry paste, start with 1 Tbsp and add more, to taste.

Add to pan, cook 10 minutes, stirring occasionally:
3 1/2 - 4 cups chopped fresh tomatoes (You can substitute diced, canned tomatoes if fresh ones aren't readily available)

Veggies, cooking up nicely with the spices.

Add, allowing mixture to come to a boil/simmer:
3 cups cod, diced into large chunks (more or less, to taste)

Put a lid on your pan.  Lower heat, and allow curry to simmer at least 20 minutes before serving, stirring occasionally.  If your curry not as thick as you'd like, you can remove the lid to allow excess liquid to evaporate.

Ready to eating! Cod Curry! 

Serve with a side of basmati rice and/or fresh naan bread.  A couple different options are: Quick BBQ or oven naan  OR my favorite quick and easy naan bread.  Enjoy!

Quick Cod & Vegetable Curry by Successfully Gluten Free!

Homemade Thai Red Curry Paste

I have the hardest time finding curry pastes ready-made that have wholesome ingredients and the taste that I want.  This delicious homemade Thai red curry paste has exactly the flavors I want, plus I'm happy with all the ingredients that go into the paste.  I'm a fan of knowing what's in my food.  This red curry paste is wonderful mixed into rice & vegetables, mixed into an easy pumpkin soup to make a pumpkin curry soup (instructions at the bottom), or served alongside any dish that might benefit from a dollop of spice thrown in.  The best news is that if you don't want to use it right away, you can freeze it and use it anytime! Enjoy!

A delicious homemade Thai red curry paste.  

Homemade Thai Red Curry Paste
Makes ~12 oz of curry paste

Remove stems and place in a glass bowl:
3 large, dried New Mexico Chili Peppers
10 small, dried chiles de arbol

Cover chili peppers with boiling water and let rest 10 minutes, then drain. *(yes, you can use fresh hot peppers, just use three large and 10 small fresh ones, coarsely diced, instead of re-hydrating)*

In a frying pan, heat over medium heat, just until fragrant (usually 1-2 minutes):
1 Tbsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground cumin

In a blender or food processor, place the following:
1/2 cup shallots, coarsely chopped
1/4 cup minced garlic
1 Tbsp fresh ginger root, peeled and coarsely diced
1/4 cup fresh cilantro (optional)
1 tsp lobster bouillon base (I find lobster bouillon in a jar on the shelf near the chicken bouillon.)
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp salt 
coriander & cumin, from above
chili peppers, from above, drained
1/2 cup avocado oil (or other oil good for cooking)

Process the curry paste well, blending until nice and smooth.  You can store this in a glass jar in the refrigerator for a couple weeks, or freeze for up to a year.  I like to freeze it flattened in a ziploc bag, so then I can break off pieces when I want to use them.   This is great to use in rice & vegetables, to make a pumpkin-curry soup, to make a regular curry dish w/ meat & vegetables.  I've even served it alongside a pork carnitas spread, and it added a nice bit of spice to the meal.

My favorite thing to do with this red curry paste is to saute up fresh vegetables and add in cooked rice, salt, pepper, and a few Tbsp of thai red curry paste, to taste.   Each time I've made the vegetables and rice it's gotten rave reviews, and lots of people going back for seconds! 

I cover and store the curry paste in the refrigerator for a couple weeks, using in all sorts of dishes! 

Thai red curry pumpkin soup - homemade pumpkin soup with a healthy dollop of homemade red curry paste and 1 cup canned coconut milk mixed in, topped with scallions, cilantro and cooked chicken.  So easy, and so delicious, and was perfect for a bookclub luncheon.

Curry Chicken Salad

Curried chicken salad has grown on me over the years, although (sorry mom), I still despise ones with grapes in them.  I find this version hits the spot with a nice mix of spicy, sweet, crunchy and smooth.  Funny story: We have all enjoyed this salad so much, I thought I'd whip some up for dinner when we had a couple guests.  After all, it is a favorite.  In my hurry to prepare things, I mistook the metal canister of Old Bay Seasoning for Curry Powder, using half Old Bay with half of another container of curry powder (Do Not make this mistake).  Oops!  It was so ridiculously salty with the added Old Bay.  Thankfully, we all had a good laugh.   If you make it properly, using curry powder (which should have no added salt), you'll be good to go!  Enjoy!

Delicious curry chicken salad - great on sandwiches, on top of salads, or with easy to make homemade focaccia bread.

Curry Chicken Salad

Mix together:
1/3 - 1/2 cup dill pickles, diced (fermented dill pickles are wonderful, if you can find them)
1/4 - 1/3 cup green onions, sliced
1 apple, diced
2-3 cups cooked chicken, diced
1/4 - 1/3 cup mayonnaise
~4 tsp curry powder (add 1 tsp at a time, to taste)
~3/4 tsp ground pepper, more/less to taste

Serve the tasty curry chicken salad with toast or crackers, homemade bread, homemade focaccia bread and/or a side salad.  Enjoy!

While I love making proper Indian dishes, sometimes one that is just thrown together with fresh veggies and a nice curry powder makes a wonderful, filling dish.  Perfect for the fall when the days are getting cooler.  And wonderful with the easy thin GF Naan bread.

Fresh quick curry w/ veggies & chicken served over brown basmati rice with a side of fresh GF Naan

Quick Curry Chicken & Veggies

Serves ~4-6

This takes ~40 minutes to cook & simmer.  So, start some brown or plain basmati rice cooking, if desired.  You can also serve this with some quick GF Naan bread.

Heat in a large high-sided frying pan over medium to medium-high heat:
2 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp olive oil 

Add & cook ~2-3 minutes, until starting to become tender:
1/2 onion, chopped

Add and cook 1 minute:
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped

Add, cooking 2-3 minutes:
1 medium zucchini, chopped

Add to the pan and allow to cook, stirring regularly for ~3 minutes:
4 Tbsp curry powder (more or less, to taste - it really depends on the strength of your curry powder blend)

Add to pan, cook 10 minutes, stirring occasionally:
3 1/2 - 4 cups chopped fresh tomatoes

Add, allowing mixture to come to a boil/simmer:
3 cups cooked chicken, chopped (more or less, to taste)

Put a lid on your pan.  Lower heat, and allow curry to simmer at least 20 minutes before serving, stirring occasionally.  If your curry not as thick as you'd like, you can remove the lid to allow excess liquid to evaporate.

Serve with a side of basmati rice and/or fresh GF naan bread. Enjoy!

Quick Curry Chicken & Veggies by Successfully Gluten Free!