May 19, 2008

Thai hot Sunday

It must've been the tantalizing selection of ethnic foods at the Local Colors festival in Elmwood Park on Saturday that did it.

Whatever it was, I was in the mood to whip up something completely different for dinner last night -- something with exotic flavors and a few ingredients I don't normally break out at dinnertime.

In my house, Sundays are always reserved for the most time-consuming recipes; things like pot roasts or stuffed pastas or homemade casseroles. The Thai peanut chicken I made last night may have tasted like it took all afternoon, but it was surprisingly fast and easy.

I (almost) followed the recipe I found online. The only changes I made concerned the sauce, since I tend to be a really saucy gal, especially when the dish is going to be served over rice. The original called for 3/4 cup each of peanut butter and coconut milk, but I went ahead and rounded it up to a full cup of each and adjusted the other sauce ingredients accordingly.

The unplanned addition was a green mango salad that I decided to stir together just before I started dinner. I had seen a delicious green mango salad at Local Colors and didn't get a chance to try it.

I'm sure theirs was more authentic, but mine didn't turn out too shabby. Instead of following any one recipe, I studied about 4 different recipes and threw in every ingredient I had on hand from them all.

The only key ingredient I was missing was fish sauce, but I don't think the salad suffered too much from that omission.

In the end, the spicy, creamy peanut chicken dish was complimented well by the cool, tangy zip of the mango salad. Try this combination some time-- you won't even have to reserve it for a Sunday night!

Thai Peanut Chicken with Broccoli

1/2 lb. boneless chicken breasts, cut into chunks
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 tsp. salt
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup peanut butter
2 Tbsp. soy sauce
1 Tbsp. chili sauce
1/2 tsp. red peppers
2 Tbsp. rice vinegar
1 cup broccoli florets
1/2 cup sweet red peppers, chopped
1 cup light coconut milk
Rice

1. Brown chicken in olive oil in a large skillet. Add broccoli, peppers and garlic and cook until tender.
2. Meanwhile, warm peanut butter in microwave for one minute. Combine with salt, soy sauce, chili sauce, red pepper and vinegar in a small saucepan.
3. Heat sauce until smooth and warm. Whisk in coconut milk until smooth.
4. When chicken and vegetables are done, mix in peanut sauce.
5. Serve over hot rice.

Green Mango Salad

2 firm, unripe mangoes, peeled and grated on large side of grater.
1/2 cup sweetened coconut shreds
Juice from one lime
3 green onion tops, thinly sliced
5 large, fresh mint leaves, minced
1/2 Tbsp. rice wine vinegar
Hot sauce to taste

Mix all ingredients well. Add hot sauce to taste. Let sit at least one hour before serving.

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• Posted by Lindsey Nair in
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