Curry in a Hurry

Dear Boo,

I'm coming up for air briefly before our opening night tonight of a show which has in essence swallowed my life whole for the past few weeks, with constant rewrites, reworking, and harrowing moments of waking life actors nightmares, all culminating--as making live theater often infuriatingly does--in a complete, intact, and rather good production. My days of late have been a blur of work, class, and theater, with a few stolen moments here and there for sleep, eating, and even a teensy bit of cooking.


This soup was born out of the need for something cheap, as spending your time doing (virtually) free theater, combined with the propensity for nightly post-show drinks, can do a serious number on your wallet, and the need for something quick and comforting. I woke up from an accidental nap the other day (face down on my script) with a craving for curry soup, and was pleasantly surprised to find a recipe for just such a thing that could be made and ready to eat in under 30 minutes.

It was intensely satisfying. Even if I had to slurp it down while running lines, moments before dashing out the door. I highly recommend this for fast and easy meals (oh no, I sound like Rachael Ray) when you just can't eat (or afford) another dinner of late night beer and chicken wings.

Off to the theater!

Love,

The Mouse

Thai Red Curry Soup with Chicken and Vegetables
Adapted from Bon Appetit

The great thing about this recipe is how easily you can substitute other ingredients and still have a fast, easy, and tasty soup. Switch out other veggies, add shrimp instead of chicken, throw in some rice noodles, or cook down to a thicker sauce and serve over rice, use green curry paste, the options are almost endless. And with the short list of ingredients it's probably cheaper and healthier than take-out.

2 tablespoons corn or vegetable oil
2-3 tablespoons Thai red curry paste
12 ounces skinless boneless chicken breast halves, cut crosswise into 1/2-inch-wide strips
4 ounces green beans, cut into 1-inch lengths
2 small Japanese eggplants, cut into 1-inch pieces
3 cups canned low-salt chicken broth
3 cups canned unsweetened lite coconut milk
2 tablespoons fish sauce (nam pla)
Fresh lime juice
1 jalapeno or thai chile
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil

Heat oil in heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Add curry paste; stir until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add chicken; stir 2 minutes. Add green beans and eggplant pieces; stir 1 minute. Add broth, coconut milk and fish sauce; bring to boil. Reduce heat; simmer until vegetables are tender, about 12 minutes. During last few minutes of cooking, add thinly sliced chiles. Season with salt and pepper. Squeeze fresh lime juice to taste. Stir in basil and serve.