Serves 6 2 tbsp vegetable oil 1 tbsp chopped garlic 1 sweet red pepper, diced 1/2 cup coconut cream 3 tbsp red curry paste 1 tsp ground turmeric 1 3/4 cup coconut milk 3 1/2 cups chicken stock 15 basil leaves 2-3 chopped bird’s eye chillies 3 tbsp fish sauce 2 tsp sambal oelek chili sauce 1 tsp sugar 1/4 tsp salt 2 lbs. boneless chicken breast, thinly sliced or shrimp, peeled and deveined 3 tbsp lime juice 1/2 lb Chinese egg noodles or rice noodles 1/2 cup chopped fresh coriander 4 green onions, chopped In a large pot on medium-high, heat the oil. Add garlic and stir-fry 30 seconds or until golden. Add diced red pepper and stir-fry 2-3 minutes or until tender. Open the can of coconut milk and gently spoon off half a cup of the thick cream on top into the pot. Warm the coconut cream at medium-high, whisk in curry paste and turmeric and continue to whisk until coconut cream starts to separate slightly and glisten with oil. Add remaining contents of coconut milk can, chicken stock, basil, chillies, fish sauce, sambal oelek, sugar and salt. Bring to a boil, then simmer. Add chicken or shrimp and cook gently until it is just cooked through. Remove from heat and stir in lime juice. In a large pot of boiling, salted water, boil egg or rice noodles for 2 minutes or until just tender. Drain. Place one-sixth of the noodles in each bowl and ladle over with hot soup. Garnish with coriander and green onions.
Chicken thighs are a perfect place to begin. I’m talking bone-in, skin-on to ensure real flavour. Forget those fat and expensive chicken breasts that often taste no better than the Styrofoam they are packaged on. We want dark, flavour-filled meat and you’ll find that with the thighs.
Barbecuing chicken with the skin-on may create flare-ups if cooked on direct heat. But any BBQ-pro knows to use indirect heat, heating the two outer grills on high and leaving the middle grill off. According to my in-house BBQ specialist, you need to pre-heat the outer grills for 5- 10 min (lid closed) then lay on the thighs, skin side up, along the centre grill. Wait a couple of minutes, turn them over, basting with the remaining marinade. A long cooking time, lid closed, with constant turning and basting are the keys to success, says my BBQ king.
Chances are you’ll be drinking some beer or wine while you cook and perhaps entertaining. Despite all that partying, promise me you’ll keep food safety first and remember that barbecuing is the number one cause of a dreadful affair called cross-contamination.
Mado Food 