Knock-out knock-offs

We don’t eat out very often. My husband gets so tired of me saying, “But I can make that at home!” when he suggests we go out to this restaurant or that. I mean, I have made almost a perfect copy of the amazing Star Bar burger (yes, I know their secrets, and no, I’m not telling), I make a mean “restaurant-style” enchilada with chili gravy, and I’ve even been known to roll my own sushi. You want Red Lobster? I can boil a crustacean and make a killer cheesy biscuit. Craving wings? I’ll bust out our fryer and cut up some celery.

It’s just so much cheaper. I can’t justify going out to a restaurant where we will either have to entertain a fidgety toddler and therefore not really enjoy the experience so much, or basically end up paying double for our meal with the high cost of babysitters these days. Especially when I can make it at home, in my yoga pants, for a fraction of the cost. Yes, there are dishes to do after, but that’s why we have husbands.

Recently, I had a hankering for Zen Zero, but I had some chicken thighs thawed in the fridge and figured I would just try my own hand at a little coconut curry. And it was so good. We all agreed, and I’m still having lurid thoughts about it a week later. It was fast and easy, required only two pots, and cost pennies on your restaurant dollar.

Coconut Chicken Curry

4 chicken thighs (I buy the big frozen bags, super cheap)
1 red bell pepper
1/2 white onion
3 green onions
3 cloves garlic
3 tablespoon olive oil
1 1/2 cup rice
2 cans lite coconut milk
3 cup chicken stock, divided
1/2 cup brown sugar
6 tablespoon curry powder (I know, it sounds like a lot)
1 tablespoon marjoram
2 teaspoon cumin
2 teaspoon coriander
dash of red pepper flakes
sriracha, to taste
salt and pepper
cilantro and limes, for garnish

First, let’s talk about curry powder. I need to remind you that there is no such thing as a “curry plant” and when we talk about curry we rarely all mean the same thing. Curry is a mixture of spices and what constitutes a curry can mean a lot of things to a lot of people. You can mix up your own curry or you can buy a premix, that’s all up to you. I usually just have grocery store stuff although I know that Panang curry paste you can get at the Asian market is particularly desirable.

http://www.lawrence.com/users/meganstuke/photos/2011/apr/4/211516/

You see a list of spices in my ingredient list, and that’s because grocery store pre-mix is usually lacking, so I doctor it up with the things that appeal to me. We like ours fairly spicy. You can control that by buying a mild curry and not adding too much extra heat.

I started by slicing up the red bell pepper into thin rounds and the onion into strips and cooking them at medium high heat in a large skillet. I did reserve a few pieces of red onion for garnish at the end. Just heat some olive oil, toss the peppers and onions in with salt and pepper and a little curry powder and cook until they’re getting soft, but not all the way to caramelized or limp. Add in some minced garlic toward the end.

In the meantime, start your rice. I like a coconut lime rice with this, so I begin by melting a tablespoon of butter in my saucepan and adding the cup and a half of rice. I like to do this with all rice — stir it with a little melted butter and just mildly toast it before I add liquid and bring to a boil. Once your rice pieces are all covered in the fat, add in a can of coconut milk and a cup and a half of water or chicken stock, and bring to a boil. Stir! Once it’s boiling, reduce heat to a simmer, stirring occasionally. Before serving, I zested one lime and squeezed its juice into the rice.

http://www.lawrence.com/users/meganstuke/photos/2011/apr/4/211536/

Once the rice is started, you can add in your chicken and spices to the skillet. I removed extra fat and skin from the chicken and sliced it into strips, Then I coated each piece with curry powder, salt, and pepper, and added them to the skillet. If you need to add more oil at this time, do so, but sparingly.

http://www.lawrence.com/users/meganstuke/photos/2011/apr/4/211537/

While the chicken cooked, I added the rest of my curry and spices, and moved everything around to get a good coating on each piece of chicken and vegetable. Then I added one can of coconut milk, a cup of chicken stock, and the brown sugar, and turned up the heat to reduce the sauce. I got mine a little too reduced, and would have liked a little more “soup” with my rice, but overall, it was delicious anyway.

To serve, scoop 1 cup of rice into a bowl and then serve the chicken, vegetables, and sauce over it. Top with a piece of raw red pepper (the crunch and sweetness of it really liven up the dish), some chopped cilantro, and some chopped green onions. I quartered some limes and served those next to it as well, and liked the freshness of the squeezed lime juice over everything. Because there are so many strong spicy flavors, the complimenting sweet and sour of the fresh fruit and pepper were extra nice.

http://www.lawrence.com/users/meganstuke/photos/2011/apr/4/211535/

When you’re replicating restaurant style dishes at home, the devil is definitely in the details. Don’t skip the small stuff, the good garnish, the extra flavorful rice, the dipping sauces or the homemade salad dressing. This is how you feel like your dinner is special enough to be an acceptable substitute for the restaurant version you were originally fantasizing about. Plus, a little presentation goes a really long way to making a home meal more exciting than your average plate of hot, brown and plenty-of-it weeknight fare.

Knock-out knock-offs

We don’t eat out very often. My husband gets so tired of me saying, “But I can make that at home!” when he suggests we go out to this restaurant or that. I mean, I have made almost a perfect copy of the amazing Star Bar burger (yes, I know their secrets, and no, I’m not telling), I make a mean “restaurant-style” enchilada with chili gravy, and I’ve even been known to roll my own sushi. You want Red Lobster? I can boil a crustacean and make a killer cheesy biscuit. Craving wings? I’ll bust out our fryer and cut up some celery.

It’s just so much cheaper. I can’t justify going out to a restaurant where we will either have to entertain a fidgety toddler and therefore not really enjoy the experience so much, or basically end up paying double for our meal with the high cost of babysitters these days. Especially when I can make it at home, in my yoga pants, for a fraction of the cost. Yes, there are dishes to do after, but that’s why we have husbands.

Recently, I had a hankering for Zen Zero, but I had some chicken thighs thawed in the fridge and figured I would just try my own hand at a little coconut curry. And it was so good. We all agreed, and I’m still having lurid thoughts about it a week later. It was fast and easy, required only two pots, and cost pennies on your restaurant dollar.

Coconut Chicken Curry

4 chicken thighs (I buy the big frozen bags, super cheap)
1 red bell pepper
1/2 white onion
3 green onions
3 cloves garlic
3 tablespoon olive oil
1 1/2 cup rice
2 cans lite coconut milk
3 cup chicken stock, divided
1/2 cup brown sugar
6 tablespoon curry powder (I know, it sounds like a lot)
1 tablespoon marjoram
2 teaspoon cumin
2 teaspoon coriander
dash of red pepper flakes
sriracha, to taste
salt and pepper
cilantro and limes, for garnish

First, let’s talk about curry powder. I need to remind you that there is no such thing as a “curry plant” and when we talk about curry we rarely all mean the same thing. Curry is a mixture of spices and what constitutes a curry can mean a lot of things to a lot of people. You can mix up your own curry or you can buy a premix, that’s all up to you. I usually just have grocery store stuff although I know that Panang curry paste you can get at the Asian market is particularly desirable.

http://www.lawrence.com/users/meganstuke/photos/2011/apr/4/211516/

You see a list of spices in my ingredient list, and that’s because grocery store pre-mix is usually lacking, so I doctor it up with the things that appeal to me. We like ours fairly spicy. You can control that by buying a mild curry and not adding too much extra heat.

I started by slicing up the red bell pepper into thin rounds and the onion into strips and cooking them at medium high heat in a large skillet. I did reserve a few pieces of red onion for garnish at the end. Just heat some olive oil, toss the peppers and onions in with salt and pepper and a little curry powder and cook until they’re getting soft, but not all the way to caramelized or limp. Add in some minced garlic toward the end.

In the meantime, start your rice. I like a coconut lime rice with this, so I begin by melting a tablespoon of butter in my saucepan and adding the cup and a half of rice. I like to do this with all rice — stir it with a little melted butter and just mildly toast it before I add liquid and bring to a boil. Once your rice pieces are all covered in the fat, add in a can of coconut milk and a cup and a half of water or chicken stock, and bring to a boil. Stir! Once it’s boiling, reduce heat to a simmer, stirring occasionally. Before serving, I zested one lime and squeezed its juice into the rice.

http://www.lawrence.com/users/meganstuke/photos/2011/apr/4/211536/

Once the rice is started, you can add in your chicken and spices to the skillet. I removed extra fat and skin from the chicken and sliced it into strips, Then I coated each piece with curry powder, salt, and pepper, and added them to the skillet. If you need to add more oil at this time, do so, but sparingly.

http://www.lawrence.com/users/meganstuke/photos/2011/apr/4/211537/

While the chicken cooked, I added the rest of my curry and spices, and moved everything around to get a good coating on each piece of chicken and vegetable. Then I added one can of coconut milk, a cup of chicken stock, and the brown sugar, and turned up the heat to reduce the sauce. I got mine a little too reduced, and would have liked a little more “soup” with my rice, but overall, it was delicious anyway.

To serve, scoop 1 cup of rice into a bowl and then serve the chicken, vegetables, and sauce over it. Top with a piece of raw red pepper (the crunch and sweetness of it really liven up the dish), some chopped cilantro, and some chopped green onions. I quartered some limes and served those next to it as well, and liked the freshness of the squeezed lime juice over everything. Because there are so many strong spicy flavors, the complimenting sweet and sour of the fresh fruit and pepper were extra nice.

http://www.lawrence.com/users/meganstuke/photos/2011/apr/4/211535/

When you’re replicating restaurant style dishes at home, the devil is definitely in the details. Don’t skip the small stuff, the good garnish, the extra flavorful rice, the dipping sauces or the homemade salad dressing. This is how you feel like your dinner is special enough to be an acceptable substitute for the restaurant version you were originally fantasizing about. Plus, a little presentation goes a really long way to making a home meal more exciting than your average plate of hot, brown and plenty-of-it weeknight fare.