Green curry

Road Warriors Three, Day Two

August 22, 2011

Friday, 7/31/2011

There is something about waking up in North Sterling State Park Campground that reminds me of a parking lot. A nice parking lot. But still, a general parking lot feel.

And it is early! Jan the RacKOOn was rustling around the inside of their van, parked about six feet from our heads. She was either trying to be quiet and the sounds were magnified like those of a loud whisper, or she was purposefully trying to get the Menkes up and off their lazy asses so we could make tracks to a more suitable locale.

Either way, it worked. And while we didn’t break camp and leave quite as early as Ms. (rac) Koo (n) might have liked — there were Froot Loops to be consumed, after all — we were out of there by 8 am. And that’s not too bad. Not too bad at all.

The theme emerging today is that the Menke’s are not on their “A” game. There’s a lot of pressure to act like we know what we are doing, what with this being about our tenth year doing a big road trip, and I find our performance thus far to be a little embarrassing. Jan has this ability to have a place for everything and everything in its place that defies explanation. I spend insane amounts of time striving for this same state. While, for her, it just seems to “be.”

And frankly, it pisses me off.

They took down two tents long before we got our one pop-up down.

Then, after leaving the campground, we:

took three wrong turns
forgot to buy ice
And I forgot to pee when we stopped for gas. Not my kids, mind you. Me.

That was all within the first hour. Clearly we are going to have to step it up if we want to compete.

* * * I N T E R M I S S I O N W H I L E I P U T O N S O M E M A K E – U P A N D * * *

Oh. My. Gosh. Seriously, we just missed the road to the campground we were planning to try first. We are so STUPID! Dave is TOTALLY blaming me. I TOLD him to go straight on 287 out of Fort Collins (cool town!) and to look for 14. Isn’t that enough? Isn’t the driver responsible for that? Can’t I curl my flippin’ eyelashes in peace??

Add to the previous list:

Jennie is a terrible navigator
Dave is a finger-pointer

Now, where was I…

O. M. G…. I swear to God, I just looked down to commence writing again and we missed the second road in to Rocky Mountain National Park after missing the first. So now we are on to Plan C because — God forbid we turn around…

I think the Koo’s are considering a Plan D where they simply take the correct road and meet up with us at the Sand Dunes in a couple days. If I were in a car behind Dave, I know that’s what I’d do right about now.

Anyway, did I mention that Fort Collins is a lovely town? I think I did.

******

I pick up this writing this the next morning. It is never fun to have to portray yourself in a less-than-stellar light. But as I have mentioned before, I am duty-bound to the truth. Just because it is my version of the truth doesn’t make it any easier. And the truth is, I have been a crabby-pants.

Because we missed the roads to the first and the second campgrounds, we continued north to others on the (northern) list. It was hot, dusty and everything and everyplace was full, full, full. The area was ugly and seemed to be overflowing with hillbillys. Not that there is anything wrong with a nice hillbilly, but it did not add a positive element to the situation.

As afternoon faded to evening and as we were faced with a potential no-place-to-sleep crisis, we began the hunt for a dispersed camping spot.

For those unlearned in Colorado dispersed camping, this is where you camp if you have a trailer full of ATV’s and dirt bikes, a boom box with choice tunes, and a handgun with a full clip and an itchy trigger-finger.

Ahhhh, peace and…. not quiet.

And no water or bathrooms, either. But I don’t really care about that. In fact, I far prefer to find a tree rather than visit any outhouse. Any day.

Did I mention it was hot and dusty?

And hot? I think I did.

The site itself was kind of nice, if you ignored the broken glass and nails. I mean really. Are you getting a mind picture?

We made some lunch and lounged in the shade and got ready to go on a hike. Now I’m not one to complain (I actually just laughed out loud as I wrote that, and that’s saying something, considering my mood), but my swollen foot was still swollen. I was just able to get it in to my shoe after unlacing it all the way. But was still pretty sore.

I remained quiet and moody.

I really had no reason to be crabby, mind you. Aside from my foot. And the heat. Did I mention it was hot? So, I determined that I must be in my “adjustment phase” of the trip. This has been a feature of my personality since I was a child. When I was little, my mom and dad would tolerate my mood for as long as they could bear, and then they would yell at me and scare some sense in to me.

No one in my current circle has the sense to do this, so I have to do it myself. I prayed for sanity during the entire hike and sanity returned.

Thankfully. Cuz that was getting old.

Morgan is struggling with headaches. Not sure if it is from the altitude or the concussion. Either way, she is gobbling Advil and taking it easy. She is quite good at that, you know.

Charlie is picking up the slack, which is nice. But in general, both kids are being very helpful and productive. I’m not exactly sure what to make of that. Maybe they are trying to one-up their cousins. Yes… the more I think of it, that is probably it.

And I have no complaints about that.

We hiked “Big South” along the Cache Le Poudre River. There are three things that stand out from this hike:

Kayaks galore
Mosquitos galore
Dave will simply never learn how to operate a camera.

We found out later that this stretch of river is top three in difficulty and quality for kayaking in Colorado. Due to a late snow, the road just opened the previous week — one of the reasons it was so busy. This area is also considered to be the buggiest in Colorado.

As for the camera, we have lots of “pictures” like this one:

OK. Got it! (click that)

And only one like this one:

(which prevents me from photoshopping a new head on to Grace.)

Did I mention it was hot?

We stopped for ice in Rustic, Co on our way back to camp and were almost hit head-on by a big souped-up Jeep on a hairpin turn. Idiot hillbillies.

Upon return, I popped the requisite beer and Dave made vodka tonics for himself and the Koo’s. HEY! I would have had one of those! Darn it! He promised to make me one later. Green curry was the dinner plan, along with tomato mozzarella salad. I know I always say this, but: mmmmmm. I’m a little sad though, because my favorite meal is already over. During the course of the evening, we modified the plan yet again.

Since we are about two hours from Boulder (don’t ask me how we got so far away), and since Jan really wants to spend some time in Boulder and visit her old haunts (she went to CU), and since, based on the crowds we have encountered so far, we are thinking it might be hard to secure a camping spot by the time we get to the dunes tomorrow…

Anyway, many marshmallows later, it was decided that we would find a spot half way between Boulder and the dunes. This is starting to feel like deja vu.

It should be noted that I never did receive that vodka tonic.

Meatless Monday 41

October 28, 2010

Coconut Green Curry with Snap Peas (and Shrimp)

My original intent had been to lump this recipe with Meatless Monday 40 and compress the agony into one post.*

“But that’s not how I roll.”

I just hate that saying. So I just had to say it.

I’m going to sit here and write this until I am done. It is 11:23 am. I am so badly anticipating my lunch of leftover fried rice from last night that I am hoping it will be motivation enough. (I had to leave a blank space in front of the word “enough” (now underlined) because I cannot think of the word that I want to use! It is at the tip of my tongue, and this happens to me several times a day. My vocabulary has left the building. It is driving me crazy. Hopefully, by the time I am dying of starvation and desire for my fried rice, it will come back to me.)

[I came back to the space before “enough” and had to give it another 30 seconds. Then I remembered — motivation! So happy. Yesterday I couldn’t come up with the word “alienates.” I am fearful for my future. Is it menopause?]

As much as I love my Aroy-D brand green curry, I didn’t know about it until well after my foray into green curry recipes. Today’s recipe is a forerunners to the discovery of my favorite green-curry-in-a-can, Aroy-D. I am a bit ashamed to say that I have never actually made my own green curry paste, as urged in The Big Bowl cookbook, where this recipe is adapted from, though. They claim you will never know how good it can be until you make it yourself.

But I hate shopping. And I really hate hunting for obscure ingredients.

And so, I have never made curry paste. Because, as you might imagine, there are a lot of obscure ingredients required when making it from scratch.

Instead, when curry paste is called for, I’ve used Thai Kitchen brand. It’s pretty good. They changed their recipe years ago, though, which really ticked me off. It used to be made fairly mild and you added your own heat. Back when I had toddlers, that was a must. We couldn’t serve them green curry inferno, now could we? So I always just added more spice to Dave and my dishes. It was a real problem when they changed it while my kids were still young. My solution was to hold way back on the paste and complete the recipe, take portions out for them, then stir in the rest of the curry paste for Dave and I. It worked well, but it still made me mad.

I hate when manufacturers of green curry paste do that, don’t you? It puts them on par with bra and underwear makers. Victoria Secret recently changed the cut of their “low rider bikini.” Suffice to say, I am in Hell today.

So anyway, this was my first favorite green curry recipe. I know shrimp isn’t an option for vegetarians, but it counts as meatless for me. Vegetarians can substitute tofu, or just make sure to coat it with cornstarch and sesame, since those flavors are such a big part of this recipe and the cornstarch slightly thickens the sauce.

*Agony being the retelling of the tale, not the agony of Meatless Mondays. Just so we are clear.

Coconut Green Curry with Shrimp and Snap Peas

2 cans light coconut milk
40 medium raw, deveined, shell-on shrimp, peeled*
2 T cornstarch
1 T sesame oil
2 T fish sauce
1 T lime juice
1 T sugar
1/4 cup vegetable oil, less if you have a nicely seasoned wok
1 large sweet red pepper, julienned
I have no idea how many sugar snap peas: If you are a counter, then figure 20-25, Cut fat ones on the diagonal
2 heaping Tablespoons of green curry paste (or to taste)
1 c chicken stock*
steamed jasmine rice
chopped fresh cilantro (optional)

Put the coconut milk in a saucepan and simmer over medium heat until reduced by half. This takes about 20 minutes. If you don’t have the time, then skip this step but reduce recipe to 1 can. Broth will simply be thinner.

Toss the shrimp with the cornstarch and sesame oil and set aside. Stir together fish sauce, lime juice and sugar. Set aside.

Heat wok up to smoking point and add oil. When hot but not smoking, add the shrimp and cook until barely translucent, about 3 or 4 minutes. Remove from pan leaving any remaining oil.

Add the peppers and snap peas to the wok and toss over high heat. Push to the side and add the curry paste, mashing it with a fork, then add the chicken stock*. After a minute or two add the coconut milk. When hot, stir in the shrimp and fish sauce mixture.

Serve over hot rice and sprinkle with cilantro. Serves 4 with the requisite container of leftovers for my lunch the next day.

*I sometimes use stock made from the shrimp shells in place of chicken stock. You just save the shells from the shrimp and add to 2 cups of water and simmer until reduced to 1 cup. Strain the shells. I encourage you to try it. It allows you to feel superior, smug and frugal all at the same time. In the photo below, I tried to get even fancier. I added the shells to the coconut milk, thinking I could save myself one more dirty pan. I don’t recommend it. It is too hard to strain. It allowed me to feel inventive, smug and stupid, all at the same time.

Faster than a Frozen Pizza Green Curry

February 11, 2010

Approximately three times a week, at about 6pm, I can be heard asking anyone standing within earshot, “Should we have Green Curry tonight?”

So sick have my family become of this question, that now treat it as rhetorical.

Tonight I had Green Curry.

It should be noted that the vocal portion of the family were gone. That left Charlie and myself as a voters. And he is mere putty in my hands, the poor boy. He actually seems to want to please me!

Maybe it’s the headphones clasped to head, with guns roaring in the background as he plays Call of Duty Modern Warfare (don’t worry, he has the “blood turned off”, whatever that means) as I asked him his preference between frozen pizza and Green Curry. Maybe it is his sweet nature. It really doesn’t matter. He let me decide.

I ate way too much and now I feel sick, sitting in bed with the place all to myself. Books and magazines spread out across the entire surface…

But that’s not the point.

The point is, this is, by far, the fastest meal in my repertoire. Even if I start with frozen chicken. It is also one of my most favorite meals. I. Love. Green. Curry. Anything.

Maybe the delicious nature of green curry is responsible for cultures that eat dogs? I really swear you could put anything into the silky green liquid and it would taste like heaven.

I digress. And not in a good way.

I have long drooled over tempting recipes with long ingredient lists patiently pounded out with a mortar and pestle, ending in a curry paste that promises to be the best I’ve ever tasted.

And yet, I’ve never settled down to make one from scratch. I keep meaning to. It sounds fun. but…

WHY SHOULD I, WHEN THIS HEAVEN-IN-A-CAN EXISTS?

Honestly. I love it. Everything is already in there: kaffir lime leaves, lemongrass, bamboo shoots, coconut milk…

Before my friend Beth (who used to live in Thailand, I might add) turned me on to this brand, I used to nurse along a kaffir lime plant and a lemongrass catastrophe-in-a-pot so I could make a decent curry from the Thai Kitchen brand green curry paste available in grocery stores and I would never be without my favorite meal. It was really good. But it was a giant pain in the ass.

I’m exaggerating: it wasn’t really all that huge of a pain in the ass; only when compared to the curry in a can that I use now.

Here are the steps to making it:

about 20 minutes before we need to eat, I run downstairs, grab some chicken thighs or chicken breasts from freezer.
I submerge frozen chicken package in warm water. I don’t defrost in the microwave anymore because I got sick of partially cooked corners and I think it changes the texture of the meat.
I rifle around for any (and I mean any) languishing vegetables to toss in: peas pods(or frozen peas), tomatoes, zucchini, green beans, potatoes, eggplant, carrots… anything.

I cut chicken into large bites, discarding any globs of fat from the thighs (which I like better than breasts for this)
If feeling dandy and I have the time, I brown the chicken before dumping in the can of curry. It’s not necessary, but does prevent weird chicken dust from forming in broth. I can’t think of any other way to describe that stuff that floats in the sauce. If done right, it also creates brown bits that I scrape up when I add the curry, which adds some extra flavor.

I simmer until chicken is cooked thru, adding veggies in last minutes.

And finally, I serve it over jasmine rice

Tonight, starting with frozen chicken thighs, I had dinner on the table in 15 minutes. The thighs took 5 minutes to thaw. The curry took 10 minutes to cook. And the rice was ready in 15.

I ate two full bowls and then ate the rest of Charlie’s. And then ate a bunch more as I put the leftovers away.

Send help.

[update: it is now lunch. I am over my sickness and preparing to eat the rest for lunch in 44 minutes.]