What I Cooked This Weekend

"In France, cooking is an art form and a national sport." -- Julia Child

I love to cook. That's because I'm a practical guy and eating is a practical pleasure. It's the only form of pleasure and indulgence that keeps you alive. And if I am going to eat, there's no sense in wasting calories on bad food, so I cook.

The task of cooking is dichotomous and appeals to both the scholastic and artistic sides of me. I can't help but picture the chains of protein molecules forming as I knead my pizza dough, and the yeast converting the simple carbohydrates into teenie pockets of carbon dioxide that will eventually give the crust its rise and texture. But as I am stretching the dough into its final shape, I take care to make sure that it looks good, though not necessarily perfectly round (I prefer my pizzas to be slightly ovular), and that the toppings are spaced evenly and the cheese is uniform across the entire pie. A bit anal? Maybe so, but I believe that good food should appeal to all the senses.

In Vietnamese and Thai cooking, the perfect dish or meal blends the "Four S's": Spicy, Salty, Sweet, and Sour. These flavors are summed up in classic dishes like Pad Thai, with its sweet and salty sauce, the sourness from the lime, and the spiciness from the chilis. On New Years Day I made a coconut chicken curry, served with jasmine rice and slices of baguette. It too has a classic blend of the "Four S's": Sweet coconut, Spicy chilis, Salty chicken marinade, and sour tartness from the lemongrass and tomatoes.

Coconut Chicken Curry
Serves 6
1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breast, sliced 1/4" thick
1/4 c chopped lemongrass
6 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
4 shallots, coarsely chopped
2 T massaman curry paste
2 T indian (madras, if possible) curry powder
1/4 c Vietnamese or Thai fish sauce (you can substitute with 3 T soy sauce if you don't have or can't find fish sauce)
1 chili pepper (thai chili or jalapeno), seeded & chopped (if you want it really spicy, increase this to 2 chili peppers)
black pepper
1 14 oz. can of whole peeled tomatoes
2 cups chicken broth
2 large onions, each sliced into 8 wedges
3 large or 4 medium russet potatoes, chopped into 1" cubes
2 carrots, 1/2" slice rounds
2 bay leaves
3 cups coconut milk
cornstarch, for thickening
vegetable oil for cooking

Combine the lemongrass, garlic, shallots, curries, fish sauce, and chili peppers in a food processor. Add black pepper to taste (about 1/2 teaspoon). Process to a very fine paste. Reserve half of the paste and toss the other half with the chicken and let marinate for at least 30 minutes, or overnight if possible.

In a dutch oven or similar pot heat the oil on medium high heat. Saute the chicken until slightly brown. Remove the chicken pieces and reduce the heat to medium. Add additional oil if needed and sautee the reserved curry paste along with the bay leaves for about 2 minutes until aromatic. Add the onions and sautee for an additional 2 minutes until slightly softened. Add the tomatoes and all the liquid in the can and cook for 3-4 minutes while breaking the tomatoes with a wooden spoon into smaller chunks. Add the chicken, carrots and chicken broth. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cover. Simmer for 20 minutes. Add the potatoes. Simmer for another 20 minutes. Add the coconut milk and bring back to boil over medium-high heat, then reduce to a simmer. Simmer for an additional 15-25 minutes, or until the potatoes are cooked through. After 10 minutes of simmering, check the thickness of the curry. Blend in cornstarch 1 tablespoon at a time until you get the desired thickness. Adjust the seasoning and serve over hot jasmine rice with sliced baguette on the side.