Curry (Skye Style)

This is 25% Thai curry and 75% improvisation!

Ingredients

• A yellow curry powder. Since this recipe involves coconut milk, curry powders other than "the kind that makes yellow curry" may taste off.
• Fresh ginger (minced, grated, shredded, or paste)
• Fresh garlic (no more than 3 cloves, unless you really like garlic)
• 1 can of coconut milk (somewhere in the 12oz range)
• Neutral cooking oil ("vegetable oil", safflower, or similar)
• At least one root vegetable, such as:
  • Carrots
  • Those little, colorful potatoes that are the size of your fist
  Do not use the large potatoes that you'd use for making baked potatoes. You will make glue by mistake.
• At least one other kind of vegetable, such as:
  • Green beans
  • Peas
  • Broccoli
• At least one protein. Options include:
  • Chicken
  • Beef
  • Tofu (I recommend buying pre-fried, unless you've fried tofu before)
  • Shrimp
• Chili garlic paste

Cooking implements required

• Wok or high-walled skillet - the entire curry (with the coconut milk) will get assembled in here.
• Smaller skillet - you'll cook your Protein in here.
• 2 burners
• Chef's knife
• Spatula
• Cooking spoon (e.g. wooden spoon)
• Spoon for tasting your curry with

Preparation

1. Chop the veggies into bite-sized pieces.
2. If you're using shrimp, de-shell and de-vein them.
3. Chop the protein into bite-sized pieces.
4. Prep about a clove's worth of garlic, and the same amount of ginger. (Mince it or crush it or shred it, whichever you prefer.)

Cooking Instructions

1. Put the big skillet on low heat, then pour the coconut milk into the skillet.
2. Add two tablespoons of curry powder. Mix well.
3. Taste your coconut milk. If it isn't almost-painfully spicy, add more curry powder and stir until it's evenly mixed in. Keep adding curry powder, stirring it in, and tasting the mixture until you begin to suspect you have added way too much curry powder. (The root vegetables will cook in this liquid, and they'll absorb more of the spice than you'd think.)
4. Turn the heat up to medium and add the chopped-up root vegetables to the coconut milk. Stir occasionally. Be prepared to continue stirring this every minute or so until it's done.
5. From now until step 8, if you're worried that you're about to overcook your root vegetables, turn the heat down to low.
6. Put the smaller skillet on medium heat, add your neutral oil, and cook your Protein (chicken, shrimp, etc.) until it's done. Don't forget to stir your root vegetables!
7. Set the protein aside. If you're using peas, add those to the big skillet now.
8. Check your root vegetables by poking them with a spoon. If they feel like they're almost done cooking, proceed to the next step. Otherwise, cook them for another few minutes, then repeat this step.
9. Add all your other vegetables (like broccoli and green beans). If you've turned the heat down under your big skillet, turn it back up to medium.
10. Cook 2 to 5 minutes, or until your veggies look done.
11. Turn the heat down to low, add your cooked protein, and stir gently for 30 seconds.
12. Eat curry. Celebrate your success over curry.