This perfect summer recipe is adapted from the McCormick & Schmick’s Seafood Restaurant Cookbook, which I recently received from my boss at work (Thanks, Bill!). I was drawn to this recipe because the salsa reminded me of the one we created to use in our fish taco recipe — mangoes, pineapple, cilantro, onion — and the coconut curry rice sounded awesome. We weren’t let down, we both really enjoyed this dish. Hooray for grilling season! The recipe may look a bit complicated because you have to make the sauce(s) separately, but they come together pretty quickly.

Lisa says:

Oh my GAWD — I love this rice.

Chris says:

Weren’t you just talking about coconut curry rice this weekend?

Lisa says:

Yes! My dinner at Bick’s came with that rice.

Chris says:

How does this compare?

Lisa says:

This wins because we made it here.

Chris says:

I really like the mango barbecue sauce — fruity, smokey, and just a little kick of spice from the chutney.

Lisa says:

…and of course, the mango salsa rules.

Chris says:

…of course. There’s triple sec in it.

Mango Barbecued Swordfish
2 7-oz swordfish steaks
2 tbsp vegetable oil
salt
pepper
1/2 cup Mango Barbecue Sauce (recipe below)
1/2 cup long-grain rice
3/4 cup Coconut Curry Sauce (recipe below)
6 tbsp Tropical Fruit Salsa (recipe below)
cilantro, for garnish

Oil and season the fish with salt and pepper, and grill for 4 minute per side, or until just done. Baste frequently with the Mango Barbecue Sauce. Prepare the rice per package directions, and when done, pour 1/2 the Coconut Curry Sauce in and toss to coat. Place the rice in the center of the serving plates. Place the fish on the rice and drizzle the remaining sauce around the plate. Top the fish with the salsa and sprigs of cilantro.

2 Servings

Coconut Curry Sauce
1 cup coconut milk
1 tbsp freshly squeezed lime juice
1/4 cup peanut butter
1 cup chicken stock
3 tbsp green Thai curry paste
2 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
2 tsp kosher salt

In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, combine all ingredients and simmer for 8-10 minutes until somewhat thickened.

Makes 2 cups

Mango Barbecue Sauce
4 tbsp coconut milk
1/2 cup hot mango chutney
1 mango, peeled and diced
2 tbsp chopped cilantro
4 tbsp store-bought barbecue sauce

Combine all ingredients in food processor and puree until smooth.

Makes 1 cup

Tropical Fruit Salsa
2 tbsp fresh mango, diced 1/4 inch
2 tbsp fresh papaya, diced 1/4 inch
4 tbsp fresh pineapple, diced 1/4 inch
2 tbsp diced red onion
2 tbsp diced red bell pepper
2 tsp freshly squeezed lime juice
salt, pinch
pepper, pinch
cumin, pinch
1 tsp cilantro
2 splashes triple sec

Combine all ingredients, season to taste.

Makes about 1 cup

A new recipe from Great Bowls of Fire for us tonight — this one was nice and spicy! Thin strips of beef are stir-fried with peppers, mushrooms, and snap peas, and drowned in a sauce of coconut milk, chicken broth, and soy sauce. Filling and delicious!

Chris says:

Whoa — this is spicier than I was expecting!

Lisa says:

Don’t be a baby… it’s a lot less intense with the rice.

Chris says:

Hey, I’m the one who likes spicy, remember? I just meant I had my chili sauce at the ready and don’t think I’ll need to add as much as usual.

Lisa says:

While you’ve been jibber-jabbing about spicy foods, I’ve been enjoying my dinner.. mmm, so good! I love the coconut milk flavor.

Chris says:

Agreed. If this dinner was a song by Kansas, it’d be “Curry on Wayward Son”.

Lisa says:

So, I’ve learned to live with your puns, but what the heck does that even mean?

Chris says:

No clue. Okay, I’m going to finish eating this deliciousness.

Red Curry Beef and Mushrooms
1 tbsp peanut oil
1 lb top round
1 red bell pepper, seeded and cut into slivers
8 oz cremini mushrooms, sliced
2 tsp minced ginger root
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 tsp red curry paste
1 cup low-fat coconut milk
1 cup chicken broth
1/2 lb. snow peas, halved
3 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tbsp cornstarch
10 basil leaves, cut into strips
4 cups cooked Jasmine rice

In a large wok, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the beef and stir-fry until browned, 4-6 minutes. Remove from the pan and set aside, keeping warm.
In the same wok, add the bell pepper and mushrooms and stir-fry over medium heat for 5 minutes. Add the ginger and garlic and stir-fry for 2 minutes. Add the beef and curry paste and stir-fry for 2 minutes more. Stir in the coconut milk, broth, snow peas, soy sauce, cumin, and coriander and bring to a gentle simmer over medium heat. Cook, stirring, for about 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a small mixing bowl, combine the cornstarch with 1 tbsp water. Whisk into the curry sauce and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Stir in the basil leaves and serve over rice.

4 Servings

For Taste & Create VIII, Lisa and I were paired with Sathya & Elizabeth from The Baker and The Curry Maker: our second Aussie pairing! After scouring through a bunch of delicious sounding posts, I decided to make this mushroom curry that Sathya made back in October. Lisa and I are huge mushroom fans (wait — does that mean we love huge mushrooms?) so this recipe sounded just right. It went paired well with a mushroom rice pilaf — the more shrooms the better!

Lisa says:

I love mushrooms.

Chris says:

That’s pretty obvious — I was just checking out our tag list, and mushrooms clock in at number 2.

Lisa says:

Seemed like this was pretty easy to make compared to our previous T&C events.

Chris says:

Yes — very easy and really healthy! The only difficult part, if any at all, was converting from grams to ounces.

Lisa says:

I’m glad to see that people around the world share our love for all things mushroom and cilantro…

Mushroom Curry
————–
10 oz button mushrooms, halved
5 oz oyster mushrooms
1 onion, chopped
1 tomato, diced
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1 small piece Ginger, grated
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp ground coriander
Salt
Oil
3 tablespoons yogurt
Fresh cilantro, chopped

Place the ginger, garlic, and onion into a food processor and grind until it makes a smooth paste.
Add a little oil to a pan over high heat and stir-fry the mushrooms for a few minutes until they decrease in size and start to give off their liquid. Set aside.
Turn the heat to low, add some more oil to the pan if needed and stir in the onion paste. Add the yogurt one tablespoon at a time, and cook for two minutes.
Add the tomatoes, ground coriander, chili powder, and salt, and cook for another minute.
Add the mushrooms, along with 1/2 cup of water and stir well. Adjust the heat and let thicken, stirring occasionally.
Garnish with chopped cilantro leaves and serve.

A few nights ago I made this tasty curry recipe that I found on what you having for your tea?, a blog I’ve been following for quite a while. Big fan of the curries, that wyhfyt, and this one was #1 on his(?) Best of 2007 list.

Chris says:

I can see why this made the top 10 list. It’s awesome. And since we used chicken thighs the meat isn’t dried out after cooking it for so long.

Lisa says:

You’re right, I’m usually a breast girl –

Chris says:

…ahem…

Lisa says:

– but this chicken is really moist. And such a great flavor!

Chris says:

Yeah the fish sauce is a really interesting ingredient, I wouldn’t have expected to see that in a curry…

Lisa says:

This is the closest to what I’d expect to get at a restaurant. So good! I keep saying that I’m done but then I go back for more.

Chris says:

I know — addictive!

Burmese Chicken Curry
———————
2 lbs chicken thighs, quartered or cubed
2 teaspoons hot curry powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon garam masala
4 tablespoons peanut oil
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 teaspoons paprika
2 onions, chopped
4 garlic cloves, chopped
1 heaped teaspoon minced ginger
2 tomatoes, chopped
1 tablespoon fish sauce
1 stick of lemongrass, cut to about 6″, bulb end pounded to release aroma

Sprinkle curry powder, salt and garam masala over the chicken and set aside. In a blender or food processor puree onions, garlic, paprika, cayenne pepper and ginger into a thick paste.
Heat the oil in a deep pan and fry the paste over a medium heat for about 10 minutes.
Add the chicken and turn up the heat to high, stirring for another few minutes. Add the tomatoes and stir for a further 5 minutes.
Add one cup of warm water (enough to cover the chicken), lemongrass and the fish sauce and bring to a boil.
Turn the heat to low, partially cover the pan and gently simmer for at least 45 minutes until the chicken is very tender. Remove the lid and simmer for a further 15 minutes to reduce the sauce.

3-4 Servings, or 2 if you just can’t get enough!

Lisa was looking for a recipe to utilize the rest of our veggies from the CSA box, and came across this recipe from Food & Wine Magazine. Potatoes and broccoli are the big players here, with a supporting cast of mushrooms, tomatoes, and basil. The green curry paste we had on hand was pretty subtle, but still added a nice flavor to the dish.

Chris says:

Hot damn, I like this!

Lisa says:

What? It’s not hot at all. The flavor is really good though.

Chris says:

I didn’t mean “spicy” damn… I really like the flavors, too, and you can always make it spicier with the ol’ rooster…

Lisa says:

I like these generous portions… Hm, guess what I’m having for dinner tomorrow night while you’re at school?

Thai Vegetable Curry
——————–
1 1/2 tablespoons cooking oil
1 onion, sliced thin
1/2″ ginger, sliced thin
1 to 1 1/2 teaspoons Thai green curry paste
14 oz can light coconut milk
1 cup chicken broth
1 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup drained canned bamboo shoots, halved
1 pound potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
1 pound broccoli, thick stems removed, tops cut into small florets (1 quart)
8 oz mushrooms, sliced
1 tomato, chopped
1 1/2 teaspoons lime juice
1/3 cup thin-sliced basil leaves

In a large saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion and ginger and cook, stirring occasionally, until starting to soften, about 3 minutes. Stir in the curry paste and fry, stirring, for 1 minute.
Add the coconut milk and broth and bring to a boil. Stir in the soy sauce, brown sugar, salt, bamboo shoots, potatoes, broccoli, and mushrooms. Reduce the heat and simmer, partially covered, until the vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes.
Stir in the tomato and heat through, about 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and add the lime juice and basil.

Serve with rice.

4 Servings