So I've been having a taste for shrimp, which is something I rarely do. I wasn't really sure HOW I wanted it, I just knew I wanted some shrimp. So Tuesday, I figured it out. My muse had wanted for some time, some Panang Curry; what better way to satisfy two different wants with one dish. So off to the market I went, looking for a deal on shrimp, and some STUFF to go with it. First thing first, as usual, the seafood department had decent sized white shrimp (versus tigers, or my favorite, pink, which tend to be from local-ish waters) on sale. Done. Next, restocked on Jasmine rice, as that part of the pantry was depleted. On to produce. Snow peas, great. A small red pepper (it only takes a little), I knew I had some carrot, but it needed something else. Hmm. Well, last week, they had fresh baby corn, alas not again this week. Canned? Eh, why not. Off to the "ethnic section". Lo and behold, a generally available label in major grocers here in Central FL, had a canned product of not only baby corn, but had some bamboo shoot, and been sprout. Perfect. I knew I already had the Panang curry paste that I had purchased at my last forage of the only Asian market I shop at- for those in the Tampa area not familiar with Oceanic Trading Co, become so. And I had stocked up on coconut milk as well. A note here, coco lopez cream of coconut that I use every summer for my multitude of Pina Coladas is not the same as coconut milk. Personally, I've been using the CHAUDOC brand of coconut milk both personally and professionally for over 10 years. Much like THE brand of fish sauce is SQUID brand.
Alright, we have rice, shrimp, veggies, and sauce...what else. I purchased some fresh basil. I opted for the Italian sweet basil, the stuff we all know, as I was not going to make a run for some traditional thai basil. Thai basil is a bit more pungent, and well, less "sweet". But they both have that hint of "anise" as all basil do. I didn't bother with any peanuts, the only other traditional garnish.
Back home, and first thing first, measure out the rice, rinse well, and let drain. I mention a really great book in the Library, Seductions of Rice, that really covers the ins and outs of cooking rice. I opt for a rice cooker. I got a great deal on one that is the Cadillac of rice cookers. What's nice about it, you put it in, it cooks the rice, and then it just sits there, for hours if you'd like, waiting for you to serve it. Nice, fluffy, perfect. If anyone thinks that any Asian restaurant or home cooks their rice the old fashioned way, is in for a big surprise.
Next, I peel, and run the carrots over the benriner (, Tools). I like to julienne the snow peas, as well as the red pepper. From there, peel and de-vein the shrimp, open the cans of coconut milk (I used two cans, about 1 and three quarters pound of shrimp). I used a dutch oven to cook every thing in. Get some peanut or canola oil hot, throw in the veggies, and saute for a minute or two, add the coconut milk, about 3 tablespoons panang curry (panang isn't the hottest of curries, but it has a lot of flavor. Start with 2 tablespoons, and then adjust to your tastes). Bring to a simmer, (by now, the rice should be done, if you are cooking on stove top, ask me about that technique, I'm sure I'll cover it in the future).
Ok, so rice is ready, sauce is simmering, now we add the shrimp. They only take a few minutes, so we want to be close to done when we add them. Toss in the shrimp, lower the heat a tad, and now we are going to chop some basil. Just a rough chop is fine. We can now taste the dish. Traditionally, a bit of palm sugar may be added to balance the curry, but some tablespoon or two of light brown sugar would be just fine (that's what I used.) A little salt if necessary, and the you should be done.
Scoop some rice into a bowl, spoon your shrimp/coconut curry sauce over that, sprinkle some fresh basil and some chopped peanuts.
The point of this is that you can enjoy other flavors without having to strive for some perfect "recreation" of your favorite dish. As many times as I've attempted this dish, it never quite is as good as when I have it in a good Thai place. But I'm not trying to be that place. I'm trying to keep my dinners at home fresh, that is, keep from getting out of a rut, and keep challenging my skills in the kitchen. I am always satisfied with the result, and am happy that I tackled a dish that most would never feel comfortable doing. As you do more of this, the more comfortable you become with the ingredients, and feel comfortable "winging it" with dish.