Keep Me Warm

On December 7, 2008, I was on a cruise ship in Miami, heading towards the Western Caribbean. The weather was very warm. I was lying out on a lounger, and when it got too hot I would either jump into the on board pool or have a frozen drink to cool down.

Fast forward to December 7, 2009. I am in the non-exotic city of Edmonton. The temperature is -30 C. The heat in my office isn't working, and my office is a balmy 10 or 11 C. (50 F for my American readers).

I wasn't prepared for a chilly office, so I hadn't worn a lot of warm clothes. My feet had hurt for a bit in the morning, but they didn't hurt again until I got into my very warm car. After a few minutes I realized my feet had gotten so cold during the day they went numb, and were now just starting to thaw out.

So after this very chilly day I was in the mood for something very warm. I had debated soup, but then I thought that maybe something with a bit of spice would be the best thing to fully warm myself up. I started searching the Internet for different curries. I found a recipe for one, but I feel that I changed enough of the recipe that it's my own.

Madras Curry

Ingredients:

- 14 oz can of full fat coconut milk

- 4 tbs madras curry paste (I used one made by Patak's)

- 3 tbs brown sugar

- 2 tbs fish sauce

- package of chicken breasts, cut up into small pieces

- medium onion, diced

- 3 carrots, sliced

- 3 handfuls of cashews, separated

- bunch of green onions, chopped

To make:

1) pour the can of coconut milk into a wok, or large skillet. Heat until hot, but do not bring to a boil

2) Add the curry paste and mix until dissolved. Add the brown sugar and fish sauce and mix until dissolved.

3) Add the chicken and two handfuls of cashews, stirring occasionally for 5 minutes or until chicken is fully cooked

4) Add the onion and carrot and stir long enough for the veggies to heat through.

5) Remove from heat. Top with remaining cashews and green onions. Serve alongside jasmine or basmati rice. I also served it with mini pita rounds.

This was very simple and very tasty. I brought the leftovers into work, and one of my East Indian coworkers confessed this morning that he had ate some of my leftovers because he wanted to see how a "white person would make a curry". He said it tasted good, but wasn't spicy enough. I would say that it was fairly warm, but at the same time I wouldn't have called it spicy either. Delicious, nonetheless. (He suggested adding jalepenos to make it spicier, if anyone wants to make it that way)

To make the cute rice tower take a ramekin, or cup, or some sort of holding device about the size of serving of rice you desire. Spray it with a non-stick spray and pack the rice in gently. Packing it in gently means to not just spoon the rice in, and not to pack it in as hard as you can squish, but to gently press in the rice. Place a plate on top of the ramekin and flip it over, so now the ramekin is resting upside down on the plate. Lift the ramekin off, and you have a rice tower. Serve immediately because the rice tower will start to fall down in a matter of minutes.

I am lucky enough to work in an office that allows me to bring my dog at work. This is a shot of her on her makeshift bed that is on my desk. She is so adorable, I couldn't help but post it!