It’s a curry night!

Last year, upon a recommendation from a friend, I bought this curry paste – Tasty Thai from Thai and True.

Thai and True Yellow Curry Paste

Oddly enough, I found it at Whole Foods, but it’s made in Portland area, somewhere, and even saw it sold at a Thai restaurant in Corvallis.

That restaurant, by the way, is The Woodsman: a schizophrenic experience, no doubt.  It was originally a logger’s tavern, a “man’s man” type of establishment and biker bar.  Saws and other logging tools of the industry’s boom are propped decoratively on the walls, conventional dust mingling with the saw dust.  Somewhere in its recent past, it changed owners and voila — delicious Thai food with curious decor.

Thai food is one of my favorites — more flavorful than Chinese and easily vegetarian or, when appropriate, vegan-friendly.  Mastering the spices, however, is always a challenge.  Finding ready made spices and pastes – such as this one, is the perfect solution for such a challenge.

Tasty Thai Curry

• 2-3 Tablespoons of coconut oil
• 1 medium red onion
• 1 medium sweet potato
• 1 red bell pepper
• 1 handful of green beans
• 1 small head of bok choy
• 1/3 a bunch of kale (all of the above should be chopped into consistent bite-size pieces)
• 2 cans of coconut milk
• 2-3 tablespoons of Tasty Thai curry paste (or your favorite)
• 1/2 cup of water
• salt and pepper to taste

1.  Melt coconut oil in large pan and add onions, sweet potatoes and curry paste.  Add the coconut milk, bring to a boil, reduce to simmer and let it cook for about 10 to 15 minutes, until the potatoes are rather soft for your liking.

2.  Add the peppers and green beans  and cook through — another 5 to 8 minutes.

3.  Add the bok choy and kale and cover, cooking for 3 to 5 minutes.  Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve with rice.