Wednesday, February 10, 2010

Trader Joe's makes a fine red curry

OK, I really can't take credit for this one. Trader Joe's, take it away!

And shame on me for that. It's so easy to make curry from scratch -- it's basically curry powder or curry paste with coconut milk! But sometimes it just tastes better when somebody else makes it. Even if it is full of sodium.

Don't get me wrong, the sauce was tasty enough. First I marinated four sliced chicken breasts in kosher salt and garlic powder for a few hours. Then I sauteed half a small onion and two mini bell peppers, sliced, with a crushed garlic clove in extra-virgin olive oil for about 5 minutes.

After removing the veggies to a bowl, I cooked up the chicken in the same pan, then put the veggies back in along with a can of drained mini corn and the entire jar of Thai Red Curry Sauce. I let it all simmer for about 10 minutes because it was kind of runny, and I suppose I could have added some corn starch, but that would have taken away from the whole point of this, which was simplicity.

My lesson for the day? Once again, being thrifty does not always pay off. Originally I had picked up a mini can of mini corn from the Asian section, but when I found that it was the same price as a full-size can, I opted for the bigger one. But the smaller one actually has smaller, more bite-size corn in it that would have been more appropriate for the dish. Live and learn.

In all honesty, I will say that I was a bit disappointed by the flavor of the sauce, but I hardly blame Trader Joe's. Just last week, I think I spoiled myself by going to my new favorite Indian restaurant, Saffron Grill, (Is it my favorite because it's so close by? Possibly, but it's still quite tasty!) and I think my expectations may have been a bit inflated. No, this sauce was not even close to as good as the food Saffron Grill serves, but for a fraction of the price and the comfort of my home, it's worth it.

No comments:

Post a Comment