Chicken Rama

I wanted Thai for lunch on Monday, but my co-worker who I was eating with claimed that because she was having Chinese food on Tuesday, she didn't want Thai on Monday. I decided that it wasn't worth arguing about the differences between the two, and had a very tasty chicken pesto sandwich and sweet potato fries. As soon as I got home, I searched for an easy Thai recipe to put together, and this is what I settled on. The chicken is poached in coconut milk - I like cooking braised/poached meats because it's harder to overcook them. The sauce comes together easily, and could be adjusted for spice levels easily as well.

Chicken Rama (adapted from food.com recipe)
serves 3-4

1 can coconut milk
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 -1 ½ lb boneless skinless chicken , cut in 1/2 inch pieces
1 tbsp chunky peanut butter
1 tablespoon red curry paste
dash of fish sauce
3 tablespoons brown sugar
½ cup finely chopped roasted peanuts


1. Add coconut and ginger to a medium saucepan over medium heat, and stir until well blended. Bring it to a boil, add chicken pieces, reduce heat, and simmer  5-7 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through (i.e., no pink remains).

2. With a slotted spoon, remove the chicken and transfer to a bowl; cover and set aside. If any coconut milk accumulates at the bottom of the bowl, just pour it back into the saucepan.

3. To the saved coconut milk, add the peanut butter, red curry paste, fish sauce, brown sugar, and chopped peanuts. Continue cooking over medium heat, stirring constantly, for 10 minutes or until the sauce is creamy and not grainy in appearance.

4. Add the chicken, and heat for another 2 minutes.

5. Serve with steamed white rice and broccoli.

Notes:

• The original recipe calls for a lot more fish sauce. I pick the fish sauce out of dishes really easily, and err on the side of extreme caution when cooking for myself. 
• The original recipe says creamy peanut butter, but all we ever have in our house is chunky. I upped the amount, too, and decreased the sugar slightly. I like my sauce good and peanutty.
• For curry paste, I used Spice House Thai Red Curry Powder, and just dumped it into the sauce without thinning with water. I love everything that Spice House produces. Using powder might have made the sauce's consistency thicker than it would've been if I used curry paste.