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I have some sort of stigma that if the recipe has complex Asian flavors, suddenly it’s impossible to make. I have to tell myself that it’s not always true! When I visited Utah last, my friend Conrad invited me over for a delicious yellow curry dinner and he told me his secret for making delicious Thai food: Real Thai: The Best of Thailand’s Regional Cooking.

Last week, I got my copy (signed by Nancy herself!!) and last night finally managed to make something from the book. The results: A-M-A-Z-I-N-G. I’ve really only skimmed through the first few pages of the book where I stumbled upon a green curry recipe. I modified the recipe to a red curry and later discovered a red curry recipe on the next page! I’m smart, I know. Either way the concoction that made last night’s dinner was incredibly delicious.

Here’s my version of Nancy’s Gaeng Kiow Wahn Gai (Green Chicken Curry). . .

Red Chicken Curry

1 pound chicken
2 cans coconut milk
1/8 cup red curry paste
1 1/2 cups broccoli
2 tablespoons fish sauce
1 tablespoon palm sugar or brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
juice and zest of one lime
1 large red pepper

Cut meat into large bite-sized pieces; set aside. In a medium saucepan, warm the coconut milk over medium heat until it boils gently. Adjust the heat to maintain a gentle boil and cook for 6-8 minutes, stirring occasionally. The coconut cream will become fragrant as it thickens. Add the curry paste and stir to dissolve it into the coconut cream. Continue cooking for 1-2 minutes.

In a large skillet, add the chicken and a couple of tablespoons of coconut mixture. Cook for a couple minutes to coat the chicken. Increase heat and add the coconnut milk, broccoli, fish sauce, sugar, salt; stir well. Stir in lime, peppers, half cup basil leaves and reduce heat to maintain a gentle boil and cook for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. When the chicken is done and vegetables tender, remove from heat. Serve with remaining basil leaves and lime zest. Serve with steamed rice or Thai noodles.