Curried Chicken in Coconut - Pumpkin Sauce

evelyn/athens's Note:

Created for RSC 8. This is a delicious curry – hot, salty-sweet, subtle, creamy, easy to make and fast – it’s really got it all! If you're short on time and ambition, you could use canned pumpkin and coconut milk. This makes lots of sauce to be soaked up in rice served alongside. I also made up what I believe to be the 'perfect' rice to accompany this wonderful curry. Please try Coconut-Raisin Rice Pilaf Coconut-Raisin Rice Pilaf, and I'm sure you won't be disappointed.

• Total Time: 35 mins
• Prep Time: 15 mins
• Cook Time: 20 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 4

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 medium onion
• 2 green hot banana peppers
• 3 garlic cloves
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger
• 1 cup pumpkin puree (I made mine fresh from butternut squash. Note ( an equal amount of cooked, pureed sweet potato works)
• 1 ½-2 tablespoons Thai red curry paste (depending on your heat tolerance)
• 2 cups coconut milk (method to make your own follows)
• 3 ½ teaspoons brown sugar , packed
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 ½ lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts , cut into large cubes (this worked out to 4 breasts)
• 3 tablespoons sour cream or 3 tablespoons Greek yogurt

To make coconut milk

• 8 ounces desiccated coconut (dry)
• 3 ½ cups water

Directions:

1. Make coconut milk: In a medium-sized pot, place dessicated coconut and water. Mix and allow to soak for ½ an hour. After ½ an hour, turn heat onto low and bring to a gentle simmer. Simmer, covered, for 10 minutes. Turn off heat and leave pot on element for ½ an hour. After ½ an hour, transfer coconut mixture to blender or processor and process for 45 seconds. Put a large sieve over a bowl and empty coconut mixture into it. Press down hard on coconut solids with the back of a spoon to remove as much coconut milk as possible. This method produced 2 cups of coconut milk. Can be made up to 2 days before recipe and refrigerated, covered. The milk will separate in the fridge, forming a creamy ‘fat’ layer on top, and a thinner ‘liquid’ layer underneath. Not to worry, the fat layer will melt into the curry along with the liquid and form a lovely milk.
2. For curry: In a food processor, pulse onion, peppers, ginger and garlic to make a smooth paste.
3. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion paste and cook for 2-3 minutes. Add pumpkin puree and curry paste and mash into onion paste. Cook until aromatic, another 2-3 minutes. Add sugar, salt and coconut milk, stirring, and bring just to boil. Simmer until slightly thicker, about 4-5 minutes. Add chicken and cook another 10 minutes. Stir in 3 tblsps sour cream so that it is completely incorporated into the sauce and simmer 2 more minutes. Remove from heat.
4. Serve with your favourite rice pilaf and enjoy!

Reviews

[debarra]

I wish I could give this six stars. It is by far one of the best recipes I've ever made. The flavors meld beautifully. In addition, it is ridiculously easy to make, especially if you use canned coconut milk (I use one can) and pumpkin. I recommend adding the red curry paste in increments of teaspoons; I find that it reaches an acceptable heat level for me around 2-3 teaspoons. If you want to make this vegetarian, I find that lentils and/or cauliflower make great additions in place of the chicken.

[Chef #1174852]

This is the first curry I ever made. After making it once with one friend, another friend and I made it together the first time we cooked together. The second time we tried it with the coconut raisin rice pilaf. Delicious. I'd forgotten about it until the other day when it passed back through my mind. Its quick, tasty and as some other reviewers have noted, easily adaptable with added carrots, broccoli, sugar snap peas, etc.

[justcallmetoni]

Simple to prepare with some rather complex and interesting flavor contrasts between the heat from the chili and curry paste and the sweetness of the coconut and pumpkin. I decided to prepare a lower fat version of this dish by reducing the oil used to prepare the onions and making this using a coconut milk substitute that I have used in my own chicken curry recipe. I was a little concerned about placing the uncooked chicken in the sauce as I feared the chicken would not cook or the sauce might break, both concerns proved to be unfounded. This will definitely be repeated. Thanks evelyn.