Do you invent curries on your bike ride home? Apparently I do. I thought this one up whilst absentmindedly peddling down one of Calgary’s many bike paths, next to a wee swath of prairie. I suppose something about the fresh air and the semi-suicidal gophers darting on and off the paved pathway made me think of curry. It may have also been the doughnut I had at work saying “you should really have something healthy for dinner.” So I did.
Peanut butter soup is one of the best meals I remember my mom making when I was a kid. Now, I’ll admit that 9-year-old me was a bit skeptical at first, but it was delicious, and I can remember telling a kid who was deathly allergic to peanuts that he was really missing out (sorry, Felix). Anyhow, unfortunately for me, my mother completely forgot about that soup, and by the time I thought to ask for it again, she was certain it had never existed. Oh well.
A creamy Thai curry, loaded with vegetables, tofu, and toasted cashews, is exactly what I need sometimes. Lots of flavour, lots of veggies, and a good dose of whole grains in the form of some red Thai rice. This one definitely fits the bill.
The ReBar cookbook has been popping up all over in my life these days. First a copy of it as a Christmas gift, then a cake at a birthday party, and a copy on coffee tables at dinner parties here and there. The chocolate cake would have been enough of an endorsement on its own, but every owner of a copy also had glowing things to say.
One of my favourite Thai restaurants, Bangkoknoi, makes the most incredible coconut rice. It is absolutely addictive, and I have gone there several times almost just for the coconut rice (though I do always get a curry to pour over it). It’s wonderful—creamy, sweet, rich, and utterly delicious.
Thai Curry has long been one of my favourite quick and easy, veggie-loaded dinners. You can use almost any assortment of vegetables, and whatever meat or fish you have hanging about (or nuts of tofu if you’re going veggie). The whole curry can be made from start to finish whilst the rice cooks, and then you’ve got yourself a brilliant, flavourful dinner in no time at all.
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