Asian Coconut Curry Chicken

This dish is very special to me. 

For one, it introduced me to the world of curry - a spice blend that I now cannot live without. Whether it be Asian or Indian, curry is definitely one of my favorite things. Secondly, this dish reminds me of Pei Wei, where I first encountered Coconut Curry Chicken and where my fiance and I had our first lunch "date." Thirdly, it just tastes so darn incredible. The combination of super hot green curry paste and soothing coconut milk, paired with the crunch of strong onion, sweet red bell pepper and zing of fresh basil - phenomenal.

If these flavors sound enticing to you, give this recipe a whirl.

Asian Coconut Curry Chicken Recipe: 

• 4 boneless, skinless chicken thighs, chopped into thick chunks (you can use breasts or bone-in meat, but cooking time will differ)
• 3-4 tbsp green curry paste (choose according to your heat preference)
• salt
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 yellow onion, chopped into thick chunks
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 cayenne peppers, diced
• 4 tbsp chicken broth
• 1/3 cup coconut milk
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped into thick chunks
• 2 cups fresh green beans, snapped in half and blanched
• 2 tbsp fresh chopped basil
• Cooked rice to serve (I used 1 cup brown mixed with 1 cup Jasmine)

Combine chicken with green curry paste and salt and set in fridge to marinate for 30 minutes. Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the chicken chunks and brown. Add the onion, garlic and cayenne pepper and cook together for a few minutes. Add chicken broth and coconut milk. Bring to a boil, allow the sauce to thicken, reduce heat, cover and simmer for about 15 minutes. Meanwhile, blanch your green beans. When ready, add bell pepper, green bean and fresh basil. Stir and serve with rice.

Happy Birthday Coconut Cake

Happy Birthday, Dad!

My dad's birthday was this weekend and to celebrate, the whole family met at a cabin in Burnet, TX. I eagerly volunteered to make the birthday cake and decided on a layered coconut cake with cream cheese frosting. It ended up a bit more dense than I had expected (more like a shortcake) and not too sweet, which was nice. You could definitely tell it didn't come from a box. Colorful sprinkles were a must to make it birthday special-y.


Coconut Cake Recipe:

• 2 1/4 cups cake flour
• 2 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 2/3 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup butter, softened
• 2 large eggs
• 1 (14oz) can coconut milk (remember to shake well before using)
  
• 1 tbsp vanilla extract

• 8oz cream cheese
• 1 tub whipped topping
• 1 cup powdered sugar

• 2 cups sweetened coconut flakes, divided
• sprinkles!

Preheat oven to 350 degrees . Grease and lightly flour two round 9-inch cake pans. In a large bowl, sift the cake flour, baking powder and salt together. Lightly stir with a whisk. In a separate large bowl, beat the softened butter and sugar on medium until well incorporated. Add in the eggs one at a time, mixing after each. Then alternate adding the flour and coconut milk. Stir in the vanilla extract.

Divide the batter between the two pans and place in middle rack. Bake for about 35 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Cool completely (ideally on a wire rack for faster timing, but I don't have one of those fancy things so I just do it on the stove top...works!)

While the cake's baking (or cooling) bring the cream cheese to room temp and put the whipped topping in the fridge (it's normally in the freezer, but you want it to be very soft). Beat the cream cheese and powdered sugar in a bowl on medium speed until smooth. Gently fold in the whipped topping until all incorporated. You can add more or less sugar depending on how cream cheese-y you like it. Cover and place back in fridge until ready to frost.

Once the cake is COMPLETELY cooled (very important), you can begin frosting. Place one cake layer on a dish, glob on a decent amount of frosting and smooth out. Sprinkle a nice layer of coconut flakes on top.

Then, add the second layer on top, glob on more frosting and smooth out the top and sides. How many coconut flakes you use is pretty much dependent on how good you are at sticking it to the sides. I went with the subtractive process and put a lot of handfuls on the cake and scraped away as needed. Finally, top with sprinkles. You can either eat right away or place in the fridge overnight to allow the frosting to solidify more.