Curry on my Mind (Thai Bento 2)

I've been having this craving for curry, not just any curry, but a nice Thai green curry. Of course this quickly translated into a fully formulated Thai (part 2) bento. It also just so happened that my local grocery chain was running some special on shrimp, obviously this was a sign that I had to make some Gaeng Keow Wan with Shrimp.

I will say this bento really almost did me in. I think I traversed the city twice to find everything. Everywhere I went, it was either sub par ingredients, or trusted sources for ingredients that were completely out. I think I burned more on gas than I did on the ingredients for this bento but 6 hours of shopping later I was ready to begin.

I love green curry, it's mild and has a hint sweetness to it. There's many variations to the ingredients, I used a bit of what was on hand and tossed the shrimp into it. I think the core must haves are: coconut milk, green curry (of course) and the basil. Everything else seems fairly negotiable. I would have stewed in some eggplant but I thought it would get repetitive with the side dish.

Can't have a proper curry without jasmin rice. I decided to make it more tasty and make it a coconut rice. I only hesitated because how fatty coconut milk is granted, there are studies that show that the fat in coconut milk is actually good for you, I still opted for using light version of the coconut milk (as I did with the curry). Still very tasty and at least I shaved off a few calories and more importantly fat. I used a rice cooker for this endevour which ended up turning out ok (I had to hit the button and go thru 2 cooking processes) but it might be more reliable to use the stove next time I use something other than straight water for rice.

For a side, I had a recollection of this wonderful Stir fried Eggplant with Basil at a Thai restaurant I had visited a few years back. I had to introduce that goodness to my eaters. I think I got it right, I probably should have cut back on the cornstarch and made the sauce a tad thinner. Still good though.



Dessert consists of something southeast asian region is really known for: exotic and fresh fruits. I wanted to end the meal with something light and palate cleansing but at the same time interesting. This is actually a very simple dessert. I poached some star fruit in orange juice and introduced a mango puree at the end. It's a great blend of citrus-y flavor with a smooth semi-sweet taste of mango.

Hopefully my eaters enjoyed the meal, I know I will be enjoying some more curry tonight when I get home :). Thanks for stopping by!

Box contents:

• Thai Green Curry with Shrimp
• Coconut Rice
  
• Stir fried Eggplant with Basil and Garlic
• Poached Star Fruit with Mango Puree