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Crockpot

Crockpot Chicken or Beef Massaman Curry – Around the World in 30 Dishes – Thailand

April 14, 2014 by danawyyc 6 Comments

Come along with me as I explore the world through my kitchen. For each region, I’ll be trying about 5 dishes, drawing inspiration from authentic dishes, ingredients or techniques from that region but adapting them for a North American home cook. All the ingredients in this series will be ones I can find in my local (Calgary, Alberta) grocery store and use cooking tools I already have at home. 

Massaman Curry - Thai Food - Around the World in 30 Dishes - talkinginallcaps.com
 My friend Amy lived in Thailand for a while and said that this dish was her favorite. After looking at the ingredient list, I found that even though many of the ingredients weren’t super familiar to me, I could find them all in my local grocery store. I made it as a crockpot recipe, but you could easily do it on the stove top instead. You can reduce the cooking time to about 1/3 of what I recommend for the crockpot on high. I thought  this recipe was great. I ended up making both a beef and a chicken version and loved them both. It made great leftovers too.
Massaman Curry - Thai Food - Around the World in 30 Dishes - talkinginallcaps.com

Ingredients and Substitutions:

  • Tamarind – is a kind of sour fruit. I’ve found it whole in the produce section and as a paste or as a sauce in the asian section of our local grocery stores. If you use whole fruit, remove the outer layer and use the inner fruit. Tamarind may seem unfamiliar but is a primary ingredient in Worchestershire sauce. Nothing is really recommended as a substitute for Tamarind, but what you are looking for is something to add a sweet, sour taste.
  • Sambal Olek – This is a chili sauce that is meant to add heat without effecting the flavoring. Substitute for any chili or garlic chili sauce.
  • Lemongrass – is a grass that has a herby lemon flavor. It looks like a stalk and is found in the produce section. They may be long or cut into smaller chunks and put in a package. I’ve found the lemon grass in our grocery stores to be a bit dry, but you can re-hydrate it by letting it sit in some water. It will even continue to grow. Substitute with lemon zest.
  • Cardamon – Is an aromatic spice commonly used in Indian cooking . If you can’t find it, try substituting a mixture of cinnamon and nutmeg. The flavor won’t be quite the same but it should work well.
  • Fish Sauce – is a condiment made from anchovies. That may not sound awesome, but it actually is. You can substitute soy sauce with good results.
Print
Crockpot Massaman Curry – Thai Food
Author: Dana
Recipe type: Main
Cuisine: Thai
 
Ingredients
  • 2 Tbsp oil
  • 2 Tbsp oil
  • one pound beef or chicken cut into chunks
  • one pound beef or chicken cut into chunks
  • one pound baby potatoes quartered (large potatoes cut into chunks is fine too)
  • one pound baby potatoes quartered (large potatoes cut into chunks is fine too)
  • 1 onion, diced
  • 1 onion, diced
  • one 2 inch long piece of ginger, grated
  • one 2 inch long piece of ginger, grated
  • 4-5 cloves garlic, grated or minced
  • 4-5 cloves garlic, grated or minced
  • 2 or more teaspoons Sambal Olek or other chili paste
  • 2 or more teaspoons Sambal Olek or other chili paste
  • one 14 oz can broth to match meat of choice
  • one 14 oz can broth to match meat of choice
  • one 14 oz can coconut milk
  • one 14 oz can coconut milk
  • 1 stalk lemongrass, minced
  • 1 stalk lemongrass, minced
  • 3 bay leaves
  • 3 bay leaves
  • 1½ teaspoons turmeric
  • 1½ teaspoons turmeric
  • 1 teaspoon ground coriander
  • 1 teaspoon ground coriander
  • 1 teaspoon whole cumin seed
  • 1 teaspoon whole cumin seed
  • ½ teaspoon pepper
  • ½ teaspoon pepper
  • ¼ teaspoon cardamon
  • ¼ teaspoon cardamon
  • 1 teaspoon tamarind (paste, sauce or mashed up fruit - whatever you can find)
  • 1 teaspoon tamarind (paste, sauce or mashed up fruit - whatever you can find)
  • 1 tablespoon fish sauce
  • 1 tablespoon fish sauce
  • ½ tablespoon brown sugar
  • ½ tablespoon brown sugar
  • ¼ cup chopped unsalted dry-roasted cashews or peanuts (+ handful more for garnish)
  • ¼ cup chopped unsalted dry-roasted cashews or peanuts (+ handful more for garnish)
  • 1 small red pepper, thinly sliced
  • 1 small red pepper, thinly sliced
  • 1 medium tomato, sliced
Instructions
  1. Turn your crockpot onto high heat and add a couple tablespoons of oil.
  2. After the oil is heated, add the onion, spices, cashews or peanuts and tamarind. Stir until fragrant.
  3. Add the meat, chicken, broth, coconut milk, chili garlic paste, fish sauce and brown sugar. The potatoes can be added here, or later on depending on how long the crockpot will be running. Add the potatoes right away if they will be cooking on low for 3-4 hours. If you are cooking at a higher heat or for a longer time (eg if you want it to cook while you are out or are using a tough cut of beef) add the potatoes 2-3 hours before you plan on eating. Alternatively, you can boil the potatoes and add them at the last minute.
  4. During the last hour of cooking add the peppers and tomatoes.
  5. You can vary the cooking time for this dish a lot as long as you don't add the potatoes, tomatoes and peppers too early. Curries tend to only get better with additional cooking time. As long as your meat is cooked through and no longer tough you can eat it.
  6. If you are using chicken breasts, you can probably cook it for as little as 2.5 - 3 hours on high. Beef will have a longer minimum cooking time (at least 5-6 hours) - you'll want to cook it long enough for the meat to get tender. If you have the time to cook it on low for 8-10 hours it will be even better.
  7. Serve over rice (I like brown jasmine or brown basmati) Top with additional chopped cashews or peanuts.
Notes
(Adapted from <a href="http://www.instructables.com/id/massaman-curry/">Instructable's Massaman Curry Recipe</a>
3.2.1290

Massaman Curry - Thai Food - Around the World in 30 Dishes - talkinginallcaps.com

Massaman Curry - Thai Food - Around the World in 30 Dishes - talkinginallcaps.com
 

Filed Under: Around the World in 30 Dishes, Beef, Chicken, Crockpot, Food, Recipes, Thailand

Carrot Cake Oatmeal–Slow Cooker Method

March 13, 2011 by danawyyc 1 Comment

Carrot Cake Oatmeal - Slow Cooker Method

I got the inspiration for this dish from Oh She Glows (great vegan recipe ideas). I thought the concept would be perfect for the slow cooker and simplified it so it would be easier for me to throw together before bed.

I’m really pleased with how it turned out. I would definitely recommend adding a little maple syrup (or your favorite sugar like substance) on top because that really takes it from good oatmeal to carrot cake. My husband liked it even though he always complains whenever I use pecans or walnuts. Gordie seemed to like it too even though it often rejects carrots recently. They didn’t bother him at all in this. Bottom line – I will definitely be making it again because I loved it.

Print
Carrot Cake Oatmeal–Slow Cooker Method
Recipe type: Breakfast
 
Ingredients
  • 1 Cup Steel Cut Oats
  • 2 Cups Water
  • 2½ Cups Milk (I’ve tried skim and soy – both good)
  • 2 cups of carrots finely grated (2-3 good sized carrots, I have used a coarse grate and it was fine, just not as good)
  • 1 Tsp Cinnamon
  • ½ tsp ground ginger
  • ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • ¼ cup walnuts/pecans (I always substitute pecans, I find them less bitter)
  • ¼ cup raisins
  • top with milk and maple syrup
  • I think a little cream cheese mixed in would be great, but I haven’t had a chance to try it.
Instructions
  1. Place the first 8 ingredients in a crock pot and stir to combine.
  2. Cook the oatmeal on “warm” for 6-9 hours (If I put it on low overnight half of it sticks to the side of the crockpot, you may be able to put yours on low overnight if yours doesn’t run quite as hot as mine. If you don’t have a warm setting reduce the cooking time or just deal with it).
  3. When you get up, pop in the raisins and walnuts.and turn the heat up to low. Cook for 20-30 more minutes and serve with milk and maple syrup.
3.2.1290

 

 

Photography Note: It is hard to take appealing pictures of goopy things. Toppings really help make it look more attractive.

Filed Under: Crockpot, Easy Meals, Food, Recipes, Vegetarian

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About Me

I'm an experiential playground expert and mom to three young kids. I live with my husband in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. When I'm not looking after people, I'm reading all the YA fiction I can get my hands on and am attempting to learn photography. My laundry-folding suffers due to more interesting pursuits.

You can also find me over at:
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