Eat Fat, Lose Fat (30 page)

Heat oil blend in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add bay leaves, cinnamon stick, and cardamom pods and sauté for about 2 minutes, or until flavors are released. Add prawns and cook on both sides, about 3 minutes total. Remove prawns and set aside. Add garlic, ginger, and onions and sauté until onions are clear, about 8 minutes. Add flour and ground almonds. Cook 2 minutes, sitrring constantly. Add coconut cream, cayenne, and sugar, bring to a boil, and simmer for 10 minutes, or until flavors amalgamate.

Return prawns to the pan and add salt. Simmer about 8 minutes, or until cooked through. Add lemon juice and cilantro. Remove bay leaves, cinnamon stick, and cardamom pods. Garnish with almond slivers.

Poultry Entrées

Whenever possible, use grass-fed, farm-raised chicken (see Resources).

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Cut up chicken, reserving backs, wings, neck, head, and feet (neck, head, and feet are optional if not desired or not provided by your local market) for making chicken stock. Place breasts, thighs, and drumsticks, skin side up, in a stainless-steel baking pan. Brush with butter and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Note: Chicken may be prepared the day ahead to this point and reserved, covered, in the refrigerator while you make stock.

Place chicken in oven and bake about 2 hours, or until golden brown. Remove to a heated platter and serve with Coconut Peanut Sauce.

Pat chicken pieces dry with paper towels. Heat ghee in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken pieces and sauté in batches. Remove each batch with a slotted spoon and set aside. Add onions and sauté until soft. Add spices and sauté, stirring, for several minutes, or until flavors are released. Add chicken stock and lemon juice and bring to a boil. Stir in garlic, chicken, and coconut milk.

Lower heat and simmer, uncovered, for about 15 minutes, stirring frequently, until sauce is reduced and thickened. Season with salt. Serve with traditional curry garnishes such as chopped green onions,
Chopped Crispy Peanuts
(page259), raisins, and
Coconut Sprinkles
or freeze-dried coconut meat. This dish is excellent with
Cucumber Raita
.

This recipe is adapted from
It Rains Fishes: Legends, Traditions and the Joys of Thai Cooking
by Kasma Loha-Unchit. Tamarind paste is available in Asian markets. Use a brand of coconut milk that does not contain emulsifiers and will separate, so you can skim off the cream (see Resources).

Spoon about
²
/
₃
cup thick coconut cream from top of the can of coconut milk into a medium saucepan. Heat over medium-high heat. Reduce until bubbly and oils begin to separate, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the curry paste, mashing it to mix with the cream. Fry paste in cream for a few minutes, until it is aromatic. Add ground peanuts and some of remaining coconut milk, enough to make a smooth, thick sauce. Season with fish sauce and coconut sugar.

Add chicken to sauce and cook over medium heat until the pieces change color and are no longer pink and raw on the outside. At this point the chicken will start to let out the juices inside. The mixture should appear wet, but if it is still dry and there is not enough sauce, add more coconut milk. Add potatoes and whole peanuts, cover, and lower heat.

Simmer for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally to check consistency. The chicken should be in a rich sauce. If sauce is too thick, add more coconut milk. Stir in baby pearl onions and jalapeños. Cover and simmer another 5 to 10 minutes, or until potatoes and onions are tender.

Taste the curry sauce. Sprinkle in more fish sauce and coconut sugar as needed to adjust the flavors to your liking and stir in the tamarind. The curry should taste slightly sweet.

This curry recipe comes from Vietnam and contains sweet potato. It is adapted from
The Vietnamese Cookbook
by Diana My Tran.

In a large bowl, mash salt, red pepper, sugar, curry powder, and tomato paste together, using a fork. Coat chicken with this mixture and marinate for 10 minutes.

Heat oil blend in a deep pot or wok over medium-high heat. Add garlic and lemongrass and stir-fry until fragrant. Add chicken and stir-fry another 5 minutes, or until chicken browns slightly. Add stock and coconut milk. Stir in sweet potato and simmer for 20 minutes, or until sweet potato is tender.

This unusual dish from Western Samoa combines the tastes of coconut milk and mango.

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Strew onion slices in a large stainless-steel baking dish. Arrange mango slices in a layer on top of onions and place chicken pieces (breasts, legs, and thighs), skin side up, over mango. (Use the chicken backs and neck to make chicken stock unless you’d prefer not to, or are having trouble finding these at your local market.) Mix together coconut oil, salt, pepper, paprika, nutmeg, and lemon rind in a small bowl and brush on chicken pieces. Bake for about 1½ hours, or until chicken is nicely browned.

Remove chicken and mango slices to a heated platter. Pour chicken stock into the dish and bring to a boil over high heat, scraping up coagulated juices. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring in lemon juice and coconut milk. Strain into a small saucepan and continue to simmer to allow the liquid to reduce and thicken slightly.

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Mix together breadcrumbs, curry powder, salt, and coconut on a large plate. Pour orange juice into a small bowl and beat egg in another small bowl. Dip chicken thighs in orange juice, then in beaten egg, and then in breadcrumb mixture. Place prepared thighs in a buttered Pyrex pan just large enough to hold them. Melt butter and coconut oil together in a small saucepan over medium heat and pour over chicken. Bake for at least 1 hour, or until chicken is cooked through and nicely browned.

Combine coconut cream, soy sauce, lemon juice, garlic, onion, and salt in a large bowl. Add chicken, cover, and place in refrigerator to marinate for several hours. Thread onto skewers and grill over a fire, on a barbecue, or under a grill, about 10 minutes per side, or until chicken is well-cooked but not dry. Serve with Peanut Satay Sauce.

Warm coconut oil in a medium sauté pan over medium heat. Add onion, ginger, and garlic and sauté gently until onion is clear and golden. Add peanut butter and coconut cream and stir well. Add soy sauce, sugar, jalapeño, and lemon juice and season with salt. Lower heat and simmer for 10 minutes, or until sauce is thoroughly warmed.

Red Meat Entrées

Whenever possible, use grass-fed, farm-raised meats (see Resources).