Today’s guest post is by Marnely Rodriguez of the food blog, Cooking with Books. A graduate of The Culinary Institute of America, she has worked as an overnight bread baker in Colorado, a chocolate maker in Virginia as well as a pastry cook on Martha’s Vineyard…just to name a few. She currently resides in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic where she is on an endless search for Caribbean flavors, tropical fruits and gastronomic inspiration.
Photo Credit: Indian Foods Company
Cooking for two (not to mention cooking for one…) is a challenge that many twenty-somethings like me struggle with every day. We’ve all moved out of the comforts of our parent’s homes and into that one bedroom apartment/loft/studio with the smallest kitchen this side of the Mississippi.
A tiny kitchen shouldn’t stop you from cooking and the fact that your pantry is really a plastic bin under the table is even better: more counter space! When stocking your pantry, you’ll be told to buy the basics: pasta, rice, a few spices and oils, vinegar for dressings, bread crumbs, canned soup, tomato sauces, coffee and tea. Basic necessitates, but nothing too exciting.My advice when stocking your small, but delicious pantry? Go Global.
Wait, did you think I meant Local? No, I meant Global. As you build your spice collection, stock your pantry with exotic but inexpensive items that will make your meals sing with excitement and continuously challenge your cooking experience. There are a lot of culinary uses for spices you see every day, like smoked paprika, ground ginger, curry powder, cardamom, cumin and turmeric.
My favorite meal for two is a simple Thai curry over Basmati rice. Comforting and spicy, it’s a great meal to share or eat for lunch as leftovers the next day. A lot of the ingredients are probably already in your pantry, so all you’ll need to create a balanced meal are vegetables and chicken (or tofu for a vegetarian version), as well as Thai curry paste and coconut milk, both available in the International Food section of most grocery stores.
Photo Credit: Fine Cooking
Thai Curry with Basmati Rice
What You Need:
2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts, diced OR 6 ounces extra firm tofu, cubed
1 small, yellow onion, chopped
3 medium carrots, diced
1/2 red bell pepper, choppe
1 medium eggplant, diced
grated fresh ginger, to taste
2 tablespoons curry paste [use either red or green, can be found in the Ethnic foods aisle in your grocery store]
1 can of coconut milk [found in the Ethnic foods aisle in your grocery store]
salt and pepper
1 cup basmati rice
How-To:
Cook rice according to package directions and set aside. Meanwhile, in a medium sauce pan, heat oil and sear the cubes of chicken breast. Remove from heat and reserve. Add all the vegetables, including the ginger.
Add chicken breast and curry paste, making sure to coat everything. Season with salt and pepper. Add coconut milk and stir until incorporated. Let simmer for 20 minutes until chicken is cooked and flavors have combined. Check seasoning and serve over cooked basmati rice.
Suggestions:
- For a vegetarian version, substitute protein with tofu or sweet potatoes.
- Chicken can be substituted for beef, lamb, or pork. Be sure to adjust cooking times.
- Add a drizzle of Sriracha (or hot sauce) at the end of cooking to infuse with slight heat!
- Other vegetables to add: broccoli, cauliflower, potatoes, celery, zucchini or anything in season at the time.Use vegetables you love!
More Global Dishes to Explore:
Asian Sticky Spare Ribs – In Good Taste
Shakshuka, A Classic Israeli Dish – A Thought for Food
Spicy Indian Carrots – Chow and Chatter
{ 57 comments… read them below or add one }
This is a great recipe. I love the simplicity and delicousness of it! Great guest post!
Great looking dish and great post!
Aah, so great! Definitely filing this away for my “need dinner; no money” nights.
I’m always looking for new meals for two! This sounds fantastic. And I love all of the options you give at the end to make it more veg friendly, etc!
I love Thai curry! I’d eat this with tofu and lots of veggies!
Mmmm this is a good recipe for my daughter in college! She enjoys all the chopping and fussing in the kitchen but never wants to have too many leftovers!!
I love a recipe for two! This looks delicious and I love how few ingredients it has.
Love this recipe for it’s simplicity & flavor! Sounds great – especially because it’s just right for our little family
I really do need to play around more with making curry. This dish looks right up my alley. And thank you for the shout out! That shakshuka recipe is one of my favorites
Definitely sounds good to me. I always have those two curry pastes in the fridge!
Sounds delicious. I love dishes with coconut and spice!
Great guest post! My boyfriend has been on a major curry kick here lately. I may have to try this one out.
Mmmmm! Sounds great! Definitely making this for dinner this week
Cooking for one is definitely a challenge but this sounds like a wonderful 1-2 person meal. Now that our girls are grown and on their own, I’m cooking for only 2 again myself. I love Thai food and this sounds delicious.
Love your tip to “think global” when stocking the pantry, and I love, love, love a good curry!
Great looking curry with my fav basmati rice.Thai Food simply rocks!
i absolutely adoooore curry although i’ve never made it myself! we always have a turkey curry that my dad makes after christmas and i really look forward to it. great guest post!
I absolutely love Indian and Asian flavors yet I rarely cook with them. Beautiful recipe and one that will definitely inspire me to dash over to the Asian supermarket and stock up!
Yum, this sounds wonderful…and I use Thai Curry Pastes pretty religiously, I just love them. I’m craving a curry now
What a great recipe! This dish looks divine. I’ve definitely got a small kitchen as well, but we make it work, right?
This looks like a great way to sice up my weeknight dinner menu; it is always a struggle to find recipes for ony two people!
a perfect dinner date meal for two..curry and a movie!! awesome
sweetlife
I love curries like this! They’re so easy but versatile so you can use whatever you have in the fridge!
love cooking with basmati rice! So much more flavor than plain white rice- although don’t tell my dad I said that since he does farm rice. He would kill me! LOL!
Curries are some of our favorite meals, this recipe sure sounds good.
Great guest post! I’ve been obsessed with curry paste lately!
i couldn’t agree more – go global!! and meals like this one are just plain fabulous!!
What a terrific guest post! This looks like a “must try” recipe.
Thank you.
This would make such a great winter dish for our cold weather right now!
What a great looking curry, Maris.
By the way – I just saw your Bisquick video and you did such a fab job! You are a natural in front of the camera!
I am always searching for recipes for two. Sometimes the leftovers are nice, but other times, I want a meal that is “normally” portioned for us. This looks like a winner for sure! Thanks
ahhhh excellent recipe!!! love that it’s veganizable!
Looks amazing!
Oh how I love coconut milk and curry! This looks fantastic!
This is perfect! I just discovered the joys of thai and curry!
i always keep a jar of thai curry pasta + coconut milk in my pantry too (but have never added eggplants into a curry before so will have to try soon!)
i know…cooking for 1 or 2 is hard…but now that im used to it, i find cooking for more people a challenge!
Thai curry is one of my favorite dishes to make and I love how easy this version is to pull together.
Thai curry tastes so good and so does basmati rice! A yummy meal.
Cheers,
Rosa
I haven’t had anything Thai in so long. This is what I love about the blogosphere, you leave a certain food for a while, unknowingly, and someone’s blog brings it right back into your loop. It looks delicious, and great write-up!
This sounds great! I should definitely cook curries more often!
OMG how delicious!!!!
Yuum!!! I loove curry! Great recipe!
looks great and love Nelly she is a star
I really love leftovers, so I’ve never found it super hard to cook for myself. It can be frustrating to stay motivated to come up with new ideas continuously. Going global is an excellent suggestion! Thai curries are some of my favorites. This looks fantastic!
Mmmm, mmm, I agree on the going global. I love to keep lots of different spices and spice mixtures around. Love Thai curry paste!
This looks great. Aside from the servings of meat, I don’t make many adjustments to recipes. I cook mainly for me and my wife. Nothing wrong with leftovers. She always takes them for lunches.
Wonderful guest post! I’ve been cooking for two for years! It was hard at first but I got used to it.
Just had to tell you–showed this to the husband and he demanded I make it for dinner!
I love Thai dishes!! Adore them – I have never made a curry paste from scratch but would love to do so, maybe one day….until then, I am going to still enjoy the Thai flavours with shop bought pastes…I am going to make the Tofu version…looks appetising!!!
-Shilpa
I have to admit that even though I like Thai curries, I don’t make them nearly enough. Thanks for the reminder. I agree with Shilpa that this sounds great with tofu and I bet that shrimp would be great in this as well.
We love curry and always eat it out, I need to try making it at home more. This is a great recipe to start with!
I rarely cooked for one when I lived alone. I ate lots of cereal, cheese and crackers and toast and peanut butter….so bad. Its just my husband and I now, but we’re both trying to be healthy, so cooking good fresh and healthy meals is fun for us. I also have a TINY kitchen (we are in an apartment) but it’s worth being cramped to stock it with good food. Have a wonderful day.
This is a fantastic recipe and I can’t wait to try it. Lovely to see Marnely here.:)
Nice guest post! I love Thai curry!!
Thai Curry with Basmati Rice looks amazing. I would love to eat this…YUM!
This sounds so simple yet so flavorful. Thanks for the idea!
My mouth has started watering on such breathtaking pics and recipes on your blog!! You are a great cook and a talented shutterbug.