Barefoot in the Kitchen: Thai Pineapple Curry

Hello! I have to sincerely apologize for my 6 week blog absence! I have been having some stomach problems and rather than be fun and inspiring, food has been a source of pain, frustration and, if I am brutally honest, a bit of depression over the last couple months. As I write this, I haven't figured anything out yet, but I do have an appointment with a guy who specializes in digestive disorders coming up in a week and half and I am feeling hopeful that he will help me to figure some things out! I am a bit nervous that he is going to restrict my diet even more (beyond gluten, dairy, yeast, peanuts), but need to just prepare myself for that because it is a good possibility. So I make no promises about the nature of the recipes you will find here over the coming weeks! It's quite possible that strange and funky dishes will become a more regular occurrence.

In the meantime, I have been on a major Thai food kick in the last few weeks! There is an awesome little restaurant here in town called Arharn Thai that has become my favorite because I can eat almost everything on their menu. I wanted to try my hand at some Pineapple Curry last week and my sweet boyfriend (who I am sure is getting sick of Thai food!!) agreed to serve as my taste-tester :)

I looked online at recipes and then tweaked a few things. Here is what I came up with:

Thai Pineapple Curry

1/4 cup red curry paste
2 - 13.5oz cans light coconut milk
3 T fish sauce
1/4 cup white sugar
1/2 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
1/2 green bell pepper, thinly sliced
1/2 white onion, thinly sliced
1 cup pineapple chunks or tidbits, drained
1 T vegetable or olive oil
Meat of your choice: chicken, pork, beef, fish, cut up into 1/2" strips
Cooked white rice
Lime wedges
Cilantro for garnish
Sriracha sauce, optional
Salt to taste

- Heat oil in a pan and add the curry paste. Saute for 1-2 minutes. Add meat and continue cooking on medium heat until meat is cooked about 1/2 way through.
- Add in coconut milk, fish sauce, and sugar and simmer for 2-3 minutes.
- Add in bell peppers and onion and simmer for another 2-3 minutes or until meat is cooked all the way through.
- Remove from heat and add pineapple.
- Salt to taste
- Serve over cooked white rice topped with lime, cilantro and Sriracha sauce

When I served this to Jeff, I had not added any salt. His feedback was that it needed some salt and some heat. I love Sriracha sauce and had a bottle on hand. We thought it was pretty good drizzled on top. You could also add in some red Thai chilis with the bell peppers. I also think I might add in a little fresh ginger at the step where I am sauteing the meat next time.

Here is a couple photos:

The finished product: