Coconut Chicken and Rice Stew

https://www.thrillist.com/eat/nation/how-to-make-coconut-chicken-and-rice-stew

A delicious bowl of coconut chicken and rice stew, garnished with fresh herbs and vibrant vegetables, offering a comforting and flavorful dining experience.

Serves 8

Ingredients: 

·         8 cups homemade or high-quality store-bought broth

·         1 (13.5-ounce) can unsweetened coconut milk

·         1/4 cup red curry paste

·         3 tablespoons fish sauce, plus more for seasoning

·         2 cups short-grain brown rice, rinsed

·         1 (12-ounce) bag riced cauliflower (21/2 cups)

·         1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs, or 4 cups shredded cooked chicken

·         1 large head napa cabbage (2 pounds), quartered lengthwise and thinly sliced

·         1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves

·         Kimchi, for serving ( I like about ½ cup in my bowl)

Directions:

In a large pot, combine the broth, coconut milk, curry paste, and fish sauce. Bring to a boil over high heat and then add the rice and cauliflower. Return the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat to maintain a gentle simmer.

 If you’re cooking the chicken thighs:

Simmer the rice for 18 minutes, then add the chicken thighs to the pot. Simmer until the chicken is cooked through and opaque throughout, 14 to 18 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a bowl and use two forks to shred the meat into bite-size pieces. The rice should be cooked through by now as well. Stir in the cabbage and shredded chicken; remove from the heat.

If you’re using already cooked, shredded chicken:

Simmer the rice for 24 to 28 minutes, until there’s a little bite remaining to the grain. Add the shredded chicken to the pot. Cook until the chicken is heated through, about 3 minutes. The rice should be perfectly cooked through by now. Stir in the cabbage and remove from the heat.

 Serve: Divide the soup among serving bowls and top with the cilantro. Serve with kimchi and season to taste with more fish sauce

Now that the holidays are over with, it’s time to dive into some other tasty meals that do not involve yams, squash, turkey, or any of the other “fall” related meal items. Since the new year is beginning, I thought a great way to start it off is by trying out a few soup dishes as they are probably some of the easiest dishes to make. All one has to do is combine the ingredients into one big pot (or crockpot) and let it sit all day. What can go wrong with a meal like that? Well, I’m sure something could go wrong, but we’re thinking positive, and nothing could go wrong. As the cooking directions said, put everything in one pot and let it simmer for hours, which I did, but I did not add one ingredient and that is the fish sauce. I’m allergic to anything seafood, so I can’t be doing any cooking with anything sea related as the end result is always me not being able to breath. With that said, this was still a delicious dish. The red curry past give it just the right amount of kick to give it a warm, spicy flare. Which, the curry past is something you should probably add to your taste, so I would recommend starting off with adding small amounts until you reach the correct degree of spicy that you like.