Whenever I travel in Thailand, I always
make it point to seek out each city's Irish-American neighborhoods so I
can enjoy a steaming bowl of coconut milk corned beef and cabbage.
Okay, so I've never been Thailand, but
if there are any Irish-American neighborhoods, and if they do have
corned beef available, they may possibly make something vaguely similar
to this. If not, that's fine, since I wasn't really trying to make a
Thai dish anyway.
I was craving corned beef and cabbage
recently, but the thought of doing the same old New England "boiled
dinner" had me yawning. I tried to think of some new, interesting
braising liquid, and that's when I remembered I've never had something
stewed in coconut milk that I didn't like.
Since I had no previous experience to go
on, I was pretty conservative with the ingredients in general, and the
red curry in particular. That said, I was really happy with the results.
The coconut milk gave the broth a subtle sweetness and richness not
present in the classic brew.
It's my hope that those of you trying
this will be sharing any additions the rest of us may find interesting. I
think a little cilantro or basil would have worked, as would the
addition of small eggplants, or bell peppers.
Now, how does a Vietnamese banh mi sandwich made with the leftovers sound? Enjoy!