Chicken, Carrot, and Bok Choy Coconut Curry

This recipe came about when I wanted to use a bunch of fresh, young carrots that I picked up at the farmers’ market. It goes together quickly, uses easy-to-find ingredients, and it’s loaded with vitamins, minerals, and crunch. Depending on the chiles you use, this can be made hot or mild. Give this recipe a try when you have limited cooking time but want to create something healthy.


Chicken, Carrot, and Bok Choy Coconut Curry

1 T. coconut oil
2 chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 bunch young carrots, sliced into thin rounds
1-3 chiles, chopped*
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 15-oz can coconut milk
1 T. freshly grated ginger
1 T. coriander seeds, toasted and ground
1 t. cumin seeds, toasted and ground
2 t. coarsely ground black pepper
1 bunch bok choy, chopped
Sea salt to taste
Sesame oil

Heat the coconut oil over high heat in a large pan. Once it has melted, add the chicken pieces and begin to cook, stirring occasionally. When the chicken pieces are barely showing any pink, add the carrots and chiles. Keep stirring until no more pink shows in the chicken.

Next, add the coconut milk, ginger, coriander, cumin, and black pepper. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook for 8-12 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the chicken is cooked through and the carrots have lost their crunch but are still firm.

Add the bok choy. Cover and cook until the green tops are barely wilted. Add sea salt to taste and blend, then serve over cooked rice with a drizzle of sesame oil.


* You can make this as mild or as hot as you prefer. If you like it mild, use chiles such as cubanelles or poblanos; if you prefer hot, use a cayenne, Serrano, or even a habanero or scotch bonnet.

Soba Noodles with Thai Pesto

After picking up a bunch of Thai basil in Chinatown for a recipe that only required a few leaves, I needed to come up with something to do with the rest of the bunch. “Why not make pesto with a Thai twist?” I thought. I threw my experiment in the blender and was happy with the result, and my first instinct was to add the Thai pesto to cold Asian noodles, which is what I did in the recipe below.

While the noodle dish is excellent, you can also use Thai pesto on stir-fried or grilled vegetables, meats, and seafood, and thinned with a bit of sesame oil and rice vinegar, it would make an excellent dressing for Asian greens.

Soba Noodles with Thai Pesto

12 oz. buckwheat soba noodles
1 T. coconut oil
Splash sesame oil
½ c. Thai pesto (see recipe below)
1 cup cooked shelled edamame
Handful shredded cabbage

Cook the noodles in boiling water according to package instructions. Drain and place in a large mixing bowl with the coconut oil, sesame oil, Thai pesto, edamame, and cabbage. Toss until the noodles are coated with the pesto and the oil. Place the bowl in your refrigerator. Serve cold, garnishing with extra basil or sesame seeds if desired.


Thai Pesto

¼ c. peanuts, coarsely chopped
Leaves from 1 large bunch Thai basil
Leaves from 1 small bunch mint
2-3 Thai or Serrano chiles (use as many or as few as you’d like)
1 t. grated ginger
1 T. soy sauce
1 T. sesame oil
¼ c. canola oil (plus more if needed)

Place all ingredients in a blender or food processor. Blend until it forms a thick, smooth paste, adding more oil if necessary. Store in an airtight container for up to two weeks.

* Nutritional info: serves 4. 391 calories, 45 g fat, 67 g carbohydrates, 24 g protein.

Chicken and Sweet Potato Curry with Tropical Fruits

This recipe was an accident—a happy accident. I’d originally purchased the tropical fruits and Thai seasonings to create what turned out to be painfully underwhelming Tropical Fruit Spring Rolls. By rethinking the ingredients and adding chicken, rice, and vitamin-packed sweet potatoes, I turned my failure into a delectable Thai-inspired curry.

While most large supermarkets sell papayas and mangos (if not fresh, you’ll probably be able to find them in jars or frozen), dragon fruits may be more difficult to track down. Try a Latino or Chinese grocer; if you still can’t find dragon fruit, simply add the diced flesh of 2-3 peeled kiwis.

Dragon Fruit, Cross-Section

Chicken and Sweet Potato Curry with Tropical Fruits

2 T. coconut oil
12 oz. chicken breast, cut into bite-sized pieces
2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and diced
3-4 Thai chiles, minced
1 mango, peeled and cut into small dice
1 ripe papaya, seeded and cut into small dice
1 dragon fruit, peeled and cut into small dice*
8 oz. can sliced water chestnuts, drained
15 oz. can coconut milk
Juice and grated zest of 1 lime
¼ c. rum
2 T. soy sauce
2 t. cardamom, ground
1 t. grains of paradise, ground
1 t. grated ginger
½ t. ground cinnamon
¼ t. freshly ground black pepper
Handful Thai basil, chopped
Handful fresh mint, chopped

Cooked rice, to serve
Small sprigs of basil and/or mint, for garnish
Thai chiles, for garnish

In a large, heavy-bottomed pot, melt the coconut oil over medium-high heat, then add the chicken, sweet potatoes and chiles. Cook for 5-7 minutes, stirring frequently, until the chicken has mostly browned.

Next, add all remaining ingredients except the Thai basil, mint, and rice. Stir to combine, lower the heat to medium-low, cover, and cook for another 20-25 minutes, stirring occasionally.

When the dish is finished cooking, stir in the chopped Thai basil and the chopped mint. Blend well, spoon over rice in individual serving bowls, and top with a small sprig of basil or mint and a single Thai chile.

*If you cannot locate dragon fruit, substitute 2-3 peeled kiwis.

* Nutritional info: serves 6-8. 406 calories, 16 g fat, 48 g carbohydrates, 22 g protein.

* To purchase ingredients used in this recipe, click the link(s) below: