Thai Curry with Summer Veggies

You can put anything in curry--they are so versatile and delicious. Dave and I could probably eat curry every single day.

Indian or Thai, spicy or mild, meat or veggies--anything goes.

Here's how I make a Thai curry with store bought curry paste and summer veggies from the garden. I had zucchini, Japanese eggplant, tomatoes, and basil that day. And from the pantry I used a variety of canned stuff: baby corn, water chestnuts, mushrooms, and coconut milk. I always try to keep this stuff in the pantry so I can throw something quick together for dinner. Start to finish, this it takes only about 15 minutes to prepare.

1. Saute sliced zucchini and eggplant in a little oil. It is rare to brown or caramelize foods in Thai cuisine, but if you like that extra level of flavor, by all means, brown away! If you are using meat in the curry, start by browning it, then add the veggies.2. Add minced hot peppers if you like spicy curry. Let cook until the peppers are a little bit soft.3. Dump in all your canned veggies, stir, and bring to a simmer so everything gets warmed. If you don't like coconut milk just use whole cow's milk. No biggie.4. Stir in the curry paste. I use about 4 tablespoons per can of coconut milk. Bring to a simmer for a few minutes to make sure everything is warmed.5. Right before serving, stir in chopped tomatoes and plenty of basil. Adding the basil too soon will cause it to turn black from the heat (although the flavor will still be good) and the tomatoes will disintegrate. I personally like chunks of tomatoes in my food, but if you have tomato-haters in your house you can add them (the tomatoes, not the people...) earlier so the simmering curry sauce will blend them right in.Edward and Dave think that meatless meals are just "snacks." So I pan fried some salmon patties...Thai curry and salmon patties are a weird combination but it was the only defrosted meat I had available at the time. The last time I made curry Dave fried up a polish dog to go along with it...ew. I guess I need to have some shrimp or chicken breasts defrosted next time so we can just add it to the curry and avoid eating weird protein just to have protein with dinner. (Men are so weird about meat.)